The House this week approved the Notam Improvement Act of 2023, giving the bill the final clearance to head to the White House for President Joe Biden’s signature. While the House already had approved the bill in late January, its voice-vote approval on Monday reaffirmed the Senate-passed bill, which carried additional provisions.
Widely supported by Democrats and Republicans in both chambers, the bill would establish a task force to recommend improvements to the notam system. The amendments further call on the FAA to complete its implementation of the modernized Federal Notam System and have a backup system in place by Sept. 30, 2024, and require the FAA to brief Congress on a plan to improve the ability of the notam system to offer machine-readable and filterable information in the format used by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The bill has garnered wide backing from industry. “This vital legislation will ensure the notam system operates with the most up-to-date technology available to make it more resilient and create a safer National Airspace System for all operators,” said NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen.
AOPA senior v-p of government affairs Jim Coon added, “These changes to the notam system are long overdue. AOPA appreciates the bipartisan effort to ensure pilots can feel safe operating in an accurate and updated system.”