[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 137 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 137

  To require an adequate process in preplanned lethal operations that 
   deliberately target citizens of the United States or citizens of 
 strategic treaty allies of the United States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2015

   Mr. Issa introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Select Committee on 
Intelligence (Permanent Select) and the Committee on the Judiciary, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require an adequate process in preplanned lethal operations that 
   deliberately target citizens of the United States or citizens of 
 strategic treaty allies of the United States, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Designating Requirements On 
Notification of Executive-ordered Strikes Act'' or ``DRONES Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        the Judiciary, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 
        Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Appropriations, 
        and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
        of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee 
        on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Armed Services, the 
        Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on Oversight and 
        Government Reform of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Preplanned lethal operation.--The term ``preplanned 
        lethal operation'' does not include, limit, or restrict actions 
        taken in immediate self defense or immediate defense of others 
        by members of the Armed Forces, law enforcement officers, or 
        other persons authorized to use lethal force in the execution 
        of their duties.
            (3) Strategic treaty ally.--The term ``strategic treaty 
        ally'' refers to a member nation of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization, Japan, the Republic of South Korea, and any other 
        country with which the United States has entered into a 
        security treaty.

SEC. 3. SCOPE OF ACT.

    (a) Covered Entities.--This Act applies to all Federal departments 
and agencies and the Armed Forces.
    (b) Covered Preplanned Lethal Operations.--This Act only applies to 
preplanned lethal operations that deliberately target a citizen of the 
United States or a citizen of a strategic treaty ally of the United 
States.

SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON PREPLANNED LETHAL OPERATIONS TARGETING UNITED 
              STATES CITIZENS OR CITIZENS OF STRATEGIC TREATY ALLIES.

    (a) Limitation.--A Federal department or agency or the Armed Forces 
may not deliberately target a citizen of the United States or a citizen 
of a strategic treaty ally of the United States in a preplanned lethal 
operation unless the preplanned lethal operation is planned and 
executed pursuant to a written determination signed personally by the 
President--
            (1) confirming the status of the targeted citizen as an 
        enemy combatant; and
            (2) authorizing the deliberate lethal targeting of the 
        citizen based on an articulated need for the use of such lethal 
        force.
    (b) Congressional Notification.--Not later than 30 days after 
making a determination under subsection (a), the President shall submit 
to the appropriate congressional committees a report, in classified 
form if necessary--
            (1) certifying that the timing and details of the 
        preplanned lethal operation were approved personally by the 
        President; and
            (2) describing in detail--
                    (A) the information used to determine that the 
                targeted citizen is an enemy combatant; and
                    (B) the reasons why the use of lethal force was 
                necessary.
    (c) Delegation.--The President may not delegate--
            (1) the final determination of enemy combatant status; and
            (2) the final approval of timing and details of the 
        execution of the preplanned lethal operation.

SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON PREPLANNED LETHAL OPERATIONS INSIDE THE 
              TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES.

    Nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize any Federal 
department or agency or the Armed Forces to deliberately target a 
citizen of the United States or a citizen of a strategic treaty ally in 
a preplanned lethal operation inside the territory of the United States 
or any location under the jurisdiction of the United States.
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