Lisa Blunt Rochester

Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform Act or the ROTOR Act

This bill addresses aviation safety by increasing requirements for aircraft tracking and communication using Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology and expanding oversight.

As background, ADS-B for broadcasting (Out) and receiving (In) transmits information (e.g., location and weather information) between aircraft and air traffic control.

Under the bill, aircraft must generally operate with ADS-B In equipment to provide the aircraft with location information of other aircraft and traffic advisories. Current law does not require this equipment.

Current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations allow aircraft performing a sensitive government mission to be excepted from requirements for using ADS-B Out equipment. This bill limits which flights may be considered sensitive government missions (e.g., not training flights) and requires additional reporting and notifications for the exception.

The Government Accountability Office must review the use of the ADS-B Out exception and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Transportation must annually audit FAA oversight of operations that use the exception.

Further, the bill repeals a 2025 law that exempts certain military helicopters from the ADS-B Out requirements for the Washington, DC, metropolitan area.

The bill also requires

• the OIG of the Army to audit the Army’s coordination with the FAA,

• the FAA to establish an office to coordinate airspace usage of military aircraft and review the safety of flight operations and routes around airports, and

• the FAA to enter into memoranda of understanding with military agencies for safety information sharing.

This bill increases the annual limit on the tax credit for qualified railroad track maintenance expenses (also referred to as the short line railroad tax credit) and expands eligibility for claiming the credit.

Under current law, the tax credit is limited each tax year to $3,500 multiplied by the sum of the number of miles of railroad track owned or leased by the taxpayer (miles owned or leased) and the number of railroad track miles assigned to the taxpayer by a Class II or III railroad (miles assigned). This bill increases the annual limit to $6,100 multiplied by the sum of miles owned or leased and miles assigned. The $6,100 amount used in the calculation of the tax credit limit is adjusted for inflation for tax years beginning after 2025.

The bill also expands eligibility for the tax credit to include gross expenses for maintaining railroad tracks owned or leased as of January 1, 2024. Under current law, the tax credit is limited to gross expenses for maintaining railroad tracks owned or leased as of January 1, 2015.

This resolution honors the memory of the victims of the Potomac River mid-air collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on January 29, 2025, and offers condolences to the families, loved ones, and friends of those who lost their lives in the incident.

It also (1) acknowledges the bravery and professionalism of the first responders and emergency personnel, servicemembers, medical professionals, and investigators who assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts; and (2) expresses a commitment to translating the safety lessons learned from the collision into action.

Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act

This bill expands the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) to include additional bicyclist and pedestrian safety measures and increases the federal cost share for certain safety projects.

Specifically, the bill allows HSIP to fund projects (1) for the connection of two or more segments of existing bicyclist or pedestrian infrastructure, or (2) that are based on a state's plan to improve the safety of vulnerable road users (e.g., bicyclists or pedestrians) in areas identified as high-risk. In addition, the bill allows an increased federal cost share of up to 100% for these projects.

The bill also allows an increased federal cost share of up to 100% for transportation projects that meet certain criteria, including (1) the project includes a Federal Highway Administration Proven Safety Countermeasure for bicyclists or pedestrians (e.g., bicycle lanes, walkways, and crosswalk visibility enhancements), or (2) the relevant state strategic highway safety plan includes an emphasis area that is related to vulnerable road users.

Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2025

This bill expands Medicare coverage of chiropractic services to include all services provided by chiropractors, rather than only subluxation corrections through manual manipulation of the spine.

Protecting Sensitive Locations Act

This bill prohibits immigration enforcement actions within 1,000 feet of a sensitive location except in exigent circumstances, such as the imminent risk of death, violence, or physical harm to any person.

Sensitive locations include

• health care facilities;

• schools and school bus stops;

• places that provide assistance for people such as children, pregnant women, and abuse victims;

• child care facilities;

• places that provide disaster or emergency services;

• places of worship;

• courthouses and lawyers’ offices;

• facilities used as polling places;

• certain labor union facilities; and

• public assistance offices.

The prohibition shall apply to Department of Homeland Security officers and agents, as well as state employees pursuing immigration enforcement actions.

If an enforcement action is carried out in violation of this prohibition (1) no information resulting from the action may be entered into the record in a resulting removal proceeding, and (2) the affected individual may move to immediately terminate such a proceeding.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall annually report to Congress about enforcement actions taken at sensitive locations in the preceding year.