Overview
- The Senate-passed ROTOR Act failed under a fast-track vote in the House, drawing 264 yeas and 133 nays, short of the two-thirds needed for approval.
- ROTOR would require aircraft already broadcasting ADS‑B Out to also have ADS‑B In with cockpit alerting by the end of 2031, a mandate backed by the NTSB, pilot unions, and victims’ families.
- The Pentagon issued late opposition, warning of unresolved budget pressures and operational security risks, while sponsors said the bill protects classified missions.
- House committee leaders are promoting the ALERT Act, a wider package that implements NTSB items through FAA rulemaking, allows alternative compliance such as portable receivers, and targets helicopter routes, ATC training, and FAA safety culture.
- NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said ADS‑B In would have given Flight 5342 about 59 seconds of warning versus 19 seconds and likely averted the collision, and she criticized claims that the ALERT Act fully meets the board’s recommendations.