National Center for the Advancement of Aviation Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 8532 To establish the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 6, 2020 Mr. CARSON of Indiana (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, and Mr. LARSEN of Wash- ington) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To establish the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Center for 4 the Advancement of Aviation Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. FEDERAL CHARTER FOR THE NATIONAL CENTER 6 FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF AVIATION. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of Subtitle I of title 8 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 9 the following new section: 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 8532 IH ‘‘SEC. 118. NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF 1 AVIATION. 2 ‘‘(a) FEDERAL CHARTER AND STATUS.— 3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The National Center for 4 the Advancement of Aviation (in this section re- 5 ferred to as the ‘Center’) is a Federally chartered 6 entity. The Center is a private entity, not a depart- 7 ment, agency, or instrumentality of the United 8 States Government. Except as provided in subsection 9 (f)(1), an officer or employee of the Center is not an 10 officer or employee of the Federal Government. 11 ‘‘(2) PERPETUAL EXISTENCE.—Except as oth- 12 erwise provided, the Center has perpetual existence. 13 ‘‘(b) GOVERNING BODY.— 14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board of Directors (in 15 this section referred to as the ‘Board’) is the gov- 16 erning body of the Center. 17 ‘‘(2) AUTHORITY AND POWERS.— 18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall adopt 19 a constitution, bylaws, regulations, policies, and 20 procedures to carry out the purpose of the Cen- 21 ter and may take any other action that it con- 22 siders necessary (in accordance with the duties 23 and powers of the Center) for the management 24 and operation of the Center. The Board is re- 25 sponsible for the general policies and manage- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 8532 IH ment of the Center and for the control of all 1 funds of the Center. 2 ‘‘(B) POWERS OF BOARD.—The Board 3 shall have the power to do the following: 4 ‘‘(i) Adopt and alter a corporate seal. 5 ‘‘(ii) Establish and maintain offices to 6 conduct its activities. 7 ‘‘(iii) Enter into contracts. 8 ‘‘(iv) Acquire, own, lease, encumber, 9 and transfer property as necessary and ap- 10 propriate to carry out the purposes of the 11 Center. 12 ‘‘(v) Publish documents and other 13 publications in a publicly accessible man- 14 ner. 15 ‘‘(vi) Incur and pay obligations. 16 ‘‘(vii) Make or issue grants and in- 17 clude any conditions on such grants in fur- 18 therance of the purpose and duties of the 19 Center. 20 ‘‘(viii) Perform any other act nec- 21 essary and proper to carry out the pur- 22 poses of the Center as described in its con- 23 stitution and bylaws or duties outlined in 24 this section. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 8532 IH ‘‘(3) MEMBERSHIP OF THE BOARD.— 1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall have 2 11 Directors as follows: 3 ‘‘(i) EX-OFFICIO MEMBERSHIP.—The 4 following individuals, or their designees, 5 shall serve as ex-officio members of the 6 Board: 7 ‘‘(I) The Administrator of the 8 Federal Aviation Administration. 9 ‘‘(II) The Director of the William 10 J. Hughes Technical Center within 11 the Federal Aviation Administration. 12 ‘‘(III) The Director of the Mike 13 Monroney Aeronautical Center within 14 the Federal Aviation Administration. 15 ‘‘(ii) APPOINTMENTS.— 16 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—From among 17 those members of the public who are 18 highly respected and have knowledge 19 and experience in the fields of avia- 20 tion, finance, or academia— 21 ‘‘(aa) the Secretary of 22 Transportation shall appoint 5 23 members to the Board; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 8532 IH ‘‘(bb) the Secretary of De- 1 fense shall appoint 1 member to 2 the Board; and 3 ‘‘(cc) the Secretary of Vet- 4 erans Affairs shall appoint 1 5 member to the Board. 6 ‘‘(II) TERMS.—The members ap- 7 pointed under subclause (I) shall serve 8 for a term of 3 years and may be re- 9 appointed. To ensure subsequent ap- 10 pointments to the Board are stag- 11 gered, of the 7 members first ap- 12 pointed under subclause (I), 2 shall be 13 appointed for a term of 1 year, 2 shall 14 be appointed for a term of 2 years, 15 and 3 shall be appointed for a term of 16 3 years. 