{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://russell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/russell-s-air-traffic-control-bill-signed-law", "Russells Air Traffic Control Bill Signed into Law", "2016-12-12", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "OK", "Steve Russell", "R000604", "russell.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Del City, OK \u2013 Congressman Steve Russell\u2019s (OK-5) bill, H.R. 5785 \u2013 a measure that eliminated the annuity cap for retired Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) who work as ATC instructors, was signed into law by President Barack Obama. U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and James Lankford (R-Okla) championed this bill through the Senate and\u00a0Congressman Tom Cole (OK-4) co-sponsored the bill in the House. This annuity income cap disincentivized retired air traffic controllers from working full-time as instructors and thus created the need for several part-time instructors to fill the void. The enactment of this law will encourage instructors to work full-time, create more continuity in the classroom, reduce training costs, and help ensure the safety of our skies.\u00a0 \n\u00a0\n\u201cI would like to thank President Obama for signing this bill into law,\u201d Congressman Russell said. \u201cIt is paramount that we secure our skies with the expertise of well-trained air traffic controllers and their instructors. We should encourage exceptional controllers to work full-time as instructors, rather than financially penalize them for training the next generation. I am pleased that this will increase efficiency at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center training academy and simultaneously save millions of American taxpayer dollars while keeping our skies safe.\u201d\n\u201cI am pleased that as we wrap up this year, the President has signed a bill into law that ensures the next generation of air traffic controllers have a consistent training environment and experienced instructors,\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cHundreds of instructors are needed to make sure our nation\u2019s air traffic controllers are prepared to manage the complicated network of air traffic in the National Airspace System and this law has removed the government red tape impeding that effort. I appreciate the work of my Oklahoma colleagues for their work on this important bill.\u201d\n  \u201cI am thankful that the President has signed this bill into law, which will help support experienced air traffic control instructors to teach a new generation of air traffic control students,\u201d Senator Lankford said. \u201cThe passage of this common-sense legislation will mean the FAA will be able to continue hiring new air traffic controllers to address the staffing shortages that exist across the nation. This bill was vital for the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, and the training they provide for new controllers that will report to control towers and en route centers all across America.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m pleased the President has signed this important legislation during a time when our nation is facing a critical shortage of air traffic controllers,\u201d said Congressman Cole. \u201cRemoving obstructive government regulations in order to ensure our nation\u2019s best air traffic controllers can train the next generation makes sense. Our skies will be safer thanks to this important legislation.\u201d\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://russell.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/russell-s-air-traffic-control-bill-signed-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8683479391038418, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}