HB4146, the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act of 2025 (PAPA Act), would restrict how automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data may be used. The bill allows ADS-B data to be used by air traffic controllers to track aircraft and improve safety and efficiency, but it bars any person, government agency, or other entity from using that data to identify aircraft for the purpose of obtaining revenue from the owner or operator without consent. It also requires the Secretary of Transportation to provide notice and an opportunity for public comment before approving any additional uses of ADS-B data beyond air traffic control purposes.
The bill further amends federal aviation law to broaden the prohibition on use of ADS-B data by extending it beyond the FAA Administrator to include federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal officials. In addition, it creates a new federal provision governing landing or takeoff fees on general aviation aircraft at public-use airports. Before imposing such fees, airport operators would have to publicly disclose efforts to reduce non-airside expenses, alternative revenue efforts, the cost and timeline of airside safety projects, and the expected impact on pilots, students, nonprofits, and businesses that rely on general aviation. Fee revenue could be used only for airside safety projects, and the FAA could issue implementing regulations and reporting requirements.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend title 49 of the U.S. Code by adding a new section on general aviation airport fees and by revising existing restrictions on the use of ADS-B data. It would create new disclosure and use limitations for public-use airports that charge general aviation landing or takeoff fees, and it would narrow how government entities may use ADS-B information for revenue-related purposes. The bill would primarily affect airport operators, general aviation pilots and aircraft owners, flight schools, nonprofits, businesses that depend on general aviation, and federal and other government officials involved in aviation oversight or enforcement.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a privacy and general aviation protection bill rather than a controversial regulatory expansion. Its stated goals suggest support from general aviation interests, pilots, and aircraft owners who may view the measure as limiting surveillance-based fee collection and protecting airport users from new charges. There is no recorded vote history or transcript evidence here indicating formal opposition or support, but the structure of the bill suggests it is intended to reassure aviation stakeholders concerned about data use and airport fee practices.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the bill’s limits on the use of ADS-B data and its restrictions on airport fee authority. Supporters are likely to favor the privacy protections and the requirement that fee revenue be tied only to airside safety projects, while opponents may argue that the bill could constrain airport funding flexibility or limit government and private-sector uses of aviation data. Another possible point of debate is the requirement for public disclosures before fees are imposed, which could be seen as increasing transparency and accountability by some, but as adding administrative burdens by others. No specific objections or endorsements are included in the provided committee materials.
A bill for an act relating to aircraft automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast data, making penalties applicable, and including effective date provisions.
AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 67, Chapter 6, Part 3, relative to exemption from sales and use tax on aircraft repair services and parts.