S. 1148 would change the hiring preferences the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses when hiring air traffic controllers. Specifically, the bill would authorize the FAA to prioritize hiring air traffic controllers who are military veterans and who have graduated from an FAA Collegiate Training Initiative school. The bill also would require the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation to report to the Congress on the pre-employment test used for air traffic controllers. Under the bill, the FAA would report every six months to the Congress on the hiring and training of air traffic controllers.
Using information from the FAA, CBO estimates that the additional flexibility under the bill could make it easier to hire air traffic controllers, but any reduced costs would not be significant over the 2020-2024 period.
