Sponsors (4)
The bill accelerates and funds installation and ongoing operation of situational-awareness systems at contract towers to improve safety and support local airports, at the cost of higher federal spending and potential implementation and administrative strains.
Air traffic controllers at contract towers will receive APRT/STARS situational-awareness systems within one year, improving controller awareness and reducing collision and airspace-incursion risk.
Airport sponsors that already purchased certified situational-awareness systems will be reimbursed, lowering local out-of-pocket costs and encouraging modernization at smaller and rural airports.
The bill explicitly authorizes covering annual operating expenses for APRTs, which helps ensure sustained operation, maintenance, and long-term reliability of contract-tower safety systems.
Installing and maintaining APRTs/STARS across contract towers will increase federal costs, creating budgetary pressure or requiring reallocation of FAA funds.
The one-year installation deadline could strain FAA and OEM resources, prompting rushed procurements or implementation challenges that may temporarily disrupt tower operations.
Reimbursing prior purchases will create administrative workload and may delay payments while the Department of Transportation processes grant/reimbursement claims, burdening local and state governments.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Directs FAA/Secretary to equip contract towers lacking STARS with certified APRTs or STARS-equivalents and requires controller training, with reimbursement for prior purchases, within one year.
Official title: Require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to acquire and install certified airborne position reference tools at air traffic control towers, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 26, 2026 by Timothy Patrick Sheehy · Last progress February 26, 2026
Requires the FAA to equip contract air traffic control towers that lack modern situational awareness tools with certified Airborne Position Reference Tools (APRTs) and to purchase, install, and maintain STARS or equivalent systems at those towers within one year. It also mandates periodic training for contract tower controllers on situational awareness equipment, authorizes retroactive reimbursement or grants to towers that already bought certified systems, and explicitly permits acquisition and annual operating expenses for APRTs at such towers. The bill amends federal aviation statute to direct the Secretary/FAA to use OEM or FAA services for procurement and maintenance, sets a one-year installation deadline, and adds authorization for ongoing operating costs for certified situational awareness equipment at contract towers not already equipped with STARS or similar tools.