,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #ccfj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,february #bg1 
#bjbj,mr4 ,inhofe 7for himself and ,ms4 
,duckworth7 introduced the following    
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill
  ,to establish the ,national ,center   
for the ,advancement of ,aviation4  #a4 
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,national ,center for the           
,advancement of ,aviation ,act of #bjbj4
  #b4 ,federal ,charter for the         
,national ,center for the ,advancement  
of ,aviation  7a7 ,in general ,chapter  
#a of ,subtitle ,i of title #di1 ,united
 ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at 
the end the following new section3      
#aah4 ,national ,center for the         
,advancement of ,aviation  7a7 ,federal 
charter and status  7#a7 ,in general    
,the ,national ,center for the          
,advancement of ,aviation 7in this      
section referred to as the ,center7 is a
 ,federally chartered entity4 ,the      

,center is a private entity1 not a      
department1 agency1 or instrumentality  
of the ,united ,states ,government4     
,except as provided in subsection       
7f77#a71 an officer or employee of the  
,center is not an officer or employee of
 the ,federal ,government4  7#b7        
,perpetual existence ,except as         
otherwise provided1 the ,center has     
perpetual existence4  7b7 ,governing    
body  7#a7 ,in general ,the ,board of   
,directors 7in this section referred to 
as the ,board7 is the governing body of 
the ,center4  7#b7 ,authority and powers
  7,a7 ,in general ,the ,board shall    
adopt a constitution1 bylaws1           
regulations1 policies1 and procedures to
 carry out the purpose of the ,center   
and may take any other action that it   
considers necessary 7in accordance with 
the duties and powers of the ,center7   
for the management and operation of the 
,center4 ,the ,board is responsible for 
the general policies and management of  
the ,center and for the control of all  

funds of the ,center4  7,b7 ,powers of  
,board ,the ,board shall have the power 
to do the following3 7i7 ,adopt and     
alter a corporate seal4  7ii7 ,establish
 and maintain offices to conduct its    
activities4  7iii7 ,enter into          
contracts4  7iv7 ,acquire1 own1 lease1  
encumber1 and transfer property as      
necessary and appropriate to carry out  
the purposes of the ,center4  7v7       
,publish documents and other            
publications in a publicly accessible   
manner4  7vi7 ,incur and pay            
obligations4  7vii7 ,make or issue      
grants and include any conditions on    
such grants in furtherance of the       
purpose and duties of the ,center4      
7viii7 ,perform any other act necessary 
and proper to carry out the purposes of 
the ,center as described in its         
constitution and bylaws or duties       
outlined in this section4  7#c7         
,membership of the board  7,a7 ,in      
general ,the ,board shall have #aa      
,directors as follows3 7i7 ,ex-officio  

membership ,the following individuals1  
or their designees1 shall serve as      
ex-officio members of the ,board3 7,i7  
,the ,administrator of the ,federal     
,aviation ,administration4  7,,ii7 ,the 
,director of the ,william ,j4 ,hughes   
,technical ,center within the ,federal  
,aviation ,administration4  7,,iii7 ,the
 ,director of the ,mike ,monroney       
,aeronautical ,center within the        
,federal ,aviation ,administration4     
7ii7 ,appointments  7,i7 ,in general    
,from among those members of the public 
who are highly respected and have       
knowledge and experience in the fields  
of aviation1 finance1 or academia-- 7aa7
 the ,secretary of ,transportation shall
 appoint #e members to the ,board2  7bb7
 the ,secretary of ,defense shall       
appoint #a member to the ,board2 and    
7cc7 the ,secretary of ,veterans        
,affairs shall appoint #a member to the 
,board4  7,,ii7 ,terms ,the members     
appointed under subclause 7,i7 shall    
serve for a term of #c years and may be 

reappointed4 ,to ensure subsequent      
appointments to the ,board are          
staggered1 of the #g members first      
appointed under subclause 7,i71 #b shall
 be appointed for a term of #a year1 #b 
shall be appointed for a term of #b     
years1 and #c shall be appointed for a  
term of #c years4  7,,iii7              
,consideration ,when considering whom to
 appoint to the ,board1 the ,secretary  
of ,transportation and ,secretary of    
,defense shall ensure the overall       
composition of the ,board remains       
balanced between and within the fields  
of aviation1 finance1 and academia4     
7iii7 ,executive director ,the          
,executive ,director of the ,center     
shall be a member of the ,board pursuant
 to paragraph 7#e77;,d74  7,b7          
,vacancies ,a vacancy on the ,board     
shall be filled in the same manner as   
the initial appointment4  7#d7 ,chairman
 of the ,board ,the ,board shall choose 
a ,chairman of the ,board from among the
 members of the ,board4  7#e7           

