I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3786 
To amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to increase 
the rate of duty on unmanned aircraft, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 5, 2025 
Ms. STEFANIK (for herself, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. LAHOOD, and Mr. WITT-
MAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, for a period to be subse-
quently 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 the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
States to increase the rate of duty on unmanned aircraft, 
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 ‘‘Drones for First Re-
sponders Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
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(1) Unmanned aircraft that are made in the 
People’s Republic of China dominate the current 
market in the United States for unmanned aircraft 
and present an unacceptable national security risk. 
(2) Through direct subsidization and targeted 
investment by the Chinese Communist Party, un-
manned aircraft suppliers in the People’s Republic 
of China are undercutting the domestic and 
partnered unmanned aircraft markets and under-
mining ad valorem tariffs. 
(3) Over 90 percent of unmanned aircraft oper-
ated by America’s first responders are made in the 
People’s Republic of China. 
(4) It is strategically critical for first respond-
ers, critical infrastructure providers, and farmers 
and ranchers to have access to secure unmanned air-
craft that are manufactured in the United States or 
by our partners and allies. 
(5) The United States cannot rely on the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China to supply unmanned aircraft 
that are critical to first responder operations. 
(6) It is vital to the national security of the 
United States that unmanned aircraft manufactur-
ers of the United States and our partners and allies 
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are competitive with Chinese unmanned aircraft 
manufacturers. 
(7) The United States has a national security 
interest in securing the supply chain for unmanned 
aircraft to the domestic market, allies, and free 
trade partners. 
(8) Implementing tariffs on unmanned aircraft 
from the People’s Republic of China has the effect 
of incentivizing sourcing domestically and in allied 
and partnered countries, which in turn has the effect 
of promoting resilient supply chains. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that phasing-in a protective specific duty for un-
manned aircraft is prudent and necessary to safeguard 
this critical industry and increase the competitiveness of 
the unmanned aircraft industry outside of the People’s Re-
public of China. 
SEC. 3. DUTY INCREASE FOR IMPORTS OF UNMANNED AIR-
CRAFT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter III of chapter 99 of 
the HTS is amended— 
(1) by inserting the following new subheadings 
9903.87.01 and 9903.87.02, and the superior head-
ing to subheading 9903.87.01, with the article de-
scription for subheading 9903.87.01 having the 
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same degree of indentation as the article description 
for subheading 9903.85.11: 
‘‘Heading/ 
Sub-
heading 
Article Descrip-
tion 
Rates of Duty 
General 
Special 
Articles the product 
of China:.
9903.87.01 
Unmanned air-
craft, as provided 
for in note 31 to 
subchapter III of 
chapter 99 (pro-
vided for in sub-
headings 
8806.10.00, 
8806.21.00, 
8806.22.00, 
8806.23.00, 
8806.24.00, 
8806.29.00, 
8806.91.00, 
8806.92.00, 
8806.93.00, 
8806.94.00, or 
8806.99.00) ........
The rates of duty provided in note 
31 to this subchapter 
No change 
No change 
’’. 
(2) by inserting the following new U.S. note to 
subchapter III of chapter 99 in numerical sequence: 
‘‘34.(a) For the purposes of subheading 
9903.87.01, certain products of China shall be sub-
ject to additional ad valorem rates of duty, as pro-
vided for in this note. The products of China that 
are subject to additional ad valorem rates of duty 
under subheading 9903.87.01 and in accordance 
with the provisions of this note are products of 
China that are classified in the following sub-
headings: 
8806.10.00, 
8806.21.00, 
8806.22.00, 
8806.23.00, 8806.24.00, 8806.29.00, 8806.91.00, 
8806.92.00, 8806.93.00, 8806.94.00, or 8806.99.00. 
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All products of China that are classified in the sub-
headings enumerated in this U.S. note are subject to 
the additional ad valorem rates of duty imposed by 
subheading 9903.87.01, in accordance with the pro-
visions of this note. 
‘‘(b) The duty rate in the Rates of Duty 1-Gen-
eral column for goods entered under subheading 
9903.87.01 shall be as follows: 
‘‘(1) Effective with respect to goods en-
tered for consumption, or withdrawn from 
warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 
a.m. eastern daylight time on the day that is 30 
days after the date of enactment of the Drones 
for First Responders Act through the close of 
the day that is one year after the date of enact-
ment: 30%. 
‘‘(2) Effective with respect to goods en-
tered for consumption, or withdrawn from 
warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 
a.m. eastern daylight time on the day after the 
day that is one year after the date of enactment 
through the close of the day that is two years 
after the date of enactment: 35%. 
