Airport Alert: Senate Committee Approves Two Aviation Safety Bills
September 16, 2026
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved two bipartisan aviation safety bills including one aimed at improving airport movement area driver training and another that would require the FAA to equip contract towers with Airborne Position Reference Tools (APRT) that lack STARs radar displays.
Runway SAFE-T Act (S. 5224)
Introduced by Senate Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) following a June 23 subcommittee hearing on close calls at which AAAE President & CEO Todd Hauptli testified, the bipartisan Runway Surface Awareness and Focused, Effective Training and Technology (Runway SAFE-T) Act would establish a task force at FAA to improve airport movement area driver training and support technologies to reduce runway incursions and other surface safety incidents. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Sheehy (R-MT) and John Kennedy (R-LA).
The measure would:
- Establish an FAA airport-driver-training task force: Within six months of enactment, FAA would convene representatives from airports, airlines, labor, ARFF operators, NTSB, training experts, ATC technology providers, and others to recommend improvements to movement-area driver training. Focus areas include creating greater consistency with initial and recurrent training and consideration of the use of enhanced training technologies. The task force is to provide a report to Congress within one year of its establishment.
- Allow for the use of federal funding for movement area technology and training: The measure would authorize funding for enhanced technology for training and vehicle movement-area technology—including hardware, software, sensors, positioning and situational-awareness systems—and technology-enabled driver-training systems and services. Priority would go to projects that reduce vehicle-related surface incidents and improve situational awareness.
AAAE supports the bill, which seeks to bring all interested parties to the table to identify workable solutions and improvements rather than dictating specific technologies or approaches up-front. “AAAE is grateful to Chairman Moran and Senator Hickenlooper for their leadership on aviation safety with the introduction of the bipartisan Runway SAFE-T Act. The legislation offers a thoughtful and meaningful approach to enhancing training for critical employees who operate at airports across the country. We urge its adoption and look forward to being a part of the important work that will follow.”
Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act (S. 3929)
The Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act (S. 3929) is a USCTA-backed bill that would require the FAA to acquire, install, and operate APRT at contract towers lacking STARs within two years and at 50 percent of contract towers within 18 months. USCTA has long been urging Congress and the administration to equip contract towers with airborne situational awareness technology to enhance aviation safety at smaller airports.
The Senate legislation, which was introduced by Senators Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) in February, is similar to the companion bill (H.R. 8597) that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee cleared yesterday. However, there are some notable differences. For instance, the revised Senate bill calls on the FAA to prioritize installation of APRT at contract towers based on several factors including the type of aircraft operations at the airport and the complexity of nearby airspace.
The 2024 FAA reauthorization bill opened the door for APRT to be deployed at contract towers by including two other USCTA-backed provisions including one that would allow contract tower controllers to use airborne situational awareness equipment. The measure also included language that would allow airports to procure, install, and maintain that equipment within two years of enactment. So far, APRT is operational at about a dozen contract towers.
The House and Senate versions of the Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act take the next step and authorize federal funding for APRT at contract towers. And the two bills would allow the FAA to reimburse airports that have installed that equipment prior to enactment. USCTA is continuing to make the case that the federal government should pay for upgrading contract towers with airborne situational awareness equipment.
Next Steps: We will keep you posted on further developments related to these and other aviation safety bills that lawmakers in both chambers are considering.
