I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 386 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide penalties for aiming 

laser pointers at airplanes, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 20, 2011 

Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California (for himself, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, 

Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. HARPER, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. SCOTT

of Virginia, and Mr. GALLEGLY) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 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 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide penalties 

for aiming laser pointers at airplanes, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Securing Aircraft 

5 Cockpits Against Lasers Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROHIBITION AGAINST AIMING A LASER POINTER 

2 AT AN AIRCRAFT. 

3 (a) OFFENSE.—Chapter 2 of title 18, United States 

4 Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘§ 39A. Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft 

6 ‘‘(a) Whoever knowingly aims the beam of a laser 

7 pointer at an aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction 

8 of the United States, or at the flight path of such an air9 craft, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not 

10 more than 5 years, or both. 

11 ‘‘(b) As used in this section, the term ‘laser pointer’ 

12 means any device designed or used to amplify electro13 magnetic radiation by stimulated emission that emits a 

14 beam designed to be used by the operator as a pointer 

15 or highlighter to indicate, mark, or identify a specific posi16 tion, place, item, or object. 

17 ‘‘(c) This section does not prohibit aiming a beam 

18 of a laser pointer at an aircraft, or the flight path of such 

19 an aircraft, by— 

20 ‘‘(1) an authorized individual in the conduct of 

21 research and development or flight test operations 

22 conducted by an aircraft manufacturer, the Federal 

23 Aviation Administration, or any other person author24 ized by the Federal Aviation Administration to con25 duct such research and development or flight test 

26 operations; 


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1 ‘‘(2) members or elements of the Department of 

2 Defense or Department of Homeland Security acting 

3 in an official capacity for the purpose of research, 

4 development, operations, testing or training; or 

5 ‘‘(3) by an individual using a laser emergency 

6 signaling device to send an emergency distress sig7 nal. 

8 ‘‘(d) The Attorney General, in consultation with the 

9 Secretary of Transportation, may provide by regulation, 

10 after public notice and comment, such additional excep11 tions to this section, as may be necessary and appropriate. 

12 The Attorney General shall provide written notification of 

13 any proposed regulations under this section to the Com14 mittees on the Judiciary of the House and Senate, the 

15 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the 

16 House, and the Committee on Commerce, Science and 

17 Transportation in the Senate not less than 90 days before 

18 such regulations become final.’’. 

19 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

20 at the beginning of chapter 2 of title 18, United States 

21 Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 

22 section 39 the following new item: 

‘‘39A. Aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft.’’. 

23 SEC. 3. COMPLIANCE WITH PAYGO. 

24 The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 

25 complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 


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1 shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 

2 titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 

3 Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 

4 by the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the 

5 House of Representatives, provided that such statement 

6 has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. 

Æ 


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