All Roll Calls
Yes: 264 • No: 133
S2503119th CongressWALLET
ROTOR Act
Sponsored By: Senator Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Failed
Summary
Modernize ADS‑B surveillance and FAA–DoD coordination. This bill would tighten ADS‑B Out exceptions for sensitive government missions, require ADS‑B In equipage with phased compliance and low‑cost options for lighter aircraft, and push an ACAS‑X deployment plan alongside new audits and coordination structures.
Show full summary
- Airlines, general aviation, and light‑aircraft owners would need to equip ADS‑B In before the final rule deadline, with phased retrofit periods and lower‑cost compliance paths for aircraft under 12,500 pounds.
- Military operators would face narrower ADS‑B Out exceptions and must follow new memoranda of understanding; MOUs with the Army would be due in 60 days and with the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard in 90 days, and the May 10, 2024 DoD–FAA MOA would be tied to the bill’s rulemaking.
- The FAA would get an Office of FAA–DoD Coordination, mandatory separation‑standards rulemaking, updated controller training, regular six‑month safety reviews, and GAO and Inspector General oversight.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
New ADS‑B In equipment rule
Had it passed, the bill would have required aircraft already subject to ADS‑B Out rules to install and run ADS‑B In by December 31, 2031. The FAA would have had two years to issue a final rule, which would have taken effect within 60 days of publication. The rule would have allowed phased retrofit periods and one‑year extensions when needed. Lower‑cost options (including portable receivers or EFB displays) and special performance rules would have been allowed for part 91 aircraft under 12,500 pounds and some military aircraft.
ACAS‑X deployment action plan
Had it passed, the bill would have required the FAA to deliver an action plan for ACAS‑X within 180 days and to publish the plan within 10 days. The plan would have laid out a roadmap for testing, certification, research funding, and international engagement, and would have addressed how ACAS‑X would work with ADS‑B systems. The FAA Administrator would have been allowed to take actions to implement the plan and brief Congress after submission. The bill noted that certification and retrofits could impose costs on operators and manufacturers.
Tighter civil‑military coordination and oversight
Had it passed, the bill would have created an FAA Office of FAA‑DoD Coordination within 30 days to handle civil‑military safety issues and to run quick safety reviews of the Washington, D.C. flight area and other priority airports. The bill would have tightened the ADS‑B Out 'sensitive government mission' exception, excluding routine, non‑classified, proficiency flights and flights by officials below Cabinet rank, and would have required agencies to notify ATC and to send monthly lists of such missions in Class B airspace to Congress. The FAA would have had one year to revise regulations and MOAs, and the bill would have required MOUs with the Army in 60 days and with the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard in 90 days. The bill also ordered an Army Inspector General audit (started within 60 days), public release of the report, and repeated congressional briefings, and it would have repealed one FY2026 NDAA provision as described.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
TX • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
KS • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
TN • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Shelley Capito
WV • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
KS • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO]
MO • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 7/29/2025
Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
WA • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
IL • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
VA • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
VA • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Raphael Warnock
GA • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Amy Klobuchar
MN • D
Sponsored 12/1/2025
Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT]
UT • R
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Peter Welch
VT • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 2/23/2026
Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]
WY • R
Sponsored 2/24/2026
Roll Call Votes
house vote • 2/24/2026
On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass
Yes: 264 • No: 133