McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act

Sponsor: Jeff Merkley (Democratic-OR)July 15, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

FAA would review rules to make low-altitude flying safer for pilots and communities.

The McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act would require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to review and potentially update its rules for low-altitude airspace safety. This aims to make flying safer for pilots by looking at how temporary obstacles like slacklines are marked and how flight information is shared digitally. The FAA would also consult with various aviation groups and land management agencies during this process.

What Would Change

Today, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules and guidance for low-altitude airspace safety, especially for marking temporary obstructions like slacklines, might not be fully clear or consistent. After this bill, the FAA would be required to review these policies within 6 months and, if necessary, update them within one year of the bill becoming law. This would lead to clearer rules for marking obstacles, better digital flight information for pilots, and improved coordination with land management agencies, aiming for safer low-altitude flying.

Key Provisions

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to review its rules for low-altitude airspace safety within 6 months of the bill becoming law.
Would make the FAA consider whether current rules clearly identify when temporary obstacles like slacklines, tight ropes, and wires need to be marked or lighted.
Would push the FAA to improve how digital flight information, like obstacle data, is shared consistently across pilot tools.
Would require the FAA to improve coordination with land management agencies, such as the National Park Service, about activities that could create low-altitude aviation hazards.
Would make the FAA update its regulations, guidance, or policies within one year if the review finds that rules for marking temporary obstructions are not clear enough.

View on Congress.gov

S 4990 · 119th Congress · July 15, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 8/10

McCarty and Heideman Air Safety Enhancement Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity