I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 878 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to appoint 
an Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Technology, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 8, 2023 
Mr. NEHLS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration to appoint an Associate Administrator for Avia-
tion Safety Technology, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. UNITED STATES LEADERSHIP IN AVIATION 
SAFETY TECHNOLOGY. 
(a) ASSOCIATE
ADMINISTRATOR
FOR
AVIATION 
SAFETY TECHNOLOGY.—Section 106 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(u) ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR
FOR AVIATION 
SAFETY TECHNOLOGY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(A) APPOINTMENT.—The Administrator 
shall appoint an Associate Administrator for 
Aviation Safety Technology, who shall report 
directly to the Administrator. 
‘‘(B) MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS.—The As-
sociate Administrator for Aviation Safety Tech-
nology shall have— 
‘‘(i) at least 10 years of experience in 
aerospace 
engineering 
management 
or 
safety-critical aviation software or systems 
development, with a focus on the certifi-
cation and operational approval of such 
systems; or 
‘‘(ii) at least 10 years of management- 
level experience and knowledge of the avia-
tion industry. 
‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The Associate Admin-
istrator for Aviation Safety Technology shall 
not be a political appointee. 
‘‘(D) REMOVAL.—The Associate Adminis-
trator for Aviation Safety Technology shall 
serve at the pleasure of the Administrator. 
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‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Associate Ad-
ministrator for Aviation Safety Technology shall 
have the following responsibilities: 
‘‘(A) Ensuring that Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration organizations involved in the re-
view and certification of aviation safety tech-
nologies, and the operation thereof, are engag-
ing in workforce planning efforts to recruit and 
hire the required number of engineers, inspec-
tors, and subject matter experts to process ap-
plications in a timely manner and oversee oper-
ations utilizing aviation safety technologies. 
‘‘(B) Collaborating with the Associate Ad-
ministrator for Aviation Safety to coordinate 
the evaluation, certification, and operation of 
aviation safety technologies in the national air-
space system. 
‘‘(C) Coordinating with the Chief Oper-
ating Officer of the Air Traffic Control System 
on the integration of aviation safety tech-
nologies into the national airspace system. 
‘‘(D) Identifying the core competencies 
that the Federal Aviation Administration engi-
neer and inspector workforce need to oversee 
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fices that will review, and a date-specific 
timeline for completion of review activities. 
‘‘(H) Not later than 12 months after en-
actment of this subsection, implementation of a 
secure password-protected online portal for ap-
plicants with new or pending aviation safety 
technology projects to review the status of their 
specific application, deadlines, and the Federal 
Aviation Administration organizations or offices 
scheduled to review the application. 
‘‘(I) Not later than 12 months after the 
enactment of this subsection, provide a report 
on the implementation of section 377 of the 
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 
115–254) on the development of a transparent 
process through which the FAA can approve 
non-governmental entities to independently pro-
vide safety-critical services to aircraft operators 
and airport operators. 
‘‘(J) Development of a process for appli-
cants to escalate to the appropriate manage-
ment personnel of the Federal Aviation Admin-
istration any major certification or operational 
approval process milestone under this section 
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that is not completed or resolved within the spe-
cific time period described in this subsection. 
‘‘(K) Resolving certification milestones as 
described in this section within a time agreed to 
by the Associate Administrator for Aviation 
Safety Technology and the applicant. 
‘‘(L) Identifying and directing the nec-
essary Federal Aviation Administration per-
sonnel and budgetary resources necessary to 
complete major certification milestones related 
to aviation safety technologies within the 
timelines defined in this section. 
‘‘(M) Not later than 12 months after the 
enactment of this subsection, the Associate Ad-
ministrator for Aviation Safety Technology 
shall establish an interagency working group to 
promote collaboration and engagement between 
the Department of Transportation, Department 
of Defense, Federal Communications Commis-
sion, National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration, and other relevant agencies to propose 
new regulations enabling digital flight which 
will allow safe operation of uncrewed aircraft 
systems and crewed aircraft through tech-
nologies such as advanced airspace and safety- 
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enhancing aircraft automation, enhanced sur-
veillance, and secure, digital pilot/air traffic 
control communications. 
‘‘(3) COMPENSATION.— 
‘‘(A) ANNUAL RATE OF BASIC PAY.—The 
Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety 
Technology shall be paid at an annual rate of 
basic pay to be determined by the Adminis-
trator. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—The annual rate may 
not exceed the annual compensation paid under 
section 102 of title 3. 
‘‘(C) POST-EMPLOYMENT
PROVISIONS.— 
The Associate Administrator for Aviation Safe-
ty Technology shall be the subject to the post- 
employment provisions of section 207 of title 
18, as if the position of the Associate Adminis-
trator for Aviation Safety Technology were de-
scribed in section 207(c)(2)(A)(i) of such title. 
‘‘(D) BONUS.—In addition to the annual 
rate of basic pay authorized under paragraph 
(1), the Associate Administrator for Aviation 
Safety Technology may receive a bonus for any 
calendar year not to exceed 30 percent of the 
annual rate of basic pay, based upon the Ad-
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ministrator’s evaluation of the performance of 
the Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety 
Technology in relation to the responsibilities es-
tablished under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(A) 
MAJOR
CERTIFICATION
PROCESS 
MILESTONE.—The term ‘major certification 
process milestone’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 44704. 
‘‘(B) AVIATION
SAFETY
TECHNOLOGY.— 
The term ‘Aviation Safety Technology’ means 
airborne or ground-based equipment that are 
meant to reduce the occurrence of aviation acci-
dents such as Loss Of Control In-Flight (LOC- 
I), Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), Sin-
gle Component Failure (SCF), mid-air colli-
sions, and/or fuel mismanagement. Specific 
technologies shall include but not be limited to: 
navigation technology, auto-land technology, 
auto take-off technology, auto-taxi technology, 
detect-and-avoid technology, aircraft commu-
nications technology and remote piloting tech-
nology.’’. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—The Assistant Administrator for 
Aviation Safety Technology may issue such regulations as 
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are necessary to expand the definition of ‘‘Aviation Safety 
Technology’’ for purposes of section 106(u)(3) of title 49, 
United States Code. 
(c) AVIATION RULEMAKING COMMITTEE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Assist-
ant Administrator for Aviation Safety Technology 
shall establish an aviation rulemaking committee to 
make recommendations for the development of a de-
tailed roadmap for the certification and operational 
approval of aviation safety technologies by the Fed-
eral Aviation Administration, with a focus on tech-
nologies, software, and automation that will enhance 
operational safety and require approval from mul-
tiple organizations with the agency. 
(2) DUTIES.—The Assistant Administrator 
shall— 
(A) not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, submit to the appro-
priate committees of Congress a report based 
on the findings of aviation rulemaking com-
mittee established under paragraph (1); and 
(B) not later than 1 year after the date of 
submission of the report under subparagraph 
(A) issue a notice of proposed rulemaking based 
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