17 ‘‘(III) CONSIDERATION.—When 18 considering whom to appoint to the 19 Board, the Secretary of Transpor- 20 tation and Secretary of Defense shall 21 ensure the overall composition of the 22 Board remains balanced between and 23 within the fields of aviation, finance, 24 and academia. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 8532 IH ‘‘(iii) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The 1 Executive Director of the Center shall be a 2 member of the Board pursuant to para- 3 graph (5)(D). 4 ‘‘(B) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the 5 Board shall be filled in the same manner as the 6 initial appointment. 7 ‘‘(4) CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD.—The Board 8 shall choose a Chairman of the Board from among 9 the members of the Board. 10 ‘‘(5) ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS.— 11 ‘‘(A) MEETINGS.— 12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall 13 meet at the call of the Chair but not less 14 than 2 times each year and may, as appro- 15 priate, conduct business by telephone or 16 other electronic means. 17 ‘‘(ii) OPEN.— 18 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as 19 provided in clause (II), a meeting of 20 the Board shall be open to the public. 21 ‘‘(II) EXCEPTION.—A meeting, 22 or any portion of a meeting, may be 23 closed if the Board, in public session, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 8532 IH votes to close the meeting because the 1 matters to be discussed— 2 ‘‘(aa) relate solely to the in- 3 ternal personnel rules and prac- 4 tices of the Center; 5 ‘‘(bb) may result in disclo- 6 sure of commercial or financial 7 information obtained from a per- 8 son that is privileged or confiden- 9 tial; 10 ‘‘(cc) may disclose informa- 11 tion of a personal nature where 12 disclosure would constitute a 13 clearly unwarranted invasion of 14 personal privacy; or 15 ‘‘(dd) are matters that are 16 specifically exempted from disclo- 17 sure by Federal or State law. 18 ‘‘(iii) PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT.—At 19 least 1 week before a meeting, and as soon 20 as practicable thereafter if there are any 21 changes, the Board shall make a public an- 22 nouncement of the meeting that de- 23 scribes— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 8532 IH ‘‘(I) the time, place, and subject 1 matter of the meeting; 2 ‘‘(II) whether the meeting is to 3 be open or closed to the public; and 4 ‘‘(III) the name and appropriate 5 contact information of a person who 6 can respond to requests for informa- 7 tion about the meeting. 8 ‘‘(iv) RECORD.—The Board shall keep 9 a transcript of minutes from each Board 10 meeting. Such transcript shall be made 11 available to the public in an accessible for- 12 mat, except for portions of the meeting 13 that are closed pursuant to subparagraph 14 (A)(ii)(II). 15 ‘‘(B) QUORUM.—A majority of members of 16 the Board shall constitute a quorum. 17 ‘‘(C) RESTRICTION.—No member of the 18 Board shall participate in any proceeding, ap- 19 plication, ruling or other determination, con- 20 tract claim, scholarship award, controversy, or 21 other matter in which the member, the mem- 22 ber’s employer or prospective employer, or the 23 member’s spouse, partner, or minor child has a 24 direct financial interest. Any person who vio- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 8532 IH lates this subparagraph shall be subject to ap- 1 plicable Federal and State laws and may be 2 fined not more than $10,000, imprisoned for 3 not more than 2 years, or both. 4 ‘‘(D) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Board 5 shall appoint and fix the pay of an Executive 6 Director of the Center (in this section referred 7 to as the ‘Executive Director’) who shall also 8 become a member of the Board. The Executive 9 Director serves at the pleasure of the Board, 10 under such terms and conditions as the Board 11 shall establish and is subject to removal by the 12 Board at its discretion. The Executive Director 13 shall be responsible for the daily management 14 and operation of the Center and for carrying 15 out the purposes and duties of the Center. The 16 Board shall designate to the Executive Director 17 the authority to appoint additional personnel as 18 the Board considers appropriate and necessary 19 to carry out the purposes and duties of the 20 Center. 21 ‘‘(c) PURPOSE OF THE CENTER.