Sponsors
The bill strengthens detection and counter‑UAS capabilities for airports and high‑risk sites and funds standardized local operations, but it expands authorities in ways that raise serious privacy, safety, legal‑remedy, and oversight risks for communities and drone owners.
Travelers, airport workers, event attendees, and the general public gain stronger protection because FAA and State/Local/Tribal authorities can detect, interdict, and mitigate rogue/unmanned aircraft threats to airports, high‑risk facilities, and national airspace.
Local, Tribal, and State agencies receive federal oversight, standardized equipment approval and training criteria, and a structured pilot program with reporting to Congress, which helps standardize safe technical/operational practices and evaluate civil‑liberties impacts before broader authorization.
FAA testing and evaluation authority plus eligibility for existing DOT law‑enforcement/counter‑UAS grants can reduce unintended interference with airport operations and lower local acquisition/training costs, helping prevent service disruptions and easing local budget burdens.
People near airports and covered facilities, as well as lawful drone operators, face heightened privacy and surveillance risks because authorities may intercept communications and collect/share threat data without clear consent or limits.
Expanded authority to disable, seize, or destroy UAS increases the risk of misuse and wrongful interference with lawful operations, potentially harming bystanders and lawful operators.
Counter‑UAS measures that jam or interfere with signals could disrupt legitimate aviation and communications systems, creating safety hazards for travelers, border communities, and other nearby populations.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Grants the FAA authority to approve and oversee state/local/tribal use of counter‑UAS systems, including limited interception of UAS control communications, via a large multi‑year pilot and subsequent rulemaking.
Introduced February 12, 2026 by Eric Burlison · Last progress February 12, 2026
Authorizes the FAA to approve and oversee State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement use of counter‑UAS (drone mitigation) systems to detect, monitor, track, warn, seize, control, disrupt, disable, damage, or destroy unmanned aircraft that pose credible threats to covered facilities or assets. It creates a time‑limited pilot program that permits designated law enforcement agencies to deploy Administrator‑approved counter‑UAS systems (and trained personnel) and requires the FAA to develop permanent policies and regulations after evaluating pilot results. The bill also authorizes interception or access to communications used to control UAS without operator consent for these activities, exempts authorized counter‑UAS actions from certain federal aviation and criminal statutes, and sets limits on collection, retention, sharing, and constitutional compliance. The pilot program may designate up to 4,000 agencies over the first two years (1,000 year one, +3,000 year two) and starts 60 days after enactment; the FAA must report biannually to Congress and may revoke designations for cause.