Why It Matters

The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure approved an amendment in the nature of a substitute (ANS) to H.R. 8597, the Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act, during a Sept. 15 markup. The measure, introduced by Rep. Nicholas Begich (R-AK), would direct the Federal Aviation Administration to upgrade situational awareness technology at federal contract air traffic control towers. The ANS and the underlying legislation were agreed to by voice vote.

Vote Results

The committee agreed to the ANS and H.R. 8597 by voice vote. Because the measure was decided by voice vote rather than a recorded roll call, no numerical tally of individual yeas and nays is available from the official committee record.

Amendments Offered

The ANS offered by Begich strikes all language after the enacting clause of H.R. 8597 and replaces it with five operative provisions.

The first provision directs the FAA administrator to acquire and install approved Airborne Position Reference Tools at FAA contract towers that operate under section 47124 of title 49, United States Code, and are not already equipped with Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Systems or other situational awareness tools. The administrator would have two years from enactment to complete those installations.

The second provision amends section 47124(f)(2) of title 49 to require the secretary of transportation, within two years of enactment, to purchase a STARS unit or an approved alternative situational awareness system, such as an APRT, for any Contract Tower Program tower that lacks such equipment. Installation and maintenance would be handled directly by the FAA or an original equipment manufacturer.

The third provision amends section 47124(f)(3) to allow STARS equipment or other approved situational awareness systems, including APRTs, to be added to the minimum equipage level required for federal contract towers to perform their functions.

A retroactivity provision would require the secretary of transportation to provide reimbursement, retroactive grant funding or project-cost credit to any airport sponsor or control tower that independently acquired and installed an approved situational awareness system before the federal mandate takes effect. That coverage extends to APRTs installed before the administrator acts under the new requirement, STARS units installed before the statutory amendment takes effect and any approved system installed before the date of enactment, with credit applicable toward the nonfederal share of allowable project costs under section 47109 of title 49.

Finally, the ANS amends section 48101(c) of title 49 to add a new authorized expenditure category covering the acquisition, installation and annual operating expenses of certified APRTs at FAA contract towers that lack STARS or equivalent situational awareness tools.

The ANS also amends the bill's title to read, "To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to acquire and install approved airborne position reference tools at certain air traffic control towers, and for other purposes."

The Bottom Line

The committee advanced both the ANS and H.R. 8597 by voice vote. The official committee record does not provide a numerical tally or individual member votes, so the level of support or opposition among committee members cannot be determined from the vote record.

The legislation would expand federal support for situational awareness technology at contract towers while also providing reimbursement for towers that have already purchased qualifying equipment.

For more on the legislation and its progress, visit Legis1.com.

Vote tallies and any named member positions reflect only what is explicitly present in the official committee recorded vote document as fetched and extracted. This data source does not provide a verified cross-reference to every other document filed at the same hearing, so bills or amendments not directly named in a vote's own text are not reported.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article