Adam Smith (D-WA)
Safety Starts at the Top Act of 2026
A Democratic bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Safety Starts at the Top Act of 2026," aims to amend title 49 of the United States Code. It specifically seeks to revise the qualifications required for organization designation authorization (ODA) holders. For entities earning at least $15,000,000,000 in annual gross revenue, new board requirements would be established. These requirements include specific labor and safety representation on the board of directors. Additionally, the bill mandates a review and potential rescission of existing delegations that do not meet these new standards.
Yes· 3 of 5
- Scored +7
Would union members be better off under this?
The bill specifically mandates that labor organizations have direct representation on corporate boards.
- Scored +5
Does this strengthen the rights of workers to organise?
The bill mandates labor representation on the boards of large aerospace entities.
- Scored +3
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
Enhanced safety oversight on corporate boards may improve long-term consumer safety in aviation.
The opposite
- Scored -2
Would business owners be better off under this?
The new board requirements impose stricter compliance and representation costs on large companies.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Labor Representation: For large entities with at least $15,000,000,000 in annual gross revenue, the bill requires the board of directors to include two representatives from labor organizations (Section 2(a)(B)(i)). This ensures that one representative comes from each labor organization representing employees directly involved in aircraft design and manufacturing.
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Enhanced Safety Expertise: The bill requires large entities to include two representatives on their board of directors who have proven experience in aerospace safety and demonstrable outcomes (Section 2(a)(B)(ii)).
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Accountability for ODA Holders: The Administrator of the FAA must rescind any existing delegations to entities that do not meet these new requirements within 90 days of the act's enactment (Section 2(b)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No negative impacts or burdens are explicitly stated in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this strengthen the rights of workers to organise? — The bill mandates labor representation on the boards of large aerospace entities. Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — Enhanced safety oversight on corporate boards may improve long-term consumer safety in aviation.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would union members be better off under this? — The bill specifically mandates that labor organizations have direct representation on corporate boards. Would business owners be better off under this? — The new board requirements impose stricter compliance and representation costs on large companies.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill increases federal regulatory authority over corporate board structures for large aerospace entities. Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — Mandating safety expertise on boards increases corporate accountability to the FAA.
- 8/10/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.