ATC Hiring Reform Act of 2019

MJ

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Text - S.1148 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): ATC Hiring Reform Act of 2019

S. 1148

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to give preferential consideration to individuals who have successfully completed air traffic controller training and veterans when hiring air traffic control specialists.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 11, 2019
Mr. Hoeven (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
A BILL
To amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to give preferential consideration to individuals who have successfully completed air traffic controller training and veterans when hiring air traffic control specialists.

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 “ATC Hiring Reform Act of 2019”.
SEC. 2. HIRING OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SPECIALISTS.
Section 44506(f)(1)(B)(i) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking “referring” and all that follows through “10 percent.” and inserting “giving further preferential consideration, within each qualification category based upon pre-employment testing results, to pool 1 applicants described in clause (ii) before pool 2 applicants described in clause (iii).”.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER AND TRAINING.

(a) Report To Congress.—Not later than December 31, 2019, and every 6 months thereafter, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report regarding the hiring and training of air traffic controllers.
(b) Contents.—Each report under subsection (a) shall include the following information:
(1) The number of applicants, from each hiring pool, who have done the following:
(A) Applied for the position of air traffic controller.
(B) Been issued a tentative offer letter for the position of air traffic controller.
(C) Been issued a firm offer letter for the position of air traffic controller.
(D) Been hired for the position of air traffic controller.
(E) Reported to the FAA Academy for initial qualification training.
(F) Successfully passed Air Traffic Basics training at the FAA Academy.
(G) Successfully passed Terminal initial training at the FAA Academy.
(H) Successfully passed En Route initial training at the FAA Academy.
(2) The average cost of training per individual for the following:
(A) Air Traffic Basics training at the FAA Academy.
(B) Terminal initial training at the FAA Academy.
(C) En Route initial training at the FAA Academy.
(3) The FAA Academy attrition rate for each hiring pool.
(4) Other information determined appropriate by the Administrator.
 
So the intention is obviously to give preference to CTI students and veterans, but I've seen people talking about the 2018 bid (here, here) and it sounds like there were a LOT more qualified applicants from Pool 2 than from Pool 1. This limited the number they could pull from Pool 2 because they had to follow the 10% rule.

If they now "give preference" to Pool 1 but they still don't have enough score well on the ATSA, could they hire a bunch more Pool 2 under the new rule?

The paragraph currently reads
(i)In general.—
After giving preferential consideration to applicants under subparagraph (A) [individuals with 52 weeks' post-cert experience], the Administrator shall consider additional applicants for the position of air traffic controller by referring an approximately equal number of individuals for appointment among the 2 applicant pools described in this subparagraph. The number of individuals referred for consideration from each group shall not differ by more than 10 percent.
and this would change it to read
(i)In general.—
After giving preferential consideration to applicants under subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall consider additional applicants for the position of air traffic controller by giving further preferential consideration, within each qualification category based upon pre-employment testing results, to pool 1 applicants described in clause (ii) before pool 2 applicants described in clause (iii).

edit: I also like how further down the paragraph they say that it's possible to open up a local bid for a "covered facility," and then define "covered facility" as a radar facility with at least one million annual ops that is located within a metropolitan statistical area of at least fifteen million people. Guess how many MSAs there are with at least fifteen million people in them.
 
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So people would start going to CTI again. Before they changed the hiring system for no reason that were more than enough applicants for spots
 
translation: shady money grubbing CTI schools (that have Senators schilling for them) everywhere are licking their lips that they can once again go full steam ahead soaking kids who dream of being ATCers out of 100k plus!

hey its better than the strange brazen attempts at the social engineering of Air Traffic Controllers known as the "biographic questionnaire" .

Hoeven is bringing home that bacon for North Dakota, and Shaheen has ATC management in her family so fancies herself a SME. Meanwhile we have government shutdowns that wreak havoc on the career field for BULLSHIT reasons. They're all corrupt scum, children have higher IQs and twice the sense. Be sure to grab a "Stop the shutdown" pamphlet before you board. They're full of pretty colors!

2695
 
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So the intention is obviously to give preference to CTI students and veterans, but I've seen people talking about the 2018 bid (here, here) and it sounds like there were a LOT more qualified applicants from Pool 2 than from Pool 1. This limited the number they could pull from Pool 2 because they had to follow the 10% rule.

If they now "give preference" to Pool 1 but they still don't have enough score well on the ATSA, could they hire a bunch more Pool 2 under the new rule?

The paragraph currently reads

and this would change it to read


edit: I also like how further down the paragraph they say that it's possible to open up a local bid for a "covered facility," and then define "covered facility" as a radar facility with at least one million annual ops that is located within a metropolitan statistical area of at least fifteen million people. Guess how many MSAs there are with at least fifteen million people in them.
There is a first time for everything. I don't have the numbers offhand but I believe the 2018 bid is the first where the scores were better for pool 2 than pool 1 overall. I wouldn't go stating facts based on one data point.
 
