Leaders of the House Transportation and Armed Services committees released a bipartisan bill Thursday aimed at addressing federal accident investigators’ recommendations concerning last year’s deadly Washington midair collision.
It comes just days before the House is scheduled to consider a competing bill, the Senate-passed, bipartisan “ROTOR Act,” S. 2503, via a fast-track mechanism next week.
The “ROTOR Act” would also tackle various issues tied to the January 2025 crash, which killed 67 people near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. But it has faced opposition from House Transportation Chair Sam Graves (R-Mo.), who is concerned about impacts to general aviation, or the small-scale flights he has supported for years.
Following the final National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash, Graves collaborated on the bill, the “ALERT Act,” with T&I ranking member Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), along with the chair of HASC, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), and its ranking member, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.).
