# 119-s-2503: ROTOR Act

119-s-2503, ROTOR Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX); status failed; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2503
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2503
- Congress: 119
- Title: ROTOR Act
- Status: failed
- Introduced: 2025-07-29
- Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 21
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Tighter ADS‑B rules and stronger oversight of exceptions for sensitive government missions** aimed at forcing wider equipage and clearer reporting. The bill would push the FAA to require ADS‑B In on most aircraft, limit when agencies can stop transmitting ADS‑B Out, and create audits and safety reviews to improve rotorcraft and airport safety. - Military and government operators would face new reporting and limits. Agencies must notify air traffic control when ADS‑B Out is turned off for sensitive missions, send quarterly reports to the FAA, and provide monthly notice to Congress for missions in Class B airspace. - Aircraft owners and operators would have an ADS‑B In mandate and technical rules. The FAA would have to issue a final rule within 2 years and set a compliance deadline of December 31, 2031, with performance standards and phased retrofit relief for in‑service aircraft. - FAA, airports, and controllers would see expanded safety reviews and coordination. The bill requires rapid safety reviews for Reagan National and other airports, new separation standards rulemaking, controller training updates, and a new FAA‑DOD coordination office.

## Cosponsors (21)

- Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS] (R-KS), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] (R-WV), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO] (R-MO), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN] (R-IN), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] (D-IL), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] (D-VA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Warnock, Raphael G. [D-GA] (D-GA), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2025-11-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN), 2025-12-01T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE] (D-DE), 2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY] (R-WY), 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Votes

| Date | Chamber | Question | Result | Yea | Nay |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-24T00:00:00.000Z | house | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass | Failed | 264 | 133 |

## Provisions PRIA read

- FAA and DOD coordination and audits: benefit, medium. Had it passed, the bill would have made the FAA set up an Office of FAA–DOD Coordination within 30 days to improve civil‑military safety work. The FAA would have signed MOUs to share safety data with the Army in 60 days and with Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard in 90 days. The Army Inspector Genera…
- Stricter ADS-B Out exception oversight: benefit, medium. Had it passed, the bill would have limited routine use of ADS‑B Out exceptions and required agencies to report when they turned ADS‑B Out off. Agencies would have had to report to the FAA within 90 days and then every quarter, and the FAA would have reported to Congress within 180 days and twice a…
- ADS-B In equipment deadline: mixed, high. Had it passed, the bill would have required most aircraft that already needed ADS‑B Out to also have ADS‑B In. The FAA would have had 2 years to write the rule and operators would have had to comply by December 31, 2031. The rule would have set performance standards, allowed some safe alternative d…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas.
- 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona.
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.
- 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan.

## Sources
- [119-s-2503 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2503)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913)
- [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2503 (as of 2026-09-10).