Airport Alert: House Passes ALERT Act with PAPA Provisions
April 14, 2026
The House of Representatives tonight by a vote of 396 to 10 passed the ALERT Act, an aviation safety bill that addresses the recommendations that NTSB made in the aftermath of the DCA accident in January 2025 that killed 67 people. Despite strong opposition from airports, the measure includes provisions from the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act (PAPA) that would prohibit airports from using ADS-B to assess takeoff or landing fees or impose any charge on aircraft operators or to institute investigations.
Recap of T&I Committee Action
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved the ALERT Act on March 26. During the markup, Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) offered an amendment to strike the PAPA provisions from the ALERT Act. Despite strong support from AAAE, ACI-NA, and individual airports, the amendment was defeated on a mostly party-line vote. Reps. Julia Brownley (D-CA), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Robert Garcia (D-CA), and Jerry Nadler (D-NY) cosponsored the Carbajal amendment.
What’s Next?
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and other committee leaders will now try to reconcile the differences between the ALERT Act and the ROTOR Act, a narrower Senate-passed bill that would require aircraft in controlled airspace to be equipped with ADS-B In, among other changes. The ROTOR Act does not include any PAPA-related provisions.
Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) continues to be the driving force behind the ROTOR Act, which the Senate approved unanimously in December. The House narrowly rejected the ROTOR Act in February after the Pentagon raised objections. But the ROTOR Act is backed by the Families of Flight 5342.
It is unclear whether the two transportation committees will convene a formal conference committee or work behind the scenes to hammer out an agreement. But negotiations may be challenging. Earlier today, Chairman Cruz warned his House colleagues that “the ALERT Act would not deliver the safety measures necessary to prevent another midair collision, as it lacks the critical improvements our aviation system needs.”
Airports Continue to Weigh In
AAAE, ACI-NA, and airports around the country are continuing to urge Congress to exclude the PAPA provisions from the final bill. But that won’t be an easy task. Chairman Graves, a general aviation pilot, is a strong proponent of the PAPA language. Three Commerce Committee members – Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) – have sponsored or cosponsored the PAPA bill in the upper chamber. Additionally, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy has spoken out against airports using ADS-B to collect user fees, and AOPA continues to lobby aggressively for PAPA’s adoption.
Stay tuned for additional updates and calls to action.
