Matthew Russell: “It is my honor to present and speak about H.R. 5785, which provides a full annuity supplement for certain retired air…”

“It is my honor to present and speak about H.R. 5785, which provides a full annuity supplement for certain retired air traffic controllers that serve as instructors--a measure that helps ensure safe skies and also cuts waste and inefficiency. Over the next 5 years, the Federal Aviation Administration plans to hire a new generation of air traffic controllers. As the generation following the 1981 strike reaches retirement age, more than 6,000 new controllers will be trained in Oklahoma City's FAA Academy to fill this void and safely manage our Nation's air space. {time} 1445 Training this new generation of controllers requires a full staff of quality and committed instructors. Current law, however, financially penalizes instructors who work full time, causing discontinuity in the classroom and government waste. There is an arbitrary income cap in place for our experienced, retired air traffic controllers who want to receive their full benefits. Consequently, many instructors choose to work part time instead of full time to maintain these benefits. To match the hours of a full-time instructor, the FAA must hire four part-time instructors, which quadruples the cost for training, wasting about $1 million each year. To remedy this situation, my bill removes the income limit so that our Nation's most experienced air traffic controllers can work as instructors full time and receive their benefits.…”