Sponsor
Marsha Blackburn
Senator · R-TN
Senator · R-TN
The bill lets experienced air traffic controllers work past age 61—reducing turnover and training costs and keeping institutional knowledge—at the tradeoff of higher payroll/implementation costs and potential safety risks unless medical oversight and administrative changes are effectively implemented.
Air traffic controllers aged 61+ can remain employed beyond the prior mandatory retirement age, preserving experienced staff and reducing recruitment and retraining costs for the national air traffic system.
Air traffic controllers aged 61+ and the traveling public benefit from retained FAA medical oversight because medical clearances for these controllers will expire after 6 months, enabling more frequent health monitoring to help maintain fitness-for-duty.
Taxpayers and the federal payroll could face higher personnel costs because older controllers may remain on the payroll longer instead of retiring at 61.
Traveling public and aviation safety could be put at greater risk if the increased retirement age is not paired with sufficiently rigorous medical screening or monitoring for controllers aged 61+, potentially degrading operational safety.
FAA, federal employees, and taxpayers will face administrative burden and implementation costs because the FAA must update Order 3930.3C and put in place more frequent medical-evaluation processes for controllers 61+.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Removes the statutory age-61 mandatory retirement for air traffic controllers and requires FAA to make medical clearances for controllers 61+ expire six months after the exam, effective for actions 180 days after enactment.
Official title: Amend title 5, United States Code, to exempt air traffic controllers from certain mandatory separation requirements, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 10, 2025 by Marsha Blackburn · Last progress July 10, 2025
Removes the statutory mandatory retirement age of 61 for federal air traffic controllers and directs the FAA to change medical-clearance timing for controllers aged 61 or older so their medical clearances expire on the last day of the six-month period after the medical exam used to obtain the clearance. The retirement-age removal and the FAA Order update both apply to actions on or after 180 days after enactment, and the FAA Administrator must update the relevant FAA Order within 180 days.