Senate committee approves SB 87 to tie airport procurement to FAA threshold, asks CPE to study air-traffic controller credentialing

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Senate Transportation Committee on an uncontested voice and roll-call vote reported Senate Bill 87 favorably with a committee substitute attached, adopting language to streamline procurement for Kentucky’s three largest commercial airports and directing the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Transportation Cabinet to study how postsecondary institutions might expand training and final credentialing pathways for air-traffic controllers.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer, told the committee the measure is intended to increase efficiency for capital procurement at the state’s largest airports. "This bill is a little bit about efficiency as well, and we felt it's very important to address that," she said during the hearing.

The nut graf: Committee testimony said the substitute ties airport procurement thresholds to the Federal Aviation Administration’s simplified acquisition threshold — a dollar threshold that is adjusted for inflation — so the state would not need frequent statutory updates. The substitute also instructs CPE and the Transportation Cabinet to evaluate whether Kentucky can host a second site for final credentialing of air-traffic controllers and to recommend an education and training pathway in coordination with postsecondary institutions and KCTCS.

Committee testimony and discussion

Seth Cutter, representing CVG, described the core procurement change introduced in the committee substitute: "The bill is fairly straightforward... provisions to do with procurement for Kentucky's 3 largest commercial airports." Cutter said the substitute ties the acquisition threshold to the Federal Aviation Administration's simplified acquisition threshold, which is tied to inflation, so the state would not need to return to the Legislature repeatedly as the federal threshold moves.

Senate President Robert Stivers urged attention to workforce development in aviation. "There is a severe lack of air-traffic controllers," Stivers said, recounting broad concerns about workforce shortages and near-miss incidents he said have been tied, in many reports, to a shortage of trained air-traffic controllers. He described subsection 9 (identified in committee testimony as appearing on pages 9 and 10 of the bill) as directing the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Transportation Cabinet to examine possible pathways and whether a second site for final credentialing in the state would be feasible.

Chairman Higdon noted the committee had received a fiscal note on the underlying bill that showed no fiscal impact and warned that the fiscal assessment could change once the committee substitute language was incorporated. "The fiscal note is back, and it says no impact. That will probably change a little bit when we get the fiscal impact on the committee sub," he said.

Votes at a glance

- Senate Bill 87 (with committee substitute): Reported favorably with expression of opinion that the same shall pass; committee roll call recorded a majority of "aye" votes and no recorded opposition. Members recorded as voting "aye" during the roll call in the transcript include: Senator Berg; Senator Douglas; Senator Elkins; Senator Smith; Senator Storm; Senator Wheeler; Senator Williams; Senator Wilson; Chairman Higdon. The committee substitute was adopted earlier in the hearing by voice vote.

What the bill would do (as described in committee)

- Procurement: Tie the acquisition threshold for procurement at Kentucky’s three largest commercial airports to the Federal Aviation Administration's simplified acquisition threshold (a federally referenced, inflation-indexed threshold), with the intent of reducing the need for frequent statutory changes at the General Assembly level.

- Postsecondary coordination and workforce study: Direct the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), in coordination with the Transportation Cabinet and postsecondary institutions (including KCTCS and public universities referenced during testimony), to recommend whether Kentucky can establish a site for final credentialing of air-traffic controllers and to identify education and training pathways to increase the pipeline into air-traffic controller careers.

Fiscal and implementation notes

Committee discussion identified a fiscal note on the underlying bill that indicated no fiscal impact; committee members cautioned that adopting the committee substitute may change that assessment and could generate additional fiscal effects once those provisions are scored. Testimony indicated CPE already conducts program studies and coordination and that the work requested would fall within CPE’s stated mission to coordinate postsecondary education program planning.

Context and next steps

Senate Bill 87 received a committee substitute in the Transportation Committee and was reported favorably with the committee’s recommendation that it pass. The committee did not take further action beyond reporting the bill; any fiscal changes resulting from the substitute will be reflected in later fiscal staff reports as the bill moves through the legislative process.

Sources: Committee hearing on Senate Bill 87, Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer (sponsor), Seth Cutter (CVG representative), Senate President Robert Stivers, Chairman Higdon (committee chair).