DIRECT-HIRE AUTHORITY UTILIZATION.

SEC. 428. [49 U.S.C. 44502 note] DIRECT-HIRE AUTHORITY UTILIZATION. (a) In General.—The Administrator shall utilize direct hire authorities (as such authorities existed on the day before the date of enactment of this Act) to hire individuals on a non-competitive basis for positions related to aircraft certification and aviation safety. In utilizing such authorities, the Administrator shall take into consideration any staffing gaps in the safety workforce of the FAA, including in positions supporting the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems and other new airspace entrants. (b) Congressional Briefing.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through 2028, the Administrator shall brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the— (1) utilization of the Administrator’s direct-hire authorities described in subsection (a); (2) utilization of the Administrator’s direct-hire authorities with respect to the Unmanned Aircraft System Collegiate Training Initiative of the FAA; and (3) number of employees hired as a result of the utilization of such authorities by the Administrator, the relevant lines of business or offices in which such employees were hired, and the occupational series of the positions filled.