U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has joined Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other colleagues in introducing the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act. The legislation comes in response to the accident near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on January 29, 2025, which raised concerns about aviation safety in the National Capital Region and across the country.
The ROTOR Act proposes new requirements for nearly all aircraft to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), a technology that allows aircraft to communicate their location with more precision than traditional radar systems.
On the six-month anniversary of the DCA crash, Senator Budd appeared at a press conference alongside Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, fellow senators, and family members of victims. The event was held to announce the introduction of the ROTOR Act.
During his remarks at the press conference, Senator Budd stated:
“I wish we weren’t here because I wish this wasn’t an anniversary at all […] This hits home, because six out of the 67 souls that lost their lives that day were North Carolinians, or North Carolina connected, including all four members of the Charlotte-based flight crew and one of the helicopter pilots.
“I’m hopeful that our efforts in Congress, starting today, are going to make a difference in making our entire air traffic control system and our airspace a lot safer. ADS-B is a critical safety technology. Mandating that aircraft are equipped and using this technology […] I think is a key step in making sure that all Americans are safe.”
Other senators co-sponsoring the bill include Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.).
The ROTOR Act would require all aircraft operating in controlled airspace to be equipped with “ADS-B In,” enabling better communication between pilots, air traffic control personnel, and ground vehicles. It also seeks to close an existing loophole by requiring Department of Defense aircraft flying domestically to use “ADS-B Out” technology. Additional provisions include increased oversight of helicopter routes near commercial airports, quarterly compliance reports on “ADS-B Out,” studies on potential improvements to DCA’s surrounding airspace, and mandates for newly manufactured aircraft operating in crowded airspaces to have ADS-B technology installed.
