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S. 2503: ROTOR Act

119th Congress · introduced 2025-07-29 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 264 - 133 (Roll no. 72).

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Official title

ROTOR Act

Plain summary

Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act or the ROTOR Act This bill addresses aviation safety by increasing requirements for aircraft tracking and communication using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and expanding oversight. As background, ADS-B for broadcasting (Out) and receiving (In) transmits information (e.g., location and weather information) between aircraft and air traffic control. Under the bill, aircraft must generally operate with ADS-B In equipment to provide the aircraft with location information of other aircraft and traffic advisories. Current law does not require this equipment. Current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations allow aircraft performing a sensitive government mission to be excepted from requirements for using ADS-B Out equipment. This bill limits which flights may be considered sensitive government missions (e.g., not training flights) and requires additional reporting and notifications for the exception. The Government Accountability Office must review the use of the ADS-B Out exception and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Transportation must annually audit FAA oversight of operations that use the exception. Further, the bill repeals a 2025 law that exempts certain military helicopters from the ADS-B Out requirements for the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The bill also requires the OIG of the Army to audit the Army’s coordination with the FAA, the FAA to establish an office to coordinate airspace usage of military aircraft and review the safety of flight operations and routes around airports, and the FAA to enter into memoranda of understanding with military agencies for safety information sharing.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] · 21 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Jerry Moran (R-KS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Todd Young (R-IN), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Raphael G. Warnock (D-GA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John R. Curtis (R-UT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] reported raising $12.4 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Recorded votes

• House roll call 72 (2026): On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, S 2503 (2026-02-24): Failed

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-119s2503.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/s>

Record fed-us-cong119-s2503 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills