I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 137 
To require an adequate process in preplanned lethal operations that delib-
erately target citizens of the United States or citizens of strategic treaty 
allies of the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 6, 2015 
Mr. ISSA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Armed Services, and in addition to the Select Committee on Intel-
ligence (Permanent Select) and the Committee on the Judiciary, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To require an adequate process in preplanned lethal oper-
ations that deliberately target citizens of the United 
States or citizens of strategic treaty allies of the United 
States, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Designating Require-
ments On Notification of Executive-ordered Strikes Act’’ 
or ‘‘DRONES Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on the Judiciary, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
Armed Services, the Committee on Appropriations, 
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov-
ernmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
on the Judiciary, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
on Appropriations, and the Committee on Oversight 
and Government Reform of the House of Represent-
atives. 
(2) PREPLANNED
LETHAL
OPERATION.—The 
term ‘‘preplanned lethal operation’’ does not include, 
limit, or restrict actions taken in immediate self de-
fense or immediate defense of others by members of 
the Armed Forces, law enforcement officers, or other 
persons authorized to use lethal force in the execu-
tion of their duties. 
(3) STRATEGIC
TREATY
ALLY.—The term 
‘‘strategic treaty ally’’ refers to a member nation of 
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Japan, the 
Republic of South Korea, and any other country 
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with which the United States has entered into a se-
curity treaty. 
SEC. 3. SCOPE OF ACT. 
(a) COVERED ENTITIES.—This Act applies to all 
Federal departments and agencies and the Armed Forces. 
(b) COVERED PREPLANNED LETHAL OPERATIONS.— 
This Act only applies to preplanned lethal operations that 
deliberately target a citizen of the United States or a cit-
izen of a strategic treaty ally of the United States. 
SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON PREPLANNED LETHAL OPER-
ATIONS TARGETING UNITED STATES CITI-
ZENS OR CITIZENS OF STRATEGIC TREATY 
ALLIES. 
(a) LIMITATION.—A Federal department or agency 
or the Armed Forces may not deliberately target a citizen 
of the United States or a citizen of a strategic treaty ally 
of the United States in a preplanned lethal operation un-
less the preplanned lethal operation is planned and exe-
cuted pursuant to a written determination signed person-
ally by the President— 
(1) confirming the status of the targeted citizen 
as an enemy combatant; and 
(2) authorizing the deliberate lethal targeting of 
the citizen based on an articulated need for the use 
of such lethal force. 
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(b) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 
30 days after making a determination under subsection 
(a), the President shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a report, in classified form if nec-
essary— 
(1) certifying that the timing and details of the 
preplanned lethal operation were approved personally 
by the President; and 
(2) describing in detail— 
(A) the information used to determine that 
the targeted citizen is an enemy combatant; and 
(B) the reasons why the use of lethal force 
was necessary. 
(c) DELEGATION.—The President may not dele-
gate— 
(1) the final determination of enemy combatant 
status; and 
(2) the final approval of timing and details of 
the execution of the preplanned lethal operation. 
SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON PREPLANNED LETHAL OPER-
ATIONS INSIDE THE TERRITORY OF THE 
UNITED STATES. 
Nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize 
any Federal department or agency or the Armed Forces 
to deliberately target a citizen of the United States or a 
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