Bill > S3885

This bill, the Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act, aims to modernize the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) type certification process, which is the system used to approve new aircraft designs for safety, to better support the development of innovative aviation technologies like advanced air mobility. Key provisions include requiring the FAA Administrator to publish plans for improving transparency in the type certification process, including how industry consensus standards can be used, and establishing stable policies for common certification issues. The bill also mandates the creation of standard expected timelines for major milestones in the certification process, such as the development of issue papers (documents outlining specific safety concerns or technical requirements) and responses to applicant proposals, though these timelines will not be legally enforceable or subject to judicial review and can be waived for complex safety issues. Furthermore, it requires updated guidance on how the FAA delegates certification tasks to industry and establishes clearer criteria for when an issue warrants an issue paper, with a goal of converting recurring issue papers into published policy to improve efficiency. The bill also expresses Congress's sense that the U.S. should maintain its global leadership in aviation innovation.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3885/all-info