By Roxanne De La Rosa | KTAR
PHOENIX — An Arizona congressman is spearheadeing a bipartisan measure to help address the shortage of air traffic controllers across the country.
Rep. Greg Stanton believes the law is necessary due to a slew of recent plane crashes, such as the collision between two planes in Marana as well as a crash involving a passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter in Washington, D.C.
“Being an air traffic controller is one of the most stressful jobs in America, and we want to provide more mental health support for our traffic controllers,” Stanton told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Wednesday.
“This has really put a spotlight on the mental health needs of air traffic controllers, and we need to respond — respond appropriately, respond quickly — so that they have the mental health support that they need,” he said.
How will Stanton’s bill help with air traffic controller shortage?
The Federal Aviation Administration is in need of 2,300 certified controllers across the country. Workers are required to work overtime, leading to burnout and room for error.
Stanton and other U.S. representatives introduced the Air Traffic Controller Workforce Development Act, which aims to improve training programs, promote hiring and retention and expand tower simulation training systems.
“The cost of training is a significant barrier for people to get into the air traffic control system,” Stanton said.
The bill would provide $20 million in grants to air traffic training programs and equipment for students to receive the highest level of training, he said.
Another issue Stanton mentioned is that the Social Security system discourages retired air traffic controllers from continuing to work since many retire in their late 50s.
“This bill would actually take down some of those barriers, so that people who still have a lot of great work life left can provide training to the next generation of air traffic controllers,” Stanton said.