USCP Empowerment Act of 2025

Summary

Authorizes the Capitol Police Board and designated Capitol Police personnel to detect, monitor, track, warn, disrupt, seize, take control of, confiscate, or disable unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that pose a credible threat to Capitol facilities or assets, including using reasonable force to damage or destroy a threatening UAS. It allows testing and training on counter-UAS equipment, provides for forfeiture of seized UAS to the United States, requires coordination with the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA when aviation safety or airspace use may be affected, and directs the Board to issue implementing regulations and guidance while including specified privacy protections for intercepted information.

• Gives the Capitol Police Board and designated USCP personnel explicit authority to detect, monitor, disrupt, seize, and, if necessary, destroy threatening drones at Capitol facilities.
• Permits interception of signals and communications used to control UAS for tracking and countermeasure purposes.
• Requires coordination with the Secretary of Transportation and the FAA whenever actions may affect aviation safety, aircraft airworthiness, or airspace use.
• Allows research, testing, training, and evaluation of counter-UAS equipment prior to operational use.
• Makes seized UAS forfeitable to the United States.
• Authorizes promulgation of regulations and guidance to implement the authority, with required interagency coordination.
• Includes privacy-protection language governing collection, retention, access, and disclosure of information gathered while executing counter-UAS measures.
• Specifically applies when the Capitol Police Board determines a credible threat to covered Capitol facilities or assets.
• Overrides certain federal criminal and aviation statutes for covered actions, subject to the Act's conditions and coordination requirements.