Introduced by Republican Senator Ted Cruz in June, the ROTOR Act aimed to require aircraft to install safety technology recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board in the aftermath of a deadly crash near Reagan International Airport in Washington, DC last year.
In a report released after the crash between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet, which left no survivors, the NTSB said the use of technology that transmits an aircraft's location to other nearby aircraft could have prevented the incident.
The ROTOR Act proposed a requirement for wider use of ADS-B in and ADS-B out, the safety system recommended by the NTSB.
In a Senate vote in December, the bill passed with unanimous support from all legislators and was sent to the House.
The bill was publicly backed by many family members of the victims that died in the January 2025 DCA crash, which claimed the lives of 64 American Airlines passengers and three Army helicopter crew members.
Initially, the legislation received support from the Pentagon, which oversees all military aircraft operations — but on Monday, Feb. 23, one day before a House vote on the bill, the Pentagon withdrew its support.
In a statement, Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell said the version of the bill passed by the Senate "would create significant unresolved budgetary burdens and operational security risks affecting national defense activities."
When taken to the House for a vote on Feb. 24, the motion failed narrowly, by a margin of 264 in favor to 133 opposed — short of a two-thirds majority needed for the fast-track process under which it was presented.
One of the "no" votes was Republican Congressman Bill Huizenga. In an email, Huizenga said he did not vote for the bill because of national security concerns and because he believed it did not do enough to address safety issues.
“I voted against Sen. Ted Cruz’s legislation because as a policy maker, I can tell you that this hasty bill had zero House of Representatives input, which is a big part of why it failed on suspension of the House rules. As an American, I’m concerned it could erode national security. Perhaps most important, as a frequent airline passenger, I’m upset it does not do enough to improve safety in response to the tragic yet avoidable Jan 2025 DCA crash," Huizenga said in an email statement sent by a spokesperson.
Instead, Huizenga said he will support alternative legislation known as the ALERT Act.
"Legislation has been introduced in the House by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves that would truly enhance safety standards while maintaining our national security. His bill goes further by addressing all of NTSB’s 50 safety recommendations," the email read.
In a statement, Republican Congressman and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chair Sam Graves said the ALERT Act also looks to improve aviation safety and claimed the legislation "addresses all 50 safety related recommendations" given by the NTSB in its report after the DCA crash.
However, according to online publication Aviation International News, a main difference between the ROTOR Act and ALERT Act is the fact that ALERT would not require all aircraft to install ADS-B in and ADS-B out technology.
In a post to X before the vote, NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy wrote: "The ROTOR Act would've saved lives; unlike claims that this is "emotional legislation," the FAA had over two decades to Act and failed to do so. Had they acted, we wouldn't be here today; families would have their loved ones. How many more people need to die before we Act?"
