# 119-s-3866: A bill to provide for updates to the Federal Aviation Administration type certification process to support development of new and novel technologies, and for other purposes.

119-s-3866, A bill to provide for updates to the Federal Aviation Administration type certification process to support development of new and novel technologies, and for other purposes., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3866
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3866
- Congress: 119
- Title: A bill to provide for updates to the Federal Aviation Administration type certification process to support development of new and novel technologies, and for other purposes.
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-12
- Sponsor: Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Would streamline and clarify FAA type certification for new aviation technologies and advanced air mobility.** It would require public plans, deadlines, and updated delegation rules to speed approvals while keeping safety central. - Aircraft and technology developers would get clearer, public plans and standard timelines. The bill would require the FAA to publish a plan within 180 days and set standard milestone timelines within 270 days to guide certification, issue papers, and responses. - Airport and vertiport planners would be consulted about infrastructure impacts. The bill would require FAA to consult providers when certification could require design or infrastructure changes. - FAA staff and applicants would see updated delegation guidance within 90 days. The guidance would set who is eligible for delegation, classify findings as routine or safety-critical, and require documentation when FAA keeps work in-house.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] (R-KS), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] (R-IN), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-02-12T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Updated FAA delegation rules: benefit, low. If enacted, the FAA would post updated delegation guidance within 90 days on who can be delegated type‑certification work. The guidance would set eligibility rules, say when findings are routine or safety‑critical, and require documentation and management review if the FAA does not use authorized r…
- Clearer FAA certification plans and timelines: benefit, low. If enacted, the FAA would post a public plan within 180 days to improve how it handles certification issue papers. The FAA would update its issue‑paper rules within 180 days and set standard expected timelines for major certification milestones within 270 days. The timelines would cover FAA respons…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-3885: Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.

## Sources
- [119-s-3866 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3866)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-3885: Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3885)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3866 (as of 2026-09-10).