49 U.S.C. § 44519 — Certification personnel continuing education and training

(a) In General.— The Administrator must: (1) build a program for regular, ongoing training of engineers, inspectors, and other subject-matter experts in the Aircraft Certification Service, following the training strategy required by section 231 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018; (2) as much as practical, put in place steps — like assigning staff to work in multiple divisions of the Aircraft Certification Service — to give those engineers and experts access to varied professional opportunities that grow their knowledge and skills; (3) build a program of continuing education and training for FAA staff who handle aircraft certification and flight standards, including human factors specialists, engineers, flight test pilots, and inspectors, and, where the Administrator decides it fits, industry staff who may be responsible for compliance work, including designees; and (4) working with outside experts, build (A) a training curriculum on current and new aircraft technologies, human factors, project management, and the duties involved in overseeing designees, and (B) recommended practices for complying with FAA regulations.

(b) Implementation.— As much as practical, the Administrator must make sure the steps taken under subsection (a): (1) let engineers, inspectors, and other experts keep building knowledge and skill in new and developing technology — in systems design, flight controls, aviation safety principles, system oversight, and certification project management; (2) reduce the chance that someone develops an unfair bias toward a particular aircraft designer or manufacturer; (3) fit with any applicable union contracts; and (4) account for gaps in knowledge and skill — identified by the Administrator working with certified union representatives under 5 U.S.C. § 7111 — between FAA employees and private-sector employees, for each group of FAA employees this section covers.

(c) Authorization of Appropriations.— Congress authorized $10,000,000 for the Administrator for each fiscal year from 2021 through 2028 to carry out this section. That money stays available until it is spent.