,administrative matters  7,a7 ,meetings 
7i7 ,in general ,the ,board shall meet  
at the call of the ,chair but not less  
than #b times each year and may1 as     
appropriate1 conduct business by        
telephone or other electronic means4    
7ii7 ,open  7,i7 ,in general ,except as 
provided in clause 7,,ii71 a meeting of 
the ,board shall be open to the public4 
7,,ii7 ,exception ,a meeting1 or any    
portion of a meeting1 may be closed if  
the ,board1 in public session1 votes to 
close the meeting because the matters to
 be discussed-- 7aa7 relate solely to   
the internal personnel rules and        
practices of the ,center2  7bb7 may     
result in disclosure of commercial or   
financial information obtained from a   
person that is privileged or            
confidential2  7cc7 may disclose        
information of a personal nature where  
disclosure would constitute a clearly   
unwarranted invasion of personal        
privacy2 or  7dd7 are matters that are  
specifically exempted from disclosure by

 ,federal or ,state law4  7iii7 ,public 
announcement ,at least #a week before a 
meeting1 and as soon as practicable     
thereafter if there are any changes1 the
 ,board shall make a public announcement
 of the meeting that describes-- 7,i7   
the time1 place1 and subject matter of  
the meeting2  7,,ii7 whether the meeting
 is to be open or closed to the public2 
and  7,,iii7 the name and appropriate   
contact information of a person who can 
respond to requests for information     
about the meeting4  7iv7 ,record ,the   
,board shall keep a transcript of       
minutes from each ,board meeting4 ,such 
transcript shall be made available to   
the public in an accessible format1     
except for portions of the meeting that 
are closed pursuant to subparagraph     
7,a77ii77,,ii74  7,b7 ,quorum ,a        
majority of members of the ,board shall 
constitute a quorum4  7,c7 ,restriction 
,no member of the ,board shall          
participate in any proceeding1          
application1 ruling or other            

determination1 contract claim1          
scholarship award1 controversy1 or other
 matter in which the member1 the        
member's employer or prospective        
employer1 or the member's spouse1       
partner1 or minor child has a direct    
financial interest4 ,any person who     
violates this subparagraph shall be     
subject to applicable ,federal and      
,state laws and may be fined not more   
than #aj1jjj1 imprisoned for not more   
than #b years1 or both4  7,d7 ,executive
 ,director ,the ,board shall appoint and
 fix the pay of an ,executive ,director 
of the ,center 7in this section referred
 to as the ,executive ,director7 who    
shall also become a member of the       
,board4 ,the ,executive ,director serves
 at the pleasure of the ,board1 under   
such terms and conditions as the ,board 
shall establish and is subject to       
removal by the ,board at its discretion4
 ,the ,executive ,director shall be     
responsible for the daily management and
 operation of the ,center and for       

carrying out the purposes and duties of 
the ,center4 ,the ,board shall designate
 to the ,executive ,director the        
authority to appoint additional         
personnel as the ,board considers       
appropriate and necessary to carry out  
the purposes and duties of the ,center4 
7c7 ,purpose of the ,center ,the purpose
 of the ,center is to provide a forum to
 facilitate collaboration and           
cooperation between aviation and        
aerospace private sector stakeholders1  
including general1 business1 and        
commercial aviation1 education1 labor1  
manufacturing1 the ,armed ,forces1 and  
other governmental1 non-governmental1   
and international organizations1 for the
 purpose of supporting and promoting    
civil and military aviation and         
aerospace in order to address the       
demands and challenges associated with  
ensuring a safe and vibrant national    
aviation system as identified by the    
,board4 ,in furtherance of that purpose1
 the constitution and bylaws of the     

,center shall direct the ,center to     
focus on the following3 7#a7 ,the       
development and sustainability of a     
well-qualified1 well-trained civil and  
military aviation and aerospace         
workforce4  7#b7 ,the conduct of        
research and development of new aviation
 and aerospace training materials and   
products4  7#c7 ,the coordination of the
 dissemination of grants for the        
development of aviation and aerospace   
oriented high school ,,stem education   
curriculum4  7#d7 ,the facilitation of  
collaboration between institutions of   
higher education or other research      
institutions engaged in aviation1       
aerospace or related research or        
technical development1 including those  
institutions designated as ,centers of  
,excellence or ,test ,centers of the    
,federal ,aviation ,administration and  
aviation and aerospace stakeholders4    
7#e7 ,the engagement in other workforce 
development activities consistent with  
addressing the demands and challenges   

