[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5879 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5879

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to permit small, unmanned 
   aircraft pilot research for public safety, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 3, 2023

Mr. Nehls (for himself, Mr. Hunt, Mr. Finstad, Mr. Guest, Mr. Davis of 
 North Carolina, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana, and Mr. Stauber) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, 
                         Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 49, United States Code, to permit small, unmanned 
   aircraft pilot research for public safety, 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 ``Drone Research and Innovation for 
Law Enforcement Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT PILOT RESEARCH FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 448 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 44811. Small unmanned aircraft pilot research for public safety
    ``(a) Prohibition Regarding Weapons.--The prohibition regarding 
unmanned aircraft armed with dangerous weapons under section 363 of the 
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49 U.S.C. 44802 note) is reaffirmed.
    ``(b) Pilot Research Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 3 months after the date 
        of enactment of this section, the Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration shall initiate a pilot research program 
        to study the potential use of non-lethal de-escalation unmanned 
        aircraft by law enforcement agencies.
            ``(2) Contents.--The study required under subsection (b) 
        shall address--
                    ``(A) the process of assessing and validating 
                conducted energy devices or other non-lethal de-
                escalation equipment that may be attached to unmanned 
                aircraft;
                    ``(B) training protocols for law enforcement and 
                agents of the Administration; and
                    ``(C) operational and safety protocols for 
                operators of non-lethal de-escalation unmanned aircraft 
                and agencies directly overseeing the operation of such 
                unmanned aircraft.
            ``(3) Partnerships.--The Administrator shall enter into 
        interagency agreements with the Departments of Justice, 
        Department of Homeland Security, and State large metropolitan 
        and rural law enforcement agencies with regard to the pilot 
        research program established under this subsection. The 
        Administrator shall designate the Center of Excellence for 
        Unmanned Aerial Systems designated under section 44814, in 
        collaboration with Federal, State, and large metropolitan law 
        enforcement as well as rural law enforcement training 
        facilities, as the location for such program.
            ``(4) Consultation.--The Administrator shall solicit input 
        from, and coordinate with, relevant stakeholders as appropriate 
        in carrying out the pilot research program established under 
        this subsection.
            ``(5) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
        Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation a report on the results of the pilot research 
        program that includes a plan outlining a proposed process 
        through which a law enforcement applicant to such program may 
        seek permission from the Administrator to operate non-lethal 
        de-escalation unmanned aircraft.
    ``(c) Rulemaking.--Not later than 90 days after submitting the 
report set required under subsection (b)(5), the Administrator shall 
initiate a rulemaking to create a process through which the 
Administrator may provide approval to operate non-lethal de-escalation 
unmanned aircraft.
    ``(d) Manufacturing Requirement.--Any non-lethal de-escalation 
unmanned aircraft used under the pilot research program may be 
manufactured in the United States, as defined by the Federal Trade 
Commission under part 323 of title 16, Code of Federal Regulations.
    ``(e) Definitions of Non-Lethal De-Escalation Unmanned Aircraft.--
In this section:
            ``(1) Non-lethal de-escalation unmanned aircraft.--The term 
        `non-lethal de-escalation un- manned aircraft' means an 
        unmanned aircraft equipped with 1 or more non-lethal weapons or 
        devices that is--
                    ``(A) used by law enforcement personnel in 
                scenarios that present significant risk to human life, 
                including the life of law enforcement personnel, 
                captives, uninvolved individuals, the public, or a 
                suspected criminal; and
                    ``(B) in which the suspected criminal is in an 
                position through which he or she could potentially 
                escalate the situation and expose human life to a high 
                level of risk.
            ``(2) Non-lethal weapon.--The term `non-lethal weapon' has 
        the meaning given the term in used in DOD Directive Number 
        300.03E, issued on August 31, 2018, by the Department of 
        Defense.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 448 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

```44811. Small unmanned aircraft pilot research for public safety.''.
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