{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/inhofe-lankford-russell-cole-and-industry-leaders-praise-senate-passage-of-hr-5785", "Inhofe, Lankford, Russell, Cole and Industry Leaders Praise Senate Passage of H.R. 5785", "2016-11-30", "2016", "2016-11", "Republican", "House", "OK", "James Inhofe", "I000024", "www.inhofe.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Inhofe, Lankford, Russell, Cole and Industry Leaders Praise Senate Passage of H.R. 5785\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tWednesday, November 30, 2016\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\r\nWASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and James Lankford (R-Okla) and Congressmen Steve Russell (R-Okla.)\u00a0and Tom Cole (R-Okla.), today praised the passage of H.R. 5785, a bill which would ensure the\u00a0continued safety of our nation\u2019s airways by eliminating an unintended barrier to the hiring and retention of full-time Air Traffic Controller (ATC) Instructors. The bill removes a financial penalty for instructors willing to work full time in training our next generation of air traffic controllers. \u00a0\r\n\u201cToday\u2019s passage of the Air Traffic Controller Instructor Bill ensures the next generation of air traffic controllers is prepared to manage the complicated network of air traffic in the National Airspace System,\u201d Inhofe said. \u201cThis legislation removes government red tape impeding efforts by the private sector to recruit and retain the highest quality full-time air traffic controller instructors to teach at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and provide on the job training at airports across the country. I appreciate the support of my colleagues in passing this legislation that will provide future air traffic controllers a consistent training environment with experienced instructors.\u201d\r\n\u201cThe passage of Congressman Russell\u2019s bill will mean the FAA will be able to continue hiring new air traffic controllers to address the staffing shortages that exist across the nation,\u201d Lankford said. \u201cThis 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. It is very important that we keep experienced air traffic control instructors to teach a new generation of air traffic control students.\u201d\r\n\u201cI am proud to see this bill head to the President\u2019s desk to be signed into law,\u201d Russell said. \u201cWe will now help ensure that the best air traffic control instructors are incentivized to work full time, rather than penalized for investing in the next generation of controllers. This will lead to safer skies, not only in our country, but all over the world.\u201d\r\n\u201cThis bill is a much needed piece of legislation during a time when our nation is facing a shortage of air traffic controllers,\u201d Cole said. \u201cIt will remove the overreaching regulations which have kept experienced and retired air traffic controllers from training future employees. Air traffic controllers play a critical role in keeping America\u2019s skies safe and I am glad we were able to pass this important legislation when it was needed most.\u201d\r\n\u201cOn behalf of the hundreds of instructors in Oklahoma and across our nation, SAIC is grateful for the leadership of Senators Jim Inhofe and James Lankford as well as Congressmen Steve Russell and Tom Cole for proactively addressing this issue,\u201d said SAIC Chief Executive Officer Tony Moraco. \u201cWe applaud this strong, bipartisan action by the U.S. Congress.\u201d\r\nPassage of this legislation is an important step toward improving the FAA\u2019s training academy for air traffic controllers,\" said Paul Rinaldi, President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. \"Our National Airspace System is currently experiencing an air traffic control staffing crisis, so this legislation could not have come at a better time. NATCA thanks the Oklahoma delegation, particularly Senator Inhofe, for their leadership in advancing this important bill.\u00a0Experienced, recently retired controllers are vital to the FAA academy in order to train the new hires the system desperately needs.\u201d\r\nBackground\r\nOn July 14, Sens. Inhofe and Lankford as well as Rep. Russell introduced ATC legislation in their respective chambers,\u00a0S.3217\u00a0and\u00a0H.R.\u00a05785.\r\nOn April 19, Inhofe voted in favor of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2016\u00a0which included a provision to encourage the hiring and retention of high-quality air traffic controller instructors.", 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://www.inhofe.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/inhofe-lankford-russell-cole-and-industry-leaders-praise-senate-passage-of-hr-5785"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9507918730378151, "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"}