House Transportation Chair Sam Graves said Thursday he doesn’t support the current version of the bipartisan “ROTOR Act,” which the Senate passed in response to last year’s deadly midair collision between a plane and an Army helicopter in Washington — a significant headwind for the legislative push.
Asked if he backs the bill, S. 2503, as it awaits House action, Graves (R-Mo.) told POLITICO, “Not the way it’s written.” He zeroed in on a provision dealing with a location-receiving technology, suggesting it would be burdensome for small-scale aviation.
“This is emotional legislation, and the worst legislation is legislation that comes about as a result of an accident like this. Nothing in this act would have prevented what happened to D.C.,” Graves said in a brief interview.
The upper chamber OK’d the bill from Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the Senate Commerce Committee’s chair and ranking member, respectively, by unanimous consent in December.