—The purpose of the 22 Center is to provide a forum to facilitate collaboration and 23 cooperation between aviation and aerospace private sector 24 stakeholders, including general, business, and commercial 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 8532 IH aviation, education, labor, manufacturing, the Armed 1 Forces, and other governmental, non-governmental, and 2 international organizations, for the purpose of supporting 3 and promoting civil and military aviation and aerospace 4 in order to address the demands and challenges associated 5 with ensuring a safe and vibrant national aviation system 6 as identified by the Board. In furtherance of that purpose, 7 the constitution and bylaws of the Center shall direct the 8 Center to focus on the following: 9 ‘‘(1) The development and sustainability of a 10 well-qualified, well-trained civil and military aviation 11 and aerospace workforce. 12 ‘‘(2) The conduct of research and development 13 of new aviation and aerospace training materials and 14 products. 15 ‘‘(3) The coordination of the dissemination of 16 grants for the development of aviation and aerospace 17 oriented high school STEM education curriculum. 18 ‘‘(4) The facilitation of collaboration between 19 institutions of higher education or other research in- 20 stitutions engaged in aviation, aerospace or related 21 research or technical development, including those 22 institutions designated as Centers of Excellence or 23 Test Centers of the Federal Aviation Administration 24 and aviation and aerospace stakeholders. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 8532 IH ‘‘(5) The engagement in other workforce devel- 1 opment activities consistent with addressing the de- 2 mands and challenges facing the aviation and aero- 3 space industry. 4 ‘‘(d) DUTIES OF CENTER.—In order to accomplish 5 the purpose described in subsection (c), the Center shall 6 perform the following duties: 7 ‘‘(1) Support the development of aviation and 8 aerospace education curricula, including syllabuses 9 and lesson plans, for use by high schools, institu- 10 tions of higher education, secondary education insti- 11 tutions, or technical training and vocational schools 12 that are designed to prepare students to enter the 13 aviation or aerospace workforce by becoming aircraft 14 pilots, aerospace engineers, unmanned aircraft sys- 15 tem operators, aviation maintenance technicians, or 16 other aviation maintenance professionals, or to re- 17 fresh the knowledge of pilots or any of the aforemen- 18 tioned individuals working in the aviation or aero- 19 space sector. 20 ‘‘(2) Support the professional development of 21 educators using the curriculum described in para- 22 graph (1) and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of sub- 23 section (e)(1) by organizing symposiums designed to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 8532 IH assist educators who are teaching or who wish to 1 teach the aviation curriculum. 2 ‘‘(3) Promote aviation and aerospace employ- 3 ment opportunities generally, including building 4 awareness of youth oriented aviation and aerospace 5 programs (such as the Civil Air Patrol, Young Ea- 6 gles program, and Reserve Officers Training Corps) 7 and establishing scholarships, apprenticeships, or 8 mentorship programs for individuals, including indi- 9 viduals in economically disadvantaged areas or indi- 10 viduals who are underrepresented in the aviation in- 11 dustry and who wish to pursue a career in an 12 aviation- or aerospace-related field. 13 ‘‘(4) Support of Armed Forces personnel seek- 14 ing to transition to a career in civil aviation or an 15 aerospace related field through outreach, training, 16 apprenticeships, or other means. 17 ‘‘(5) Serve as a central repository for publicly 18 available economic data, safety data, and research 19 efforts related to the aviation and aerospace sectors 20 in order to make available to the public information 21 that highlights the economic impact of aviation and 22 aerospace and information that would improve the 23 safety of aviation and aerospace. The Center shall 24 periodically, as appropriate, publicize an analysis of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Oct 30, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8532.IH H8532 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 8532 IH such data in an accessible format. In particular, the 1 Center shall coordinate with existing FAA Centers 2 of Excellence to do the following: 3 ‘‘(A) Ensure research and development ef- 4 forts conducted at Centers of Excellence of the 5 Federal Aviation Administration are tracked, 6 collected, and amplified across the aviation and 7 aerospace community. 8 ‘‘(B) Provide a repository of pertinent rec- 9 ommendations or other action items from all 10 Centers of Exc [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]