The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on the ALERT Act, a wide-ranging aviation safety bill that would direct the FAA to move ahead with new requirements affecting both civil and military operations. According to the House schedule for the week of April 13, H.R. 7613 is among the measures that may be considered under suspension of the rules, meaning it would need a two-thirds vote for passage.
The House took up a similar aviation measure in February, when the ROTOR Act fell short under the same procedure despite having passed the Senate. That bill focused more narrowly on ADS-B equipage, while the ALERT Act outlines a broader package of aircraft equipage, controller training, airspace and Defense Department provisions.
As amended, the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency Act of 2026 would require the FAA to establish deadlines for equipping certain aircraft with collision-prevention or collision-avoidance technology and to update several pieces of controller training and procedures. It also calls for changes around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, including further action on adjusting helicopter routes, as well as for adjusting vertical separation requirements near airports during critical phases of flight. The act also calls for expanded review of close-proximity encounters.
For aircraft already required to carry traffic alert and collision avoidance systems, the bill directs the FAA toward rulemaking for newer systems such as ACAS Xa. For nonmilitary rotorcraft operating in Class B airspace, it sets out a path toward ACAS Xr standards and future rulemaking, while also directing the FAA to require broader collision-prevention technology for other ADS-B Out-equipped nonmilitary aircraft by Dec. 31, 2031.
That approach differs from the ROTOR Act, which would have imposed a direct ADS-B In requirement on aircraft operating in certain airspace and centered on a single technology solution. By contrast, the ALERT Act is broader in nature and structured around FAA rulemakings, performance standards and phased equipage deadlines, while also including provisions affecting military operations in the National Capital Region.
The bill would also limit the use of ADS-B data to seek revenue from aircraft owners or operators without their consent.
The measure advanced out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on March 26 by a 62-0 vote.
Although the NTSB initially pushed back on an earlier iteration of the act, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy has since said the bill addresses the board’s 50 recommendations following the 2025 DCA collision.
“Anything less than that would be counter to aviation safety and dishonor the lives of 67 people who died on January 29, 2025, and their families who have fought tirelessly for safety change,” Homendey told Reuters.
AOPA has voiced its support of the ALERT Act, although other industry groups, including the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have pushed back, primarily regrading the point that the ALERT Act does not require ADS-B In.
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