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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5442 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5442

To consolidate within the Department of Defense all executive authority 
  regarding the use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 13, 2023

  Ms. Lee of California (for herself and Mr. Burgess) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, 
and in addition to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 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 consolidate within the Department of Defense all executive authority 
  regarding the use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Drone Reform Act''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY OVER USE OF ARMED 
              UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES.

    (a) DOD Executive Authority.--
            (1) Prohibition.--No operation involving the use of an 
        armed unmanned aerial vehicle shall be carried out under the 
        authority of a department or agency of the Federal Government 
        other than the Department of Defense.
            (2) Use by military personnel.--Only uniformed members of 
        the United States Armed Forces may--
                    (A) operate, or order the operation of, an armed 
                unmanned aerial vehicle; or
                    (B) operate or fire, or order the operation or 
                firing of, any weapon or other munition carried on an 
                armed unmanned aerial vehicle.
            (3) Applicable law.--The operation and use of an armed 
        unmanned aerial vehicle shall be subject to the requirements of 
        title 10 of the United States Code.
    (b) Rules of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed--
            (1) to limit or expand any authority of any component of 
        the Federal Government to provide advice, including 
        intelligence, to the Department of Defense in support of 
        actions described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a); 
        or
            (2) to create any authority, or expand any existing 
        authority, for the Federal Government to kill any person.
    (c) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.--The term ``unmanned aerial vehicle'' 
means an aircraft that is operated without the possibility of direct 
human intervention from within or on the aircraft. The term includes 
aircraft referred to as a drone, UAV, unmanned aircraft (UA), unmanned 
aerial system (UAS), remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), remotely piloted 
vehicle (RPV), remotely operated aircraft (ROA), and unmanned aerial 
vehicle system (UAVS).
    (d) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>
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