Sponsors (4)
The bill expands and standardizes local counter‑UAS authority, training, coordination, and funding to improve public safety and modernization, but it increases surveillance and civil‑liberties risks, legal complexity, operational costs, and potential hazards to aviation and communications.
State, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law‑enforcement and correctional agencies gain clear, standardized authority and certification pathways to detect and mitigate dangerous or unauthorized drones, improving local public‑safety response.
Local and state public‑safety programs receive expanded federal grant and reimbursement flexibility to buy drones, approved counter‑UAS technology, and modernize equipment without new local budgets, lowering barriers to adoption.
Standardized training, authorized equipment lists, and coordination with FAA/FCC/NTIA reduce the risk of unsafe or unlawful drone interceptions and help preserve aviation and spectrum safety around critical sites.
Residents and communities face increased surveillance and privacy intrusions as police deploy more drones, which could chill public activity and raise civil‑liberties concerns.
Use of jamming, electromagnetic, or other disruptive counter‑UAS measures can interfere with lawful communications and aviation systems near incidents, creating safety risks for air travelers, transportation workers, and nearby residents.
Expanded seizure/forfeiture powers and harsher mandatory sentencing enhancements for UAV offenses risk due‑process problems and disproportionately severe penalties for lower‑level offenders, increasing incarceration costs.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Creates certified SLTT counter‑UAS authority, limits technologies to an approved list, authorizes grants for UAS/counter‑UAS, raises penalties for misuse, and sets regulatory and reporting rules with 2031 sunsets.
Introduced December 15, 2025 by Gary C. Peters · Last progress December 15, 2025
Expands federal counter‑drone authority and allows qualified state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) law enforcement and correctional agencies to carry out specified counter‑UAS actions after completing DOJ‑approved training and certification. Creates an interagency authorized technology list, authorizes grant funds to buy and operate UAS and approved counter‑UAS systems, raises criminal and sentencing penalties for misuse of unmanned aircraft, and sets reporting, audit, and safety coordination requirements. The bill requires agencies to issue regulations and training standards within 180 days, imposes civil penalties for unauthorized counter‑UAS actions, and sets sunset dates for the new authorities in 2031.