[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1817 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1817
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the
Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant
program and a drone education and training grant program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 6, 2023
Ms. Rosen (for herself, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the
Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant
program and a drone education and training grant program, 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 Infrastructure Inspection
Grant Act''.
SEC. 2. DRONE INFRASTRUCTURE INSPECTION GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Authority.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a
drone infrastructure inspection grant program to make grants to
governmental entities to facilitate the use of eligible small unmanned
aircraft systems to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve worker
and community safety, reduce carbon emissions, or meet other priorities
(as determined by the Secretary) related to critical infrastructure
projects.
(b) Use of Grant Amounts.--A governmental entity may use a grant
provided under this section to--
(1) purchase or lease eligible small unmanned aircraft
systems;
(2) support operational capabilities of eligible small
unmanned aircraft systems by the governmental entity;
(3) contract for services performed with an eligible small
unmanned aircraft system in circumstances in which the
governmental entity does not have the resources or expertise to
safely carry out or assist in carrying out the activities
described under subsection (a); and
(4) support the program management capability of the
governmental entity to use an eligible small unmanned aircraft
system.
(c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, a governmental entity shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require, including an assurance that the
governmental entity or its contractor will comply with relevant Federal
regulations.
(d) Selection of Applicants.--In selecting an applicant for a grant
under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize projects that
propose to--
(1) carry out a critical infrastructure project in a
historically disadvantaged community; or
(2) address a safety risk in the inspection, operation,
maintenance, repair, modernization, or construction of an
element of critical infrastructure.
(e) Limitation.--Nothing in this section shall be construed as to
interfere with an agreement between a governmental entity and a labor
union.
(f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the first
grant is provided under this section, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives a report that evaluates the program carried out under
this section, including--
(1) a description of the number of grants awarded;
(2) the amount of each grant;
(3) the activities funded under this section; and
(4) the effectiveness of such funded activities in meeting
the objectives described in subsection (a).
(g) Funding.--
(1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of a
project carried out using a grant under this section shall not
be less than 80 percent of the total project cost.
(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section--
(A) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and
(B) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.
SEC. 3. DRONE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Authority.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a
drone education and training grant program to make grants to
educational institutions for workforce training for eligible small
unmanned aircraft system technology.
(b) Use of Grant Amounts.--Amounts from a grant under this section
shall be used in furtherance of activities authorized under sections
631 and 632 of the FAA Reauthorization Act 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note).
(c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an educational institution shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section--
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and
(2) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Covered foreign entity.--The term ``covered foreign
entity'' means an entity--
(A) included on the Consolidated Screening List or
Entity List as designated by the Secretary of Commerce;
(B) domiciled in the People's Republic of China or
the Russian Federation;
(C) subject to influence or control by the
Government of the People's Republic of China or by the
Russian Federation; or
(D) is a subsidiary or affiliate of an entity
described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
(2) Critical infrastructure.--The term ``critical
infrastructure'' has the meaning given such term in section
1016(e) of the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act of 2001
(42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
(3) Critical infrastructure project.--The term ``critical
infrastructure project'' means a project for the inspection,
operation, maintenance, repair, modernization, or construction
of an element of critical infrastructure, including mitigating
environmental hazards to such infrastructure.
(4) Educational institution.--The term ``educational
institution'' means an institution of higher education (as
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001)) that participates in a program authorized under
sections 631 and 632 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49
U.S.C. 40101 note).
(5) Element of critical infrastructure.--The term ``element
of critical infrastructure'' means a critical infrastructure
facility or asset, including public bridges, tunnels, roads,
highways, dams, electric grid, water infrastructure,
communication systems, pipelines, or other related facilities
or assets, as defined by the Secretary.
(6) Eligible small unmanned aircraft system.--The term
``eligible small unmanned aircraft system'' means a small
unmanned aircraft system manufactured or assembled by a company
that is domiciled in the United States and is not a covered
foreign entity.
(7) Governmental entity.--The term ``governmental entity''
means--
(A) a State, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United
States, or a political subdivision thereof;
(B) a unit of local government;
(C) a Tribal government;
(D) a metropolitan planning organization; or
(E) a combination of the entities described in
subparagraphs (A) through (D).
(8) Small unmanned aircraft; unmanned aircraft; unmanned
aircraft system.--The terms ``small unmanned aircraft'',
``unmanned aircraft'', and ``unmanned aircraft system'' have
the meanings given such terms in section 44801 of title 49,
United States Code.
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