House Armed Services Committee advances ALERT Act to tighten ADS‑B requirements and increase DOD reporting; votes to report bill 53‑0

The House Armed Services Committee on March 24 advanced H.R. 7613, the Air Space Location and Height Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act of 2026, adopting an amendment in the nature of a substitute and voting to report the bill favorably to the House by a 53‑0 tally.

The bill responds to a Jan. 29, 2025 collision over the Potomac that killed 67 people and to a subsequent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation. Committee members said Title II of the ALERT Act implements the NTSB’s 13 recommendations for the Department of Defense and, in many cases, exceeds them by requiring broader safety measures across all military services.

Supporters told the committee the measure would make collision‑prevention technology the default for military rotary‑wing operations in the national airspace: ADS‑B Out would be required on manned rotary aircraft, ADS‑B In would be required on mobility and rotary aircraft generally, and ADS‑B equipment and associated systems would be subject to regular inspections. Sponsors said the bill narrows the definition of "special mission" aircraft to close a loophole that previously allowed routine flights by some officials to fly without location transmissions.

Representative Keating described the legislation as a data‑driven response to a pattern of near misses around Reagan National Airport and elsewhere, saying pilots have reported longstanding near collisions and that the bill would treat near misses as early warning signals rather than isolated events. Representative Conway offered — and preserved in the package — an amendment requiring the president to submit an annual report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees identifying individuals designated under the bill’s special‑mission exclusion to increase transparency about uses of that exemption.

Representative Bergman said two on‑block amendments will require the Department of Defense to provide an annual three‑year update on the number of training flights in the national capital region and to report on adoption of live virtual constructive training that could reduce the need for real‑world flights. Representative Sorensen won inclusion of an amendment (log 5695) asking the Army to share its command investigation with Congress and for the Army Inspector General to verify implementation of recommendations. Representative Elfreth pushed language to define "near miss," require timely notice to Congress when a DOD aircraft has a near miss, and mandate annual regional reports identifying causes and corrective measures.

Several members raised concerns about the bill’s exceptions that allow DOD to turn off ADS‑B in some circumstances. Representative Takuda said those exceptions must be scrutinized and supported an amendment requiring DOD to report how many helicopter flights in congested airspace, including within 30 miles of Washington National Airport, operated with ADS‑B off and which exception was used.

The committee accepted the on‑block amendment package by voice vote and agreed to the amendment in the nature of a substitute as amended. After a short recess to await Transportation and Infrastructure committee members, Representative Wittman moved to report the bill favorably to the House. The committee conducted a recorded vote after resolving several electronic‑voting issues and by unanimous consent recording certain members’ votes; the clerk reported the final tally as 53 yeas and 0 nays.

The committee also authorized staff to make necessary technical and conforming changes and authorized the chairman to make motions on the House floor to go to conference with the Senate on H.R. 7613 or a similar Senate measure. Under House rules, members have two calendar days to file supplemental or additional minority views in writing. The committee adjourned following those orders.

What happens next: The committee’s favorable report sends H.R. 7613 to the full House for further consideration; committee members emphasized ongoing oversight and additional work with the FAA on related aviation‑safety reforms.