NEXTGEN ACCOUNTABILITY REVIEW.

SEC. 603. NEXTGEN ACCOUNTABILITY REVIEW. (a) In General.—Not later than December 31, 2026, the Administrator shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Public Administration to initiate a review to assess the performance of the FAA in delivering and implementing quantifiable operational benefits to the national airspace system within the NextGen program. (b) Review Requirements.—In conducting the review required under subsection (a), the National Academy of Public Administration shall— (1) leverage metrics used by the FAA to quantify the benefits of NextGen technology and investments; (2) validate metrics and identify additional metrics the FAA can use to track national airspace system throughput and savings as a result of NextGen investments— (A) by calculating a per flight average, weighted by distance, of the— (i) reduction and cumulative savings of track miles and time savings; (ii) reduction and cumulative savings of emissions and fuel burn; and (iii) reduction of aircraft operation time; and (B) by using any other metrics that the National Academy determines may provide insights into the quantifiable benefits for operators in the national airspace system; and (3) validate current metrics and identify additional metrics the FAA can use to track and assess fleet equipage across operators in the national airspace system, including identifying— (A) the percentage of aircraft equipped with NextGen avionics equipment as recommended in the report of the NextGen Advisory Committee titled “Minimum Capabilities List (MCL) Ad Hoc Team NAC Task 19-1 Report”, issued on November 17, 2020; (B) quantified costs and benefits for an operator to properly equip an aircraft with baseline NextGen avionics equipment over the lifecycle of such aircraft; and (C) cumulative unrealized NextGen benefits associated with rates of mixed equipage across operators. (c) Industry Consultation.—In conducting the review required under subsection (a), the National Academy of Public Administration may consult with aviation industry stakeholders. (d) Report.—Not later than 270 days after the initiation of the review under subsection (a), the National Academy shall submit to the Administrator and the appropriate committees of Congress a report containing any findings and recommendations under such review. (e) Publication.—Not later than 180 days after receiving the report required under subsection (d), the Administrator shall establish a website of the FAA that can be used to monitor and update— (1) the metrics identified by the review conducted under subsection (a) on a quarterly and annual basis through 2030, as appropriate; and (2) the total amount invested in NextGen technologies and resulting quantifiable benefits on a quarterly basis until the Administrator announces the completion of NextGen implementation.