‘‘(3) Effective with respect to goods en-
tered for consumption, or withdrawn from 
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warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 
a.m. eastern daylight time on the day after the 
day that is two years after the date of enact-
ment through the close of the day that is three 
years after the date of enactment: 40%. 
‘‘(4) Effective with respect to goods en-
tered for consumption, or withdrawn from 
warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 
a.m. eastern daylight time on the day after the 
day that is three years after the date of enact-
ment through the close of the day that is four 
years after the date of enactment: 45%. 
‘‘(5) Effective with respect to goods en-
tered for consumption, or withdrawn from 
warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 
a.m. eastern daylight time on the day after the 
day that is four years after the date of enact-
ment: $100 each + 50%. 
‘‘(c) Notwithstanding U.S. note 1 to this sub-
chapter, all products of China that are subject to the 
additional ad valorem rates of duty imposed by sub-
heading 9903.87.01, and provided for in this note, 
shall also be subject to the additional rates of duty 
imposed by any other headings or subheadings in 
subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTS and to the 
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general rates of duty imposed on products of China 
classified in the subheadings enumerated in this 
note. 
‘‘(d) Products of China that are classified in 
the subheadings enumerated in this note that are el-
igible for temporary duty exemptions or reductions 
under subchapter II to chapter 99, shall be subject 
to the additional ad valorem rates of duty imposed 
by subheading 9903.87.01. 
‘‘(e) Products of China that are provided for in 
subheading 9903.87.01 and classified in one of the 
subheadings enumerated in this note shall continue 
to be subject to antidumping, countervailing, or 
other duties, fees, exactions, and charges that apply 
to such products.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Subheading 9903.87.01, the 
superior heading to subheading 9903.87.01, and U.S. note 
31 to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTS, as added 
by subsection (a), shall be effective with respect to goods 
entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse 
for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight 
time 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 
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SEC. 4. STRENGTHENED RULES OF ORIGIN FOR ENTRIES 
OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT UNDER HEADING 
8806 OF THE HTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any provisions of 
the general notes to the HTS, beginning on January 1, 
2031, unmanned aircraft classified under heading 8806 
of the HTS may not enter the customs territory of the 
United States unless— 
(1) the entry of the unmanned aircraft is ac-
companied by a certificate or other documentation 
required by U.S. Customs and Border Protection es-
tablishing the unmanned aircraft does not contain a 
flight controller, radio, data transmission device, 
camera, gimbal, ground control system, operating 
software, network connectivity hardware, or data 
storage manufactured in the People’s Republic of 
China; and 
(2) U.S. Customs and Border Protection con-
firms the veracity of the certificate or other docu-
mentation required by paragraph (1). 
(b) EXEMPTION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subsection (a) shall not 
apply with respect to unmanned aircraft classified 
under heading 8806 of the HTS that— 
(A) the Federal Aviation Administration 
has, before January 1, 2026— 
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(i) authorized for operations under 
the provisions of title 14 of part 135 of the 
Code of Federal Regulations; or 
(ii) included in an air carrier’s exemp-
tion under section 44807 of title 49, 
United States Code; and 
(B) are not manufactured in whole by a 
covered foreign entity or in a foreign adversary 
country. 
(2) LIST.—Not later than January 1, 2026, the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion shall— 
(A) provide the Commissioner for U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection with a list of 
unmanned aircraft that qualify for the exemp-
tion under this subsection; and 
(B) certify that the list required by sub-
paragraph (A) contains only unmanned aircraft 
that are not manufactured in whole by a cov-
ered foreign entity or in a foreign adversary 
country. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘air carrier’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 40102 of title 49, United 
States Code; and 
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(2) the term ‘‘customs territory of the United 
States’’ has the meaning given that term in general 
note 2 of the HTS. 
SEC. 5. SECURE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS FOR 
FIRST RESPONDERS FUND AND GRANT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) SECURE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS FOR 
FIRST RESPONDERS FUND.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Treasury of the United States a fund, to be 
known as the ‘‘Secure Unmanned Aircraft Systems 
for First Responders Fund’’ (in this section referred 
to as the ‘‘Fund’’). 
(2) DEPOSIT OF AMOUNTS.—There shall be de-
posited in the Fund all duties imposed and collected 
by the United States under subheading 9903.87.01 
of the HTS, and as further provided for under U.S. 
note 31 to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTS, 
as added by section 3(a). 
(3) USE OF AMOUNTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is au-
thorized to use the amounts in the Fund for a 
fiscal year for purposes of carrying out the 
grant program established under subsection (b) 
for the next fiscal year. 
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(B) UNOBLIGATED
AND
UNEXPENDED 
FUNDS.—The Secretary is authorized to make 
amounts in the Fund that are not obligated or 
expended in accordance with subparagraph (A) 
available for the purposes described in subpara-
graph (A) for the next available fiscal year. 
