This bill has advanced since we wrote our summary.
Current stage on Congress.gov: Introduced in House.
All aircraft already required to broadcast their location (ADS-B Out) would also need equipment to receive nearby-traffic data (ADS-B In) by December 31, 2031, with a low-cost option for planes under 12,500 pounds. The exception that lets government aircraft fly silently for "sensitive government missions" would be narrowed so it no longer covers training flights, proficiency flights, or trips by federal officials below Cabinet rank. Every federal, state, local, and tribal agency using that exception would have to file quarterly attestations and per-flight logs listing airport, time, duration, and mission type, with biannual reports to Congress and special notification if any agency uses the exception five or more times in a month. The bill also orders an Army Inspector General audit of UH-60 Black Hawk operations around Reagan National Airport, FAA safety reviews of all Class B, C, and D airports, and FAA-DOD information-sharing agreements. A repeal of a 2019 NDAA section ends an earlier carve-out for certain Department of Defense aircraft from ADS-B rules.
Transparency & Accountability
- Quarterly attestation reports — agencies must log each ADS-B-off sensitive-mission flight
- Biannual FAA reports to Congress — frequency and nature of exception use, with classified annex option
- Annual DOT Inspector General audits — FAA oversight of all sensitive-mission exceptions
- GAO review of exception utilization — comparison before and after revised rule
- Army Inspector General audit — Black Hawk operations in National Capital Region, public release
- Sensitive-mission exception scope — excludes training, proficiency, sub-Cabinet officials
Average Household Impact
- Cockpit traffic-awareness equipment — required on all ADS-B-Out-mandated aircraft by 2031
Congressional Summary
Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act or the ROTOR ActThis bill addresses aviation safety by increasing requirements for aircraft tracking and communication using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and expanding oversight.As background, ADS-B for broadcasting (Out) and receiving (In) transmits information (e.g., location and weather information) between aircraft and air traffic control.Under the bill, aircraft must generally operate with ADS-B In equipment to provide the aircraft with location information of other aircraft and traffic advisories. Current law does not require this equipment.Current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations allow aircraft performing a sensitive government mission to be excepted from requirements for using ADS-B Out equipment. This bill limits which flights may be considered sensitive government missions (e.g., not training flights) and requires additional reporting for the exception.The Government Accountability Office must review the use of the ADS-B Out exception and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) must annually audit FAA oversight of operations that use the exception. Further, the bill repeals a 2018 law that prohibits DOT from requiring certain military aircraft to install or use ADS-B equipment.The bill also requiresthe OIG of the Army to audit the Army’s coordination with the FAA,the FAA to establish an office to coordinate airspace usage of military aircraft and review the safety of flight operations and routes around airports, andthe FAA to enter into memoranda of understanding with military agencies for safety information sharing.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-11-20
- Date Added
- 2026-05-17
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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