I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2183 

To direct the Director of the CIA to cease lethal drone operations, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 23, 2013 

Ms. LEE of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Intelligence (Permanent Select) and the Judiciary, 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 direct the Director of the CIA to cease lethal drone 

operations, 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 ‘‘Drones Accountability 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DRONES OUT OF CIA. 

7 (a) The Central Intelligence Agency shall not own, 

8 operate, command, or control any armed unmanned aerial 

9 vehicle or any combat aircraft. 


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1 (b) No member of the Armed Forces, and no other 

2 employee or contractor of the Department of Defense, may 

3 carry out any order or authorization from any employee 

4 or contractor of the Central Intelligence Agency to use le5 thal force. 

6 SEC. 3. REPORT REQUIREMENT AND LEGAL OPINION DIS7 CLOSURE. 

8 (a) The Department of Defense shall report to Con9 gress on: 

10 (1) The existence and sufficiency of civilian pro11 tection mechanisms in accordance with international 

12 law binding to the United States via treaty including 

13 the 1949 Geneva Conventions for armed operations 

14 using unmanned aerial vehicle operations, including 

15 civilian casualty mitigation processes and post-strike 

16 investigatory procedures. 

17 (2) The methodology used to distinguish com18 batants from civilians prior to armed operations and 

19 after a strike has occurred. 

20 (3) The existence and sufficiency of standards 

21 for the identification of targets, including the reli22 ability of ‘‘signatures’’, and the sufficiency of intel23 ligence sources and analysis where there is limited 

24 U.S. ground presence. 


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1 (4) The existence and sufficiency of processes 

2 for recognizing the immediate and long-term effects 

3 of drones strikes on the organization being targeted 

4 and on the country or region in which the strike 

5 takes place. 

6 (b) Legal opinions provide to Congress: Not later 

7 than thirty days after the date of the enactment of this 

8 Act, and once every three months thereafter, the Depart9 ment of Defense, the Department of Justice, and the Cen10 tral Intelligence Agency shall provide all legal opinions 

11 providing advice regarding the authority to use lethal force 

12 to justify operations. 

13 SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING MORATORIUM 

14 ON LETHAL DRONES UNTIL SAFEGUARDS IN 

15 PLACE AND LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS 

16 USED TO TARGET INDIVIDUALS NOT IN17 VOLVED IN IMMINENT ATTACK AGAINST U.S. 

18 (a) It is the sense of Congress that a moratorium 

19 must be enforced against the lethal use of armed un20 manned aerial vehicles until the Administration has pre21 sented and Congress has approved sufficient safeguards 

22 and sufficient oversight addressing highlighted in section 

23 3(a)(i). 

24 (b) Until such safeguards are in place, no funds avail25 able for the United States Armed Forces or the Central 


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1 Intelligence Agency may be obligated or expended for the 

2 purpose of using lethal force against an individual unless 

3 the individual presents an imminent threat to the United 

4 States, lethal force is the last resort, and the harm caused 

5 to civilians or civilian property is proportional and does 

6 not violate international humanitarian law adopted by the 

7 United States via treaty including the 1949 Geneva Con8 ventions. 

Æ 


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