facing the aviation and aerospace       
industry4  7d7 ,duties of center ,in    
order to accomplish the purpose         
described in subsection 7c71 the ,center
 shall perform the following duties3    
7#a7 ,support the development of        
aviation and aerospace education        
curricula1 including syllabuses and     
lesson plans1 for use by high schools1  
institutions of higher education1       
secondary education institutions1 or    
technical training and vocational       
schools that are designed to prepare    
students to enter the aviation or       
aerospace workforce by becoming aircraft
 pilots1 aerospace engineers1 unmanned  
aircraft system operators1 aviation     
maintenance technicians1 or other       
aviation maintenance professionals1 or  
to refresh the knowledge of pilots or   
any of the aforementioned individuals   
working in the aviation or aerospace    
sector4  7#b7 ,support the professional 
development of educators using the      
curriculum described in paragraph 7#a7  

and subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 of      
subsection 7e77#a7 by organizing        
symposiums designed to assist educators 
who are teaching or who wish to teach   
the aviation curriculum4  7#c7 ,promote 
aviation and aerospace employment       
opportunities generally1 including      
building awareness of youth oriented    
aviation and aerospace programs 7such as
 the ,civil ,air ,patrol1 ,young ,eagles
 program1 and ,reserve ,officers        
,training ,corps7 and establishing      
scholarships1 apprenticeships1 or       
mentorship programs for individuals1    
including individuals in economically   
disadvantaged areas or individuals who  
are underrepresented in the aviation    
industry and who wish to pursue a career
 in an aviation- or aerospace-related   
field4  7#d7 ,support of ,armed ,forces 
personnel seeking to transition to a    
career in civil aviation or an aerospace
 related field through outreach1        
training1 apprenticeships1 or other     
means4  7#e7 ,serve as a central        

repository for publicly available       
economic data1 safety data1 and research
 efforts related to the aviation and    
aerospace sectors in order to make      
available to the public information that
 highlights the economic impact of      
aviation and aerospace and information  
that would improve the safety of        
aviation and aerospace4 ,the ,center    
shall periodically1 as appropriate1     
publicize an analysis of such data in an
 accessible format4 ,in particular1 the 
,center shall coordinate with existing  
,,faa ,centers of ,excellence to do the 
following3 7,a7 ,ensure research and    
development efforts conducted at        
,centers of ,excellence of the ,federal 
,aviation ,administration are tracked1  
collected1 and amplified across the     
aviation and aerospace community4  7,b7 
,provide a repository of pertinent      
recommendations or other action items   
from all ,centers of ,excellence for    
public review4  7,c7 ,serve as a        
collaborative forum for ,centers of     

,excellence institution researchers1    
stakeholders1 and other interested      
parties for the purpose of discussing   
research efforts4  7#f7 ,serve as a     
forum1 through symposiums1 conferences1 
and other means as appropriate1 for     
cross-disciplinary collaboration among  
aviation and aerospace stakeholders to  
consider the near-term and long-term    
future of aviation and aerospace        
generally with respect to new training  
materials and products4  7e7 ,grants    
7#a7 ,in general ,in order to accomplish
 the purpose under subsection 7c7 and   
duties under subsection 7d71 the ,center
 shall have the authority and ability to
 issue grants to organizations that have
 experience in1 and knowledge of1       
creating1 developing1 and delivering or 
updating-- 7,a7 high school aviation    
curricula1 including syllabuses and     
lesson plans1 that are designed to      
prepare students to become aircraft     
pilots1 aerospace engineers1 unmanned   
aircraft system operators1 aviation     

maintenance technicians1 or other       
aviation maintenance professionals1 or  
to refresh the knowledge of             
out-of-practice pilots or any of the    
aforementioned individuals2 or  7,b7    
aviation curricula1 including syllabuses
 and lesson plans1 used at institutions 
of higher education1 secondary education
 institutions1 or by technical training 
and vocational schools1 that are        
designed to prepare students to become  
aircraft pilots1 aerospace engineers1   
unmanned aircraft system operators1 or  
aviation maintenance technicians1 or to 
refresh the knowledge of out-of-practice
 pilots or any of the aforementioned    
individuals4  7#b7 ,limitation ,no      
organization that receives a grant under
 this subsection shall sell or make a   
profit from the creation1 development1  
delivery1 or updating of aviation       
curricula4  7f7 ,administrative matters 
of the ,center  7#a7 ,detailees  7,a7   
,in general ,at the request of the      
,center1 the head of any ,federal agency

