ALERT Act passes in House of Representatives with large majority vote

The House of Representatives passed the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act of 2026 on Tuesday by 396 to 10 votes. The ALERT Act was introduced to the House of Representatives on Feb. 19 as a response to the midair collision between an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ 700 and a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk Army helicopter at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Jan. 2025. The act increases requirements for aircraft tracking and communication using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and expands oversight. It was led by Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA). "We appreciate the bipartisan support for the ALERT Act, and all members involved in putting together this comprehensive bill—especially House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves and Ranking Member Rick Larsen," said Jim Coon, AOPA VP of government affairs and advocacy. "By including PAPA, this bill is positioned to dramatically enhance aviation safety—as it ensures there is no disincentive for pilots to not use this important technology." The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) are required to enter an agreement over the use of collision prevention technologies on DOD aircraft. It must have DOD helicopters use ADS-B Out as the default practice while operating in U.S. Airspace. The department would have to work with DOT to conduct a safety risk assessment and implement appropriate precautions when its helicopters are carrying out special missions in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and are exempt from ADS-B Out requirements. All DOD aircraft must be equipped with and operating integrated ADS-B In technology by Dec. 31, 2031, unless it is a specific special mission aircraft. The FAA has its own requirements under the ALERT ACT, including: requiring aircraft that require ADS-B Out to also be equipped with ADS-B In establish time-on-position limits for supervisory ATC personnel establish a process to timely notify parties involved in certain near-miss incidents; and evaluate and revise, as necessary, helicopter routes around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport RELATED STORIES: FAA flags global surge in GPS jamming andamp; spoofing, updates its playbook ROTOR Safety Act fails in House of Representatives ALERT Act introduced to House to improve U.S. airspace safety The Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) was the competing bill that was introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in July 2025. The reform was rejected by the House in Feb. 2026. It would require all aircraft transmitting to transmit and receive ADS-B data to avoid collision. Graves has argued that the requirement would be a burden on general aviation. Relatives of those killed in the DCA crash have argued that ADS-B would have saved the lives of their loved ones and exceptions are what cause the crash in the first place. "The collision prevention technologies ALERT relies upon are not market-ready and could take years to become widely available," said opponents of the ALERT Act, according to CBS News. "Without installation-ready technology, broad waiver requests from industry will follow, and Congress will face immediate pressure to delay compliance rather than enforce it." "Congress should not advance a bill that neither improves aviation safety nor closes the loopholes that have allowed operators, including the military, to fly blind in congested airspace," said Senator Cruz, according to the New York Times. The ALERT Act still needs to be approved by the Senate and there is no current date set for when it will be voted on.