Title: Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act
This bill establishes programs within the Department of Transportation (DOT) to support the use of drones and other small, unmanned aircraft systems when inspecting, repairing, or constructing road infrastructure, electric grid infrastructure, water infrastructure, or other critical infrastructure.
Specifically, DOT must award grants to state, tribal, and local governments; metropolitan planning organizations; or regional groups of those entities to purchase or otherwise use drones to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve worker safety, and reduce carbon emissions when carrying out inspections, repairs, and construction. Grant recipients must use domestically manufactured drones that are made by companies not subject to Chinese influence or control.
DOT must also award grants to certain institutions of higher education for training students for careers using drones and related technologies.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5315 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5315

     To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the 
 Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant 
program and a drone education and training grant program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 21, 2021

 Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. Graves of Louisiana) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the 
 Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant 
program and a drone education and training grant program, 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 Infrastructure Inspection 
Grant Act''.

SEC. 2. DRONE INFRASTRUCTURE INSPECTION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authority.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a 
drone infrastructure inspection grant program to make grants to 
governmental entities to facilitate the use of eligible small unmanned 
aircraft systems to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve worker 
safety, and reduce carbon emissions related to the inspection, repair, 
modernization, and construction of critical infrastructure.
    (b) Use of Grant Amounts.--Amounts from a grant under this section 
may be used to--
            (1) purchase or lease eligible small unmanned aircraft 
        systems;
            (2) contract for services performed with an eligible small 
        unmanned aircraft system; and
            (3) support the governmental entity's small unmanned 
        aircraft system program's management capability.
    (c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, a governmental entity shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require.
    (d) Selection of Applicants.--In the selection of applicants for 
grants under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize projects that 
propose to--
            (1) use the grant for critical infrastructure projects in 
        historically disadvantaged communities; or
            (2) address a significant safety risk in critical 
        infrastructure inspection, maintenance, rehabilitation, or 
        construction projects.
    (e) Report to Congress.-- Not later than 1 year after the first 
grant awards are made under this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report that evaluates the program 
carried out under this section, including--
            (1) a description of the number of grants awarded;
            (2) the amount of each grant;
            (3) the activities funded under this section; and
            (4) the effectiveness of such funded activities in meeting 
        the objectives described in subsection (a).
    (f) Funding.--
            (1) Federal share.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B), the Federal share of the cost of a project carried 
                out using a grant under this section shall not exceed 
                80 percent of the total project cost.
                    (B) Waiver.--The Secretary may increase the Federal 
                share requirement under subparagraph (A) to up to 100 
                percent for a project carried out using a grant under 
                this section by a governmental entity if such entity--
                            (i) submits a written application to the 
                        Secretary requesting an increase in the Federal 
                        share; and
                            (ii) demonstrates, to the Secretary's 
                        satisfaction, that the additional assistance is 
                        necessary to facilitate the acceptance and full 
                        use of a grant under this section, such as 
                        alleviating economic hardship, meeting 
                        additional workforce needs, or such other uses 
                        that the Secretary determines to be 
                        appropriate.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this section--
                    (A) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
                    (B) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2023.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Critical infrastructure.--The term ``critical 
        infrastructure'' has the meaning given the term in section 
        1016(e) of the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act of 2001 
        (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)) that is a bridge, road, dam, electric grid 
        infrastructure, water infrastructure, or other related 
        infrastructure.
            (2) Eligible small unmanned aircraft system.--The term 
        ``eligible small unmanned aircraft system'' means a small 
        unmanned aircraft system that is manufactured or assembled by a 
        company domiciled in the United States that is not subject to 
        influence or control by the Government of the People's Republic 
        of China.
            (3) Governmental entity.--The term ``governmental entity'' 
        means--
                    (A) a State or political subdivision thereof;
                    (B) a unit of local government;
                    (C) a Tribal government,
                    (D) a metropolitan planning organization; or
                    (E) a combination of the entities in subparagraphs 
                (A) through (D) in a region or geographic area.
            (4) Small unmanned aircraft; unmanned aircraft; unmanned 
        aircraft system.--The terms ``small unmanned aircraft'', 
        ``unmanned aircraft'', and ``unmanned aircraft system'' have 
        the meanings given such terms in section 44801 of title 49, 
        United States Code.
            (5) State.--The term ``State'' means each State, the 
        District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, 
        American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands.

SEC. 3. DRONE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authority.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a 
drone education and training grant program to make grants to 
educational institutions for workforce training for small unmanned 
aircraft system technology.
    (b) Use of Grant Amounts.--Amounts from a grant under this section 
shall be used in furtherance of activities authorized under sections 
631 and 632 of the FAA Reauthorization Act 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note).
    (c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an educational institution shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require,
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section--
            (1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
            (2) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2023.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Educational institution.--The term ``educational 
        institution'' means an institution of higher education as 
        defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001) that--
                    (A) is designated by the Secretary of 
                Transportation as a Community and Technical College 
                Center of Excellence in Small Unmanned Aircraft System 
                Technology Training under section 631(a) of the FAA 
                Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note); or
                    (B) has an agreement in effect with the 
                Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 
                under the collegiate training initiative program 
                relating to unmanned aircraft systems under section 632 
                of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 
                note).
            (2) Small unmanned aircraft; unmanned aircraft; unmanned 
        aircraft system.--The terms ``small unmanned aircraft'', 
        ``unmanned aircraft'', and ``unmanned aircraft system'' have 
        the meanings given such terms in section 44801 of title 49, 
        United States Code.
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