# 119-s-4990: McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act

119-s-4990, McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4990
- 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-4990
- Congress: 119
- Title: McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-15
- Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Low-altitude airspace safety** is the central goal of this bill. It would require the FAA to review and update rules, guidance, and outreach to reduce the risk of low-flying aircraft striking temporary obstructions like slacklines.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT] (R-UT), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2026-07-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New FAA review of low-altitude safety: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require the FAA Administrator to review low-altitude airspace safety rules within 6 months. The review would include helicopter, powered-lift, air medical, general aviation, agricultural, and unmanned aircraft stakeholders. It would check whether marking and lighting rule…

## Related bills

- 119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the…
- 119-s-356: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 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-837: A resolution designating the week of August 22 through August 30, 2026, as "National Park Week".
- 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina.

## Sources
- [119-s-4990 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4990)

## Related
- [119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-199)
- [119-s-356: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-356)
- [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-837: A resolution designating the week of August 22 through August 30, 2026, as "Nat…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-837)
- [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4990 (as of 2026-09-10).