Title: Drone Advisory Committee for the 21st Century Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Drone Advisory Committee for the 21st Century Act
This bill establishes a Drone Advisory Committee to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration regarding issues involving the efficiency and safety of integrating unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2730 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2730

  To establish and ensure an inclusive and transparent Drone Advisory 
                               Committee.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 29, 2019

  Mr. Peters introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish and ensure an inclusive and transparent Drone Advisory 
                               Committee.

    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 Advisory Committee for the 
21st Century Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 2016, a Drone Advisory Committee (in this section 
        referred to as the ``DAC'') was established at the Federal 
        Aviation Administration (in this Act referred to as the 
        ``FAA'') as a broad-based, long-term Federal advisory committee 
        to provide the FAA with advice on key unmanned aircraft systems 
        (in this Act referred to as ``UAS'') integration issues by 
        helping to identify challenges and prioritize improvements.
            (2) Pursuant to FAA Order 1110.157, dated June 15, 2018, 
        the DAC is charged with helping create broad support for an 
        overall UAS integration strategy and vision.
            (3) As of the date of introduction of this legislation, no 
        direct representatives from rural America or the agriculture, 
        forestry, or rangeland sectors were members of the DAC.
            (4) According to the FAA's 2019 market forecast, the market 
        for UAS is growing faster than anticipated.
            (5) The agricultural drone market has an estimated value in 
        the realm of $250,000,000 and is predicted to grow 
        substantially.
            (6) Recent studies have suggested as many as three out of 
        every four farmers in the United States ``are currently using 
        or considering adopting [UAS] technology to assess, monitor and 
        manage their farm''.
            (7) Rural counties are the majority of counties in the 
        United States.
            (8) Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 
        Congress is to determine whether or not the Federal advisory 
        committees are ``fairly balanced in terms of the points of view 
        represented''.

SEC. 3. DRONE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--The FAA shall maintain a Drone Advisory 
Committee (in this section referred to as the ``Committee'').
    (b) Duties.--The Committee shall provide independent advice and 
recommendations to, and respond to specific other tasks requested by, 
the FAA regarding issues involving the efficiency and safety of 
integrating unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace 
System.
    (c) Charter.--
            (1) In general.--There shall be a charter to govern the 
        structure and mission of the Committee.
            (2) Updates.--The Administrator of the FAA (in this section 
        referred to as the ``Administrator'') shall--
                    (A) review the charter under paragraph (1) not less 
                frequently than once every two years; and
                    (B) update such charter as appropriate.
    (d) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Committee shall consist of individuals 
        with a balance of backgrounds, experiences, and viewpoints, and 
        shall include individuals that directly represent--
                    (A) airports and airport communities;
                    (B) labor (such as controllers and pilots);
                    (C) State, county, city, and Tribal governments;
                    (D) navigation, communication, surveillance, and 
                air traffic management capability providers;
                    (E) research, development, and academia;
                    (F) traditional manned aviation operators;
                    (G) UAS hardware component manufacturers;
                    (H) UAS manufacturers;
                    (I) UAS operators, including agriculture, forestry, 
                and rangeland sectors;
                    (J) UAS software application manufacturers; and
                    (K) other sectors determined appropriate by the 
                Administrator.
            (2) Public participation.--To the maximum extent 
        practicable, the Administrator shall include public 
        participation in the process of nominating individuals for 
        membership on the Committee.
    (e) Transparency.--The Administrator shall ensure that the 
Committee complies with the requirements under--
            (1) the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.); and
            (2) section 552b of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
        known as the ``Government in the Sunshine Act'').
    (f) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
may be necessary to carry out this section.
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