{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.merkley.senate.gov/sheehy-merkleys-air-traffic-situational-awareness-enhancement-act-advances-through-senate-commerce-committee/", "Sheehy, Merkley\u2019s Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act Advances through Senate Commerce Committee", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Jeff Merkley", "M001176", "www.merkley.senate.gov", "merkley", "https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/", "scraper", "U.S. SENATE \u2013 Senator Tim Sheehy\u2019s Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act today advanced out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill, co-led by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), provides air traffic controllers more tools and training to keep American airspace safe. It now heads to the Senate floor for full consideration.\n\n\u201cAmerica has long set the gold standard in aviation, but a lack of resources and outdated technology puts public safety at risk. It\u2019s crucial that we ensure our Air Traffic Controllers in airports across the country, including regional and rural airports, have the training and tools they need to enhance their situational awareness and keep our airspace safe. This practical, bipartisan legislation makes sure our technology is upgraded to meet our modern aviation safety needs, and I\u2019m pleased to see it head to the Senate floor,\u201d said Senator Sheehy.\n\n\u201cOregon\u2019s small and regional airports are an important partner in keeping the flying public safe. Our simple bipartisan bill\u2014which just cleared a key hurdle\u2014will unlock resources for these airports to make critical safety upgrades if they need them, something we should all get behind,\u201d said Senator Merkley.\n\nSenators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined Sheehy and Merkley in introducing the Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act in February. The bill is supported by the Regional Airline Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airlines for America, and National Business Aviation Association.\n\nBackground:\n\nMany airports, particularly smaller and rural ones under the Federal Contract Tower (FCT) program, still lack modern situational awareness technology such as Standard Terminal Automation Replacement Systems (STARS) or other radar-integrated displays. Of the 266 Federal Contract Towers, more than 90 lack any surveillance tools. In towers at these airports, controllers rely on visual observation and radio calls, tools that can become strained during periods of high traffic, complex mixed operations, or reduced visibility. This technology gap can contribute to missed traffic conflicts or delayed recognition of emerging hazards.\n\nAs part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Congress directed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to approve technology to improve operational situational awareness at FCTs, after years of requests from airports asking for assistance in addressing this technological gap.\n\nLast summer, the FAA approved the first Airborne Position Reference Tool (APRT), which uses ADS-B data to present controllers with a real-time display of local airspace. Since then, APRTs have already been deployed at several airports around the country, and controllers and operators report that APRTs significantly enhance situational awareness and improve controller confidence, bolstering safety.\n\nRead the full text of the bill HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"]], "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.merkley.senate.gov/sheehy-merkleys-air-traffic-situational-awareness-enhancement-act-advances-through-senate-commerce-committee/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6537581104785204, "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"}