There is a first time for everything. I don't have the numbers offhand but I believe the 2018 bid is the first where the scores were better for pool 2 than pool 1 overall. I wouldn't go stating facts based on one data point.
Let’s be real. No one can say that pool 1 has better quality people than pool 2 or pool 2 has better quality people than pool 1. So what’s the point of all this?
 
Let’s be real. No one can say that pool 1 has better quality people than pool 2 or pool 2 has better quality people than pool 1. So what’s the point of all this?
The point is they think that they will clearly show that by a wide margin CTI hires and former military hires have a overwhelmingly higher success rate at the academy and while training then OTS, and that that will be an argument eliminate OTS hiring. But this has not been the case and it won't start to be now, its hard to find the data but things like that have been looked at before and the success rates have only been very slightly higher for CTI/Military.
 
There is a first time for everything. I don't have the numbers offhand but I believe the 2018 bid is the first where the scores were better for pool 2 than pool 1 overall. I wouldn't go stating facts based on one data point.
Well the CTI pool is completely drained since we all got hired and enrollment tanked after the BQ fiasco
 
zealforce yes... the thread you're posting in sheds light on exactly what this means. If it actually gets signed into law, it hasn't even passed one house of Congress yet.
 
zealforce yes... the thread you're posting in sheds light on exactly what this means. If it actually gets signed into law, it hasn't even passed one house of Congress yet.
the admin changed the thread to redirect to this one and changed my post accordingly- hadn't seen this before so it answered my question very well.
so I assume for the 2019 bid it has no effect whatsoever as well.

Thanks admin!
 
So this ended up being included in the defense spending act, which went into law 20 Dec 19. Relevant text below:

Section 44506(f)(1)(B)(i) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking referring and all that follows through 10 percent. and inserting giving further preferential consideration, within each qualification category based upon pre-employment testing results (including application of veterans' preference as required under section 40122(g)(2)(B)), to pool 1 applicants described in clause (ii) before pool 2 applicants described in clause (iii)..

so now the law reads:
(B)Consideration of additional applicants.—
(i)In general.—
After giving preferential consideration to applicants under subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall consider additional applicants for the position of air traffic controller by giving further preferential consideration, within each qualification category based upon pre-employment testing results (including application of veterans' preference as required under section 40122(g)(2)(B)), to pool 1 applicants described in clause (ii) before pool 2 applicants described in clause (iii).
 
If CTI kids will get preference, then standardize the schools. A handful have great problems, but a lot are a joke.

this is what needs to happen. A standardized, FAA mandated curriculum.

meanwhile I’m at a 12 Tracon asking these new trainees (CTI, ots, and tower only cpc-it’s) what are the methods for radar identification and getting blank stares. I’m not teaching basics.
 
this is what needs to happen. A standardized, FAA mandated curriculum.

meanwhile I’m at a 12 Tracon asking these new trainees (CTI, ots, and tower only cpc-it’s) what are the methods for radar identification and getting blank stares. I’m not teaching basics.
Just say radar contact and you're good right?
 
If it were up to me then you send CTI kids to OKC on their own dime to run 3 problems. They can take the highest score of their 3 and then that’s their new AT-SAT score. It would end the waste of time schools real fast.

And then place them directly into facilities if hired.
 
If it were up to me then you send CTI kids to OKC on their own dime to run 3 problems. They can take the highest score of their 3 and then that’s their new AT-SAT score. It would end the waste of time schools real fast.

And then place them directly into facilities if hired.
That doesn't even make any sense. First the AT-SAT is gone, it's the ATSA. And that's an aptitude test, not a practical application of the rules like lab problems are.

There definitely needs to be regulation and standardization of CTI schools. I'd argue there are a handful (3, maybe 5) that could skip the Academy and get sent to low level towers. Most should be dissolved or substantially changed. The curriculum just varies too much across the board because the FAA put no effort into CTI schools.
 
That doesn't even make any sense. First the AT-SAT is gone, it's the ATSA. And that's an aptitude test, not a practical application of the rules like lab problems are.

There definitely needs to be regulation and standardization of CTI schools. I'd argue there are a handful (3, maybe 5) that could skip the Academy and get sent to low level towers. Most should be dissolved or substantially changed. The curriculum just varies too much across the board because the FAA put no effort into CTI schools.

My point is that CTI should teach the academy and then you fly down on your own dime to test.

But whatever, ATSA/ATSAP - whatever it’s called now. It doesn’t really matter because it doesn’t matter what you or I personally think.
 
Or abolish the CTI program since it prepares people for the possibility of the shot at a possibility of a possibility and making the academy a better representation of the actual job and not some made up bullshit centered around impractical scoring systems.
 
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