# 119-hr-8597: Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act

119-hr-8597, Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Begich, Nicholas J. [R-AK-At Large] (R-AK); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8597
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8597
- Congress: 119
- Title: Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-04-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Begich, Nicholas J. [R-AK-At Large] (R-AK)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**This bill would speed modernization of FAA Contract Tower Program sites by requiring certified Airborne Position Reference Tools (APRTs) and STARS or equivalent systems at towers that lack them, with a 1-year deadline.** It would also require operator training, authorize federal funding for APRTs, and provide retroactive reimbursement for prior installations.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Gillen, Laura [D-NY-4] (D-NY), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. King-Hinds, Kimberlyn [R-MP-At Large] (R-MP), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX), 2026-06-25T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New tracking equipment for contract towers: benefit, low. If enacted, the FAA would buy and install certified Airborne Position Reference Tools at contract air traffic control towers that do not have STARS or similar tools. The Secretary would also have to buy and install a STARS or equivalent system at those towers within one year, with OEM or FAA servic…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3277: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hr-7613: ALERT Act
- 119-hr-1004: Love Lives On Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-8597 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8597)

## Related
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-3277: Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3277)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-452: Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-452)
- [119-hr-7613: ALERT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7613)
- [119-hr-1004: Love Lives On Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1004)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8597 (as of 2026-09-21).