H.R. 3270 — Air Traffic Control Workforce Development Act of 2025

This section revises FAA's Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program under 49 U.S.C. 44506(c) to require the Administrator to maintain the program (including Enhanced-CTI) through agreements with institutions of higher education, codify noncompetitive appointments of successful graduates to excepted-service air traffic controller positions (convertible to competitive-service career appointments upon achieving full performance level), and establish a grant program—including $20 million authorized annually for FY2026 through 2031—for Enhanced-CTI participants to develop curricula, acquire faculty and simulators, and cover related costs (As background, the CTI program trains students at accredited colleges for FAA air traffic controller positions to address workforce shortages.). This section further amends 5 U.S.C. 8421a(c) to extend Federal Employees Retirement System annuity supplements to air traffic control instructors (and supervisors) at Enhanced-CTI institutions. This section also directs the FAA Administrator to convene an aviation rulemaking committee—chaired by the Administrator with representatives from academia, industry, FAA experts, the exclusive bargaining representative of air traffic controllers under 5 U.S.C. 7111 (i.e., NATCA), and others—to review curricula for the FAA Air Traffic Technical Training Academy, CTI, Enhanced-CTI, and the Air Traffic Skills Assessment exam; develop modernization recommendations considering ed-tech advancements, instructional balance, student outcomes, and exam improvements; and submit a report to the Administrator.

This section (1) authorizes $20 million for each of FY2026 through 2031 for procurement and placement of training support systems (TSS) at U.S. air traffic control facilities, amending Section 415 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024; and (2) directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish, per requirements in 49 U.S.C. 40122(a), (A) a qualification incentive program for air traffic controller trainees and (B) a retention incentive program for Certified Professional Controllers, amending 49 U.S.C. 44506. (Thus, these incentives support recruitment, training acceleration, and retention amid FAA workforce shortages for managing national airspace safety.)

This section directs the FAA Administrator, within 180 days of enactment, to establish a training course—in consultation with aviation industry stakeholders and medical professionals—to (1) develop mental health providers knowledgeable in FAA criteria and decision-making for air traffic controllers' mental health conditions and (2) create advanced training programs for Aviation Medical Examiners on mental health, considering virtual/in-person options and an advisory board for continuous improvement. The section also requires the Administrator, within 90 days of enactment, to submit a report to the Senate Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Appropriations and the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Appropriations on the Airport Non-Cooperative Surveillance Radar (ANSR) program, including its funding needs, a cost-benefit analysis of sustainment versus replacement, plans to equip commercial service airports to detect non-cooperative objects (e.g., aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, balloons), an update on the Radar Divestiture Program, projected lifecycle support for existing radar models, and other relevant information.