NBAA Underscores Support for ALERT Act Ahead of House Committee Markup

Contact: Dan Hubbard, 202-431-5970, [email protected]

Washington, DC, March 25, 2026 - The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) welcomed plans announced today by the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) and the House Armed Services Committee to move ahead on a comprehensive, bipartisan aviation safety measure supported by NBAA and a diverse group of other industry stakeholders.

On March 26, both committees are scheduled to mark up the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act, H.R.7613. The legislation addresses recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) following that agency's investigation into the January 2025 midair collision of a U.S. Army helicopter and regional passenger airliner near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

The bill requires all civil fixed-wing and rotorcraft to improve situational awareness by equipping with collision mitigation, avoidance and alerting systems while recognizing the diverse composition of the business aviation fleet.

"This legislation aims to dramatically improve safety in today's operations by closing existing gaps identified by the NTSB, while also advancing the development and certification of future safety systems," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. "Importantly, the ALERT Act would also create processes to bring together technical experts from across our nation's diverse aviation industry to develop the solutions for meeting this high safety requirement."

The measure would enhance air traffic control training and procedures, lower the risk profile in mixed-use environments, address the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) safety culture, improve coordination among stakeholders and implement strategically targeted operational safety procedures.

Introduced in February by House T&I Committee Chair Sam Graves (R-6-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-2-WA), along with Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-3-AL) and ranking member Adam Smith (D-9-WA), the ALERT Act specifically focuses on enhancing the safety of DCA airspace - one of the nation's busiest, most congested locations - but carries benefits for the entire NAS, Bolen added.

"We are grateful to see the House T&I Committee acting swiftly on this important legislation," he concluded, "and NBAA will continue working to ensure the critical safety improvements included in the ALERT Act can be implemented as soon as possible."

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Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The association represents more than 10,000 company and professional members and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), the world's largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at nbaa.org.

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