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Allows the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General to deputize state and local law enforcement officers to use specific counter‑drone authorities to protect designated sites and large public gatherings. Deputized officers must complete required training, and their use of detection/identification/monitoring/tracking equipment is limited to technologies on a Department-maintained authorized list developed with DOJ, FAA, FCC, and NTIA and overseen jointly with the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA Administrator.
Authority to deputize: The Secretary or the Attorney General may deputize a State or local law enforcement officer to exercise the authority granted by subsection (a) solely to protect (A) a site with a flight restriction maintained under section 521 of division F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 (see 49 U.S.C. 40103), (B) the location of an eligible large public gathering described in 49 U.S.C. 44812(c), or (C) a public gathering protected by a temporary flight restriction under 49 U.S.C. 40103(b).
Training requirement: The Secretary or Attorney General may deputize only a State or local law enforcement officer who has completed training in the use of the authority described above, with the training specified by the Secretary or Attorney General in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Oversight: The Secretary or the Attorney General, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the FAA, shall exercise oversight of the use of the deputized authority by State or local law enforcement officers.
Authorized equipment limitation: Equipment authorized for unmanned aircraft system detection, identification, monitoring, or tracking under this subsection is limited to systems or technologies that appear on a list of authorized equipment maintained by the Department, developed in coordination with the Department of Justice, the FAA, the Federal Communications Commission, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Who is affected and how:
Local law enforcement: Can be granted new authority to detect and counter unmanned aircraft at designated sites and large public events, but must complete required training and operate under federal oversight. This may increase operational responsibilities and require access to approved equipment.
Drone operators and hobbyists: May face increased enforcement or restricted operation near covered sites and events; use of counter-drone measures could limit flights in protected areas.
Federal agencies (DHS, DOJ, DOT/FAA, FCC, NTIA): Will need to coordinate on the authorized-equipment list, training standards, and operational oversight; FAA involvement is especially important to manage airspace safety.
Event organizers and venue operators: Could gain an additional security toolset through coordination with deputized local law enforcement, potentially improving safety at large gatherings.
General public and civil liberties groups: May see improved security but also have concerns about surveillance, privacy, due process, and potential overreach when counter-drone measures are used in public spaces.
Overall effect: The provision creates a federal-state operational pathway to use counter-UAS tools at high-risk sites and large gatherings while trying to limit technology choices and add federal oversight; real-world impacts will depend heavily on the content of the authorized equipment list, the training requirements, implementation guidance, and whether funding or further regulations accompany the authority.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.
Introduced May 6, 2025 by W. Greg Steube · Last progress May 6, 2025
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DEFENSE Act
Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation.
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.
Introduced in House