 or department may detail to the        
,center1 on a reimbursable basis1 any   
employee of the agency or department4   
7,b7 ,civil service status ,the detail  
of an employee under subparagraph 7,a7  
shall be without interruption or loss of
 civil service status or privilege4     
7#b7 ,names and symbols ,the ,center may
 use proceeds derived from the ,center's
 use of the exclusive right to use its  
name and seal1 emblems1 and badges      
incorporating such name as lawfully     
adopted by the ,board of ,directors in  
furtherance of the purpose and duties of
 the ,center4  7#c7 ,gifts1 grants1     
bequests1 and devises ,the ,center may  
accept1 use1 and dispose of gifts1      
grants1 bequests1 or devises of money1  
services1 or property from any public or
 private source for the purpose of      
covering the costs incurred by the      
,center in furtherance of the purpose   
and duties of the ,center4  7#d7        
,voluntary services ,the ,center may    
accept from any person voluntary        

services to be provided in furtherance  
of the purpose and duties of the        
,center4  7g7 ,restrictions on the      
,center  7#a7 ,profit ,the ,center may  
not engage in business activity for     
profit4  7#b7 ,stocks and dividends ,the
 ,center may not issue stock or declare 
or pay a dividend4  7#c7 ,political     
activities ,the ,center shall be        
nonpolitical and may not provide        
financial aid or assistance to1 or      
otherwise promote the candidacy of1 an  
individual seeking elective public      
office4 ,the ,center may not engage in  
activities that are1 directly1 or       
indirectly1 intended to be or likely to 
be perceived as advocating or           
influencing the legislative process4    
7#d7 ,distribution of income or assets  
,the assets of the ,center may not inure
 to the benefit of a member of the      
,board1 or an officer or employee of the
 ,center or be distributed to any       
person4 ,this subsection does not       
prevent the payment of reasonable       

compensation to an officer1 employee1 or
 other person or reimbursement for      
actual and necessary expenses in amounts
 approved by the ,board4  7#e7 loans    
,the ,center may not make a loan to a   
member of the ,board or an officer or   
employee of the ,center4  7#f7 ,no claim
 of governmental approval or authority  
,the ,center may not claim approval of  
,congress or of the authority of the    
,united ,states for any of its          
activities4  7h7 ,advisory ,committee   
7#a7 ,in general ,the ,executive        
,director shall appoint members to an   
advisory committee subject to the       
approval by the ,board4 ,members of the 
,board of the ,center may not sit on the
 advisory committee4  7#b7 ,membership  
,the advisory committee shall consist of
 #ae members who represent a balance of 
various aviation stakeholder groups4    
,the advisory committee shall choose a  
,chairman and ,vice ,chairman of the    
advisory committee from among members of
 the advisory committee4 ,members of the

 advisory committee shall be appointed  
for a term of #e years4  7#c7 ,duties   
,the advisory committee shall-- 7,a7    
provide recommendations to the ,board on
 an annual basis regarding the          
priorities for the ,center's activities2
  7,b7 provide advice to the ,board on  
an ongoing basis regarding the          
appropriate powers of the ,board to     
accomplish the purposes and duties of   
the ,center2  7,c7 provide data and     
information to the ,center to aid the   
,center in carrying out its duties2 and 
7,d7 nominate ,united ,states citizens  
for consideration by the ,board to be   
honored by the ,center for their work in
 promoting aviation or aviation         
education in the ,united ,states4  7#d7 
,meetings ,the provisions for meetings  
of the ,board under subsection 7c77#a7  
shall apply to meetings of the advisory 
committee4  7i7 ,working groups  7#a7   
,in general ,the ,board may establish   
and appoint the membership of working   
groups for a time and for a specific    

reason as necessary and appropriate4    
7#b7 ,membership ,any working group     
established by the ,board shall have    
members representing a balance of       
various aviation stakeholder groups4    
,once established1 the membership of    
such working group shall choose a       
,chairman from among the members of the 
working group4  7#c7 ,termination ,any  
working group established by the ,board 
under this subsection shall be          
constituted for a time period of not    
more than #c years4  7j7 ,records of    
accounts ,the ,center shall keep correct
 and complete records of accounts4  7k7 
,duty ,to maintain tax-,exempt status   
,the ,center shall be operated in a     
manner and for purposes that qualify the
 ,center for exemption from taxation    
under the ,internal ,revenue ,code as an
 organization described in section      
#eja7;c77#c7 of that ,code4  7l7 ,annual
 report ,the ,center shall submit an    
annual report to ,congress on the       
activities of the ,center during the    

prior year4  7m7 ,funding ,in order to  
carry out this section1 notwithstanding 
any other provision of law1 an amount   
equal to #e percent of the interest from
 investment credited to the ,airport and
 ,airway ,trust ,fund established under 
such section shall be transferred       
annually as a direct lump sum payment on
 the first day of ,october to the       
,center to carry out this section and   
shall be available until expended       
without further act of appropriation4  4
  7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the analysis 
for chapter #a of subtitle #a of title  
#di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended  
by inserting after the item relating to 
section #aag the following3  #aah4      
,national ,center for the ,advancement  
of ,aviation4  4