H. R. 302—116 
(b) UPDATES.—In updating an operational parameter under 
subsection (d)(1) of such section for unmanned aircraft systems 
operated by an institution of higher education for educational or 
research purposes, the Administrator shall consider— 
(1) use of small unmanned aircraft systems and operations 
at an accredited institution of higher education, for educational 
or research purposes, as a component of the institution’s cur-
ricula or research; 
(2) the development of streamlined, risk-based operational 
approval for unmanned aircraft systems operated by institu-
tions of higher education; and 
(3) the airspace and aircraft operators that may be affected 
by such operations at the institution of higher education. 
(c) DEADLINE FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF PROCEDURES AND STAND-
ARDS.—Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 
may establish regulations, procedures, and standards, as necessary, 
to facilitate the safe operation of unmanned aircraft systems oper-
ated by institutions of higher education for educational or research 
purposes. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The term ‘‘institu-
tion of higher education’’ has the meaning given to that term 
by section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(2) EDUCATIONAL OR RESEARCH PURPOSES.—The term ‘‘edu-
cation or research purposes’’, with respect to the operation 
of an unmanned aircraft system by an institution of higher 
education, includes— 
(A) instruction of students at the institution; 
(B) academic or research related uses of unmanned 
aircraft systems that have been approved by the institution, 
including Federal research; 
(C) activities undertaken by the institution as part 
of research projects, including research projects sponsored 
by the Federal Government; and 
(D) other academic activities approved by the institu-
tion. 
(e) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.— 
(1) ENFORCEMENT.—Nothing in this section shall be con-
strued to limit the authority of the Administrator to pursue 
an enforcement action against a person operating any 
unmanned aircraft who endangers the safety of the national 
airspace system. 
(2) REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS.—Nothing in this section 
prohibits the Administrator from promulgating any rules or 
standards consistent with maintaining the safety and security 
of the national airspace system. 
SEC. 351. UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS INTEGRATION PILOT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Transportation may establish 
a pilot program to enable enhanced drone operations as required 
in the October 25, 2017 Presidential Memorandum entitled 
‘‘Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program’’ and 
described in 82 Federal Register 50301.
H. R. 302—117 
(b) APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall accept applications from 
State, local, and Tribal governments, in partnership with unmanned 
aircraft system operators and other private-sector stakeholders, 
to test and evaluate the integration of civil and public UAS oper-
ations into the low-altitude national airspace system. 
(c) OBJECTIVES.—The purpose of the pilot program is to accel-
erate existing UAS integration plans by working to solve technical, 
regulatory, and policy challenges, while enabling advanced UAS 
operations in select areas subject to ongoing safety oversight and 
cooperation between the Federal Government and applicable State, 
local, or Tribal jurisdictions, in order to— 
(1) accelerate the safe integration of UAS into the NAS 
by testing and validating new concepts of beyond visual line 
of sight operations in a controlled environment, focusing on 
detect and avoid technologies, command and control links, 
navigation, weather, and human factors; 
(2) address ongoing concerns regarding the potential secu-
rity and safety risks associated with UAS operating in close 
proximity to human beings and critical infrastructure by 
ensuring that operators communicate more effectively with Fed-
eral, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement to enable law 
enforcement to determine if a UAS operation poses such a 
risk; 
(3) promote innovation in and development of the United 
States unmanned aviation industry, especially in sectors such 
as agriculture, emergency management, inspection, and 
transportation safety, in which there are significant public 
benefits to be gained from the deployment of UAS; and 
(4) identify the most effective models of balancing local 
and national interests in UAS integration. 
(d) APPLICATION SUBMISSION.—The Secretary shall establish 
application requirements and require applicants to include the fol-
lowing information: 
(1) Identification of the airspace to be used, including shape 
files and altitudes. 
(2) Description of the types of planned operations. 
(3) Identification of stakeholder partners to test and 
evaluate planned operations. 
(4) Identification of available infrastructure to support 
planned operations. 
(5) Description of experience with UAS operations and regu-
lations. 
(6) Description of existing UAS operator and any other 
stakeholder partnerships and experience. 
(7) Description of plans to address safety, security, competi-
tion, privacy concerns, and community outreach. 
(e) MONITORING AND ENFORCEMENT OF LIMITATIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Monitoring and enforcement of any 
limitations enacted pursuant to this pilot project shall be the 
responsibility of the jurisdiction. 
(2) SAVINGS
PROVISION.—Nothing in paragraph (1) may 
be construed to prevent the Secretary from enforcing Federal 
law. 
