Notice to Airmen Improvement Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.1262 | Sponsor: Rep. Stauber, Pete (R-MN)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Notice to Airmen Improvement Act of 2021
This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish the FAA Task Force on NOTAM (notice to airmen required by international or domestic law) Improvement.
Specifically, the task force must (1) review existing methods for presenting NOTAMs and flight operations information to pilots; (2) review regulations and policies relating to NOTAMs, including their content and presentation to pilots; (3) evaluate and determine best practices to organize, prioritize, and present flight operations information in a manner that optimizes pilot review and retention of relevant information; (4) provide recommendations to improve the presentation of NOTAM information; and (5) report to Congress on its reviews and evaluations.
The task force must terminate on the later of the date it submits its report or 18 months after its establishment.

To establish a task force on improvements for certain notices to 
                    airmen, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Notice to Airmen Improvement Act of 
2021''.

SEC. 2. FAA TASK FORCE ON NOTAM IMPROVEMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall establish a task force to be known as the FAA Task 
Force on NOTAM Improvement (in this section referred to as the ``Task 
Force'').
    (b) Composition.--The Task Force shall consist of members appointed 
by the Administrator, including at least one member of each of the 
following:
            (1) Air carrier representatives.
            (2) Labor union representatives of airline pilots.
            (3) Labor union certified under section 7111 of title 5, 
        United States Code, to represent FAA air traffic control 
        specialists assigned to the U.S. NOTAM Office.
            (4) Labor union certified under section 7111 of title 5, 
        United States Code, to represent FAA aeronautical information 
        specialists.
            (5) General and business aviation representatives.
            (6) Aviation safety experts with knowledge of NOTAMs.
            (7) Human factors experts.
    (c) Duties.--The duties of the Task Force shall include--
            (1) reviewing existing methods for presenting NOTAMs and 
        flight operations information to pilots;
            (2) reviewing regulations and policies relating to NOTAMs, 
        including their content and presentation to pilots;
            (3) evaluating and determining best practices to organize, 
        prioritize, and present flight operations information in a 
        manner that optimizes pilot review and retention of relevant 
        information; and
            (4) providing recommendations for--
                    (A) improving the presentation of NOTAM information 
                in a manner that prioritizes or highlights the most 
                important information, and optimizes pilot review and 
                retention of relevant information;
                    (B) ways to ensure that NOTAMs are complete, 
                accurate, and contain the proper information;
                    (C) any best practices that the FAA should consider 
                to improve the accuracy and understandability of NOTAMs 
                and the display of flight operations information; and
                    (D) ways to work with air carriers, other airspace 
                users, and aviation service providers to implement 
                solutions that are aligned with the recommendations 
                under this paragraph.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
establishment of the Task Force, the Task Force shall submit to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report detailing--
            (1) the results of the reviews and evaluations of the Task 
        Force under paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (c);
            (2) the best practices identified and recommendations 
        provided by the Task Force under subsection (c)(4);
            (3) any recommendations of the Task Force for additional 
        regulatory or policy actions to improve the presentation of 
        NOTAMs; and
            (4) the degree to which implementing the recommendations of 
        the Task Force described under paragraph (2) will address 
        National Transportation Safety Board Safety Recommendation A-
        18-024.
    (e) Applicable Law.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
App.) shall not apply to the Task Force.
    (f) Sunset.--The Task Force shall terminate on the later of--
            (1) the date on which the Task Force submits the report 
        required under subsection (d); or
            (2) the date that is 18 months after the date on which the 
        Task Force is established under subsection (a).
    (g) Authority.--The Administrator shall have the authority to carry 
out the recommendations of the Task Force detailed in the report 
required under subsection (d).
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) FAA.--The term ``FAA'' means the Federal Aviation 
        Administration.
            (2) NOTAM.--The term ``NOTAM'' means notices to airmen 
        required by international or domestic regulation or law, as 
        described in the order issued by 


              

        the FAA on December 11, 2018, titled ``Notices to Airmen 
        (NOTAM)''.

            Passed the House of Representatives June 15, 2021.

            Attest:

                                             CHERYL L. JOHNSON,

                                                                 Clerk.