The U.S. Senate on Dec. 17 unanimously passed a bipartisan aviation safety bill proposed by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) that now advances to the U.S. House of Representatives for action.
“Our aviation system is fragile, and over the last year, Congress has passed significant legislation investing in that airspace to increase the safety and to make sure that all who fly can be and are safe and feel safe,” Sen. Moran said. “More work needs to be done.”
The Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act, S. 2503, which Sen. Moran cosponsored on July 29 alongside seven other Republican cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Todd Young (R-IN), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), came after the Jan. 29 midair collision between an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that claimed 67 lives near Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
If enacted, S. 2503 would strengthen aviation safety standards impacted by a provision in the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Moran’s staff.
“That flight — Flight 5342 — originated in Wichita, Kan., and as we know, on Jan. 29, it collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, and it changed the way we look at air safety every moment since then,” said Sen. Moran. “After numerous conversations with my colleagues… we secured an agreement from the Senate leadership… for an amended version of the ROTOR Act, that it be quickly brought to the Senate floor for consideration to reinstate the advanced critical standards of safety for commercial and military aviation.”
If enacted, the measure would require all aircraft to be equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast In to improve aviation safety, an onboard avionics equipment that receives and processes Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast transmissions that are broadcast in accordance with federal regulations, as well as other aviation advisory information from ground stations that provides the aircraft with awareness to the location of other aircraft and traffic advisories.
“I commend the FAA administrator for his commitment, and particularly Secretary Duffy, for their combined commitment to air safety,” Sen. Moran added. “It’s a pretty good day to be taking the steps we’re taking and knowing that more is to come in honor of those who perished on Jan. 29 from Kansas, across the country, and around the world.”