(3) EXAMPLES OF LIMITATIONS.—Limitations under this sec-
tion may include—
H. R. 302—118 
(A) prohibiting flight during specified morning and 
evening rush hours or only permitting flight during speci-
fied hours such as daylight hours, sufficient to ensure 
reasonable airspace access; 
(B) establishing designated take-off and landing zones, 
limiting operations over moving locations or fixed site 
public road and parks, sidewalks or private property based 
on zoning density, or other land use considerations; 
(C) requiring notice to public safety or zoning or land 
use authorities before operating; and 
(D) prohibiting operations in connection with commu-
nity or sporting events that do not remain in one place 
(for example, parades and running events). 
(f) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In making determinations, the Sec-
retary shall evaluate whether applications meet or exceed the fol-
lowing criteria: 
(1) Overall economic, geographic, and climatic diversity 
of the selected jurisdictions. 
(2) Overall diversity of the proposed models of government 
involvement. 
(3) Overall diversity of the UAS operations to be conducted. 
(4) The location of critical infrastructure. 
(5) The involvement of commercial entities in the proposal 
and their ability to advance objectives that may serve the 
public interest as a result of further integration of UAS into 
the NAS. 
(6) The involvement of affected communities in, and their 
support for, participating in the pilot program. 
(7) The commitment of the governments and UAS operators 
involved in the proposal to comply with requirements related 
to national defense, homeland security, and public safety and 
to address competition, privacy, and civil liberties concerns. 
(8) The commitment of the governments and UAS operators 
involved in the proposal to achieve the following policy objec-
tives: 
(A) Promoting innovation and economic development. 
(B) Enhancing transportation safety. 
(C) Enhancing workplace safety. 
(D) Improving emergency response and search and 
rescue functions. 
(E) Using radio spectrum efficiently and competitively. 
(g) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary shall use the data col-
lected and experience gained over the course of this pilot program 
to— 
(1) identify and resolve technical challenges to UAS integra-
tion; 
(2) address airspace use to safely and efficiently integrate 
all aircraft; 
(3) inform operational standards and procedures to improve 
safety (for example, detect and avoid capabilities, navigation 
and altitude performance, and command and control link); 
(4) inform FAA standards that reduce the need for waivers 
(for example, for operations over human beings, night oper-
ations, and beyond visual line of sight); and 
(5) address competing interests regarding UAS operational 
expansion, safety, security, roles and responsibilities of non- 
Federal Government entities, and privacy issues.
H. R. 302—119 
(h) NOTIFICATION.—Prior to initiating any additional rounds 
of agreements with State, local, or Tribal governments as part 
of the pilot program established under subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall notify the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
and the Committee on Appropriations in the Senate. 
(i) SUNSET.—The pilot program established under subsection 
(a) shall terminate 3 years after the date on which the memorandum 
referenced in subsection (a) is signed by the President. 
(j) SAVINGS CLAUSE.— Nothing in this section shall affect any 
proposals, selections, imposition of conditions, operations, or other 
decisions made— 
(1) under the pilot program developed by the Secretary 
of Transportation pursuant to the Presidential memorandum 
titled ‘‘Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program’’, 
as published in the Federal Register on October 30, 2017 (82 
Fed. Reg. 50301); and 
(2) prior to the date of enactment of this Act. 
(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘Lead Applicant’’ means an eligible State, 
local or Tribal government that has submitted a timely applica-
tion. 
(2) The term ‘‘NAS’’ means the low-altitude national air-
space system. 
(3) The term ‘‘UAS’’ means unmanned aircraft system. 
SEC. 352. PART 107 TRANSPARENCY AND TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE-
MENTS. 
(a) TRANSPARENCY.—Not later than 30 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall publish on the 
FAA website a representative sample of the safety justifications, 
offered by applicants for small unmanned aircraft system waivers 
and airspace authorizations, that have been approved by the 
Administration for each regulation waived or class of airspace 
authorized, except that any published justification shall not reveal 
proprietary or commercially sensitive information. 
(b) TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall revise 
the online waiver and certificates of authorization processes— 
(1) to provide real time confirmation that an application 
filed online has been received by the Administration; and 
(2) to provide an applicant with an opportunity to review 
the status of the applicant’s application. 
SEC. 353. EMERGENCY EXEMPTION PROCESS. 
(a) SENSE
OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 
the use of unmanned aircraft systems by civil and public operators— 
(1) is an increasingly important tool in response to a catas-
trophe, disaster, or other emergency; 
(2) helps facilitate emergency response operations, such 
as firefighting and search and rescue; and 
(3) helps facilitate post-catastrophic response operations, 
such as utility and infrastructure restoration efforts and the 
safe and prompt processing, adjustment, and payment of insur-
ance claims. 
(b) UPDATES.—The Administrator shall, as necessary, update 
and improve the Special Government Interest process described