Fall Human Factors Congressional Outlook of 2024

by Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC – October 7, 2024

With the election quickly approaching, Congress has left D.C. to focus on campaigning with several outstanding items still to complete when they return before the end of the year. While this year was defined by the ineffectiveness of a divided government, Congress was nevertheless able to pass a few major pieces of legislation including the fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending package, the National Security supplemental spending package, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, with support from Lewis-Burke Associates, navigated this environment to advance key priorities for the human factors community including provisions related to human factors safety at the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

FY 2025 Appropriations
On September 25th, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend the FY 2024 budget until December 20th and avoid a government shutdown. Congress will need to finalize FY 2025 appropriations by the end of the year or push negotiations into next year. HFES and Lewis-Burke Associates advocated for an increase to FAA’s Research, Engineering, and Development (RE&D) budget, which the House and Senate provided slight increases at approximately $60 million, which will increase funding for FAA’s human factors research programs. 

The Society also advocated for increases to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Social Behavioral and Economic Directorate (SBE) and the new Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) to further research and opportunities in behavioral research within the creation of emerging technologies. Final funding numbers will be impacted by the results of the election but there will be continued efforts to ensure increased opportunities for human factors research across the
Federal Agencies.

National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)
Congress has passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) annually for over 60 years, and it is considered one of the most crucial pieces of legislation on the yearly docket as it codifies military pay raises, shapes weapons programs, and sets national security policy. HFES advocacy efforts successfully led to a provision being included in the Senate NDAA to support the implementation the HFES/ANSI Human Readiness Levels (HRLs) standards into Department of Defense (DOD) regulations and protocols. The language included would explicitly direct the Secretary of Defense to initiate a review of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to determine whether any materials can and should be incorporated or referenced in DOD procedures and guidance material to enhance safety in relation to human factors. The Secretary of Defense would further be charged with conducting preliminary mapping of the current HRLs in accordance with HFES standards to discern alignment with the current Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) of major development and acquisitions programs. Continued advocacy efforts will be undertaken to ensure the language is included in the final legislation and that DOD implements the provision as intended to increase human factors safety while growing their human factors workforce.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Bill
The FAA Reauthorization Bill, which passed into law earlier this year with bipartisan support, authorized over $105 billion in appropriations for the FAA until FY 2028. The bill includes wide-sweeping reforms to enhance commercial airplane safety, ensure pilot resilience, and incorporate human factors standards. The bill also included provisions to boost consumer protections and develop the aviation safety workforce.

Notably, the bill established a Task Force on Human Factors in Aviation Safety made up of experts from the human factors community that would implement human factors standards in commercial aviation, identify research priorities for human factors, and review existing infrastructure for adherence. The bill also explicitly directs the FAA to incorporate the HFES’ Human Readiness Level Scale into agency guidance material and includes special guidance for the hiring of human factors professionals.

Artificial Intelligence
Congress is also currently working on several pieces of legislation related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) that span from workforce development to standards and guardrails. 

Notable among these includes the AI Advancement and Reliability Act, which would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop standards and best practices to enhance the safety and accessibility of AI platforms. The AI Development Practices Assessment Act would require the sharing of information on risks, transparency, robustness, and safety through NIST on AI systems and direct the Institute to produce voluntary standards on the transparency and understanding of AI in academia and industry. 

HFES has provided input on this and other pieces of legislation to include human factors considerations in any final legislation, regulations, or research programs. The society will continue to work with Congress as these bills move towards final enactment.