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall establish and carry out a pro-
gram to provide grants on a fiscal year basis to first 
responders, farmers and ranchers, and providers of 
critical infrastructure to— 
(A) purchase or lease secure unmanned 
aircraft systems; 
(B) support operational capabilities of such 
systems by the grant recipient; and 
(C) support the program management ca-
pability of the grant recipient to use such sys-
tems. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the pro-
gram, the Secretary shall— 
(A) consult with the Secretary of Agri-
culture with respect to developing criteria for 
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reviewing applications for grants submitted on 
behalf of farmers and ranchers; and 
(B) consult with the Secretary of Trans-
portation with respect to providing grants to 
providers of critical infrastructure. 
(3) PRIORITY FOR GRANTS.—Of the amounts 
made available for purposes of carrying out the pro-
gram— 
(A) 60 percent of such amounts in the 
Fund shall be made available for grants that 
benefit first responders; 
(B) 20 percent of such amounts in the 
Fund shall be made available for grants that 
benefit farmers and ranchers; and 
(C) 20 percent of such amounts in the 
Fund shall be made available for grants that 
benefit providers of critical infrastructure. 
(4) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.— 
(A) DEADLINE.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 
in clause (iii), the Secretary shall approve 
or deny an application for a grant under 
the program not later than 90 days after 
the date of the submission of the applica-
tion. 
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(ii) ALLOCATION
TIMING.—Amounts 
under a grant shall be allocated in a man-
ner that prioritizes the funding to recipi-
ents in States or localities that have estab-
lished bans on the purchase, lease, or oper-
ation of unmanned aircraft based on their 
country of origin or on their manufacturer. 
(iii) ADDITIONAL TIME NEEDED FOR 
REVIEW.—If 
the 
Secretary 
determines 
that, because an excessive number of appli-
cations have been filed at one time, the 
Secretary needs additional time for the 
Secretary to process the applications, the 
Secretary may extend the deadline de-
scribed in clause (i) for not more than 45 
days. 
(B) EFFECT
OF
DENIAL.—Denial of an 
application for a grant under the program shall 
not preclude the applicant from resubmitting 
the application with additional documentation 
or submitting a new application at a later date. 
(5) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date on which the program is established, and annu-
ally thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the implementation of the program 
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in the prior year, including a description of all 
grants provided under the program and the amounts 
of such grants. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COVERED
FOREIGN
ENTITY.—The term 
‘‘covered foreign entity’’ means a foreign entity that 
is— 
(A) an entity on the Federal Government’s 
Consolidated Screening List; 
(B) an entity on the Department of De-
fense’s Chinese Military Company List as es-
tablished by section 1260H of William M. 
(Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (10 U.S.C. 113 
note); 
(C) an entity on the Department of Treas-
ury’s Non-SDN Chinese Military Industrial 
Complex Companies List; 
(D) an entity on the Department of Home-
land Security’s Uyghur Forced Labor Preven-
tion Act Entity List; or 
(E) an entity identified as a covered for-
eign entity, as such term is defined in section 
1822(1) of the American Security Drone Act of 
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2023 (41 U.S.C. note prec. 3901), for purposes 
of such Act. 
(2) CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 
‘‘critical infrastructure’’ has the meaning given that 
term in the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act 
of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c). 
(3) FIRST
RESPONDER.—The term ‘‘first re-
sponder’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
3025 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10705). 
(4) FOREIGN ADVERSARY COUNTRY.—The term 
‘‘foreign adversary country’’ means a covered nation, 
as such term is defined in section 4872(d)(2) of title 
10, United States Code. 
(5) HTS.—The term ‘‘HTS’’ means the Har-
monized Tariff Schedule of the United States. 
(6) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Se-
cure Unmanned Aircraft Systems for First Respond-
ers Fund established by section 5. 
(7) SCHEDULE OF CONCESSIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Schedule of 
Concessions’’ means Schedule XX of the WTO. 
(B) 
TERMS
FROM
URUGUAY
ROUND 
AGREEMENTS
ACT.—In this paragraph, the 
terms ‘‘Schedule XX’’ and ‘‘WTO’’ have the 
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meanings given such terms in section 2 of the 
Uruguay Round Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. 
3501). 
(8) SECRETARY.—Except as otherwise provided, 
the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means— 
(A) the Secretary of Homeland Security; 
or 
(B) the Secretary’s designee. 
(9) SECURE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM.— 
The term ‘‘secure unmanned aircraft system’’ means 
an unmanned aircraft system, as such term is de-
fined in section 44801 of title 49, United States 
Code, that is not manufactured or assembled by a 
covered foreign entity or in a foreign adversary 
country. 
Æ 
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