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SEC. __. OFFICIAL ACTIONS TO ADDRESS THREATS POSED BY UNMANNED

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AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS TO PUBLIC SAFETY OR HOMELAND

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SECURITY.

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(a) AUTHORITY.—Notwithstanding any provision of title 18, United States Code, the

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head of an Executive department or agency, while respecting privacy, civil rights, and civil

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liberties, including with regard to the testing of any equipment and the interception or

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acquisition of communications, may take, and may authorize a covered person to take, the

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actions described in subsection (b), to the extent otherwise in accordance with law.

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(b) ACTIONS DESCRIBED.—The actions described in this subsection are as follows:

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(1) Detect, identify, monitor, or track, without prior consent, an unmanned

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aircraft system, unmanned aircraft, or unmanned aircraft’s attached system, payload,

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or cargo, to evaluate whether it poses a threat to the safety or security of a covered

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facility, location, or installation or a covered operation, including by means of

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interception of or other access to wire, oral, electronic, or radio communications or

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signals transmitted to or by an unmanned aircraft system, unmanned aircraft, or

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unmanned aircraft’s attached system, payload, or cargo.

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(2) Redirect, disable, disrupt control of, exercise control of, seize, or

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confiscate, without prior consent, an unmanned aircraft system, unmanned aircraft,

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or unmanned aircraft’s attached system, payload, or cargo that poses a threat to the

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safety or security of a covered facility, location, or installation or a covered

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operation, including by intercepting, substituting, or disrupting wire, oral, electronic,

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or radio communications or signals transmitted to or by an unmanned aircraft system,

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unmanned aircraft, or unmanned aircraft’s attached system, payload, or cargo.
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(3) Use reasonable force to disable, disrupt, damage, or destroy an unmanned

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aircraft system, unmanned aircraft, or unmanned aircraft’s attached system, payload,

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or cargo that poses a threat to the safety or security of a covered facility, location, or

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installation or a covered operation.

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(4) Conduct research, testing, training on, and evaluation of any equipment,

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including any electronic equipment, to determine its capability and utility to enable

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any of the actions described in paragraphs (1) through (3).

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(c) FORFEITURE.—An unmanned aircraft system, unmanned aircraft, or unmanned

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aircraft’s attached system, payload, or cargo that is disabled, disrupted, seized, controlled,

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confiscated, damaged, or destroyed pursuant to an action described in subsection (b) is

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subject to forfeiture to the United States.

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(d) GOVERNMENT-WIDE POLICY.—The actions described in subsections (b) and (c)

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may only be taken following the issuance of Federal Government-wide policy prescribing

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roles and responsibilities for implementing this section. The Federal Government-wide

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policy shall be developed in consultation with appropriate departments and agencies,

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including the Department of Transportation to ensure the safety and efficiency of the

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National Airspace System, and shall—

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(1) respect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties, including with regard to

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the testing of any equipment and the interception or acquisition of communications,

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by, among other things, ensuring that information is intercepted, acquired, accessed,

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or retained pursuant to subsections (b) only where and for so long as is necessary to

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support one or more of the department’s or agency’s authorized functions and is

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accessible only to covered persons with a need to know the information;
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(2) prescribe roles and processes, as appropriate, to ensure that departments

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and agencies take the actions described in subsection (b) in compliance with

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applicable law and regulation regarding the management of the radio frequency

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spectrum;

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(3) consider each department’s and agency’s responsibilities for the safety or

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security of its facilities, locations, installations, and operations in the United States;

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and

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(4) develop standards and procedures for heads of departments and agencies

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to designate a covered facility, location, or installation, a covered operation, or a

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covered person, which shall ensure that only individuals with appropriate training

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and acting subject to Federal Government oversight are designated as covered

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persons.

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(e) IMPLEMENTATION.—

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(1) REGULATIONS; POLICIES, PROCEDURES, OR PLANS.—Consistent with any

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limitations or specifications in the Federal Government-wide policy issued pursuant

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to subsection (d), the head of a department or agency—

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(A) may prescribe regulations to carry out this section; and

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(B) shall issue policies, procedures, or plans to carry out this section.

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(2) COORDINATION.—Regulations, policies, procedures, or plans issued under

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this subsection shall develop the actions in subsection (b) in coordination with the

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Secretary of Transportation.

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(3) PRIVACY REVIEW.—Any regulations, policies, procedures, or plans issued
pursuant to this section that would result in the monitoring, interception, or other
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access to wire, oral, electronic, or radio communications or signals transmitted to or

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by an unmanned aircraft system, unmanned aircraft, or unmanned aircraft’s attached

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system, payload, or cargo shall be reviewed consistent with section 522 of the

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Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (42 U.S.C. 2000ee-2), to ensure that the

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regulations, policies, procedures, or plans appropriately protect privacy and civil

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liberties.

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(f) JURISDICTION.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no court shall have

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jurisdiction to hear any cause or claim, including for money damages, against a covered

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person arising from any authorized action described in subsection (b).

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(g) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to—

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(1) restrict the authority of the United States Government, a member of the

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Armed Forces, or a Federal officer, employee, agent, or contractor from performing

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any action described in subsection (b) or (c) that is in accordance with law;

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(2) affect the exercise of authority granted by section 130i of title 10, United

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States Code, and section 4510 of the Atomic Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2661);

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or

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(3) restrict or limit the authority of the Federal Aviation Administration under

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title 49, United States Code, to manage the safe and efficient use of the National

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Airspace System.

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(h) DISCLOSURE.—Information pertaining to the technology used pursuant to this

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section, and any regulations, policies, procedures, and plans issued under this section, shall

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be exempt from disclosure under section 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code, and

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exempt from disclosure under any State or local law requiring the disclosure of information.
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(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:

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(1) The term “covered facility, location, or installation” means any non-

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mobile asset in the United States that is designated by the head of a department or

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agency in accordance with standards and procedures established under subsection

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(d).

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(2) The term “covered operation” means—

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(A) any operation that is conducted in the United States by a member

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of the Armed Forces or a Federal officer, employee, agent, or contractor, that

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is important to public safety, law enforcement, or national or homeland

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security, and is designated by the head of a department or agency, consistent

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with the Federal Government-wide policy issued pursuant to subsection (d);

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and

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(B) may include, but is not limited to, search and rescue operations;

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medical evacuations; wildland firefighting; patrol and detection monitoring of

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the United States border; a National Security Special Event or Special Event

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Assessment Ratings event; a fugitive apprehension operation or law

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enforcement investigation; a prisoner detention, correctional, or related

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operation; securing an authorized vessel, whether moored or underway;

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authorized protection of a person; transportation of special nuclear materials;

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or a security, emergency response, or military training, testing, or operation.

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(3) The term “covered person” means any member of the Armed Forces, a

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Federal officer, employee, agent, or contractor, or any other individual that is

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designated by the head of a department or agency in accordance with standards and
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procedures established under subsection (d), acting within their officially designated

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capacity.

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(4) The terms “intercept” and “wire, oral, electronic, or radio
communications” have the meaning given those terms in section 2510 of title 18.
(5) The terms “unmanned aircraft” and “unmanned aircraft system” have the

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meaning given those terms in section 331 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act

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of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note).

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(6) The term “United States” means any State of the United States, the

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District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam,

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American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any

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possessions, territorial seas, or navigable waters of the United States.

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(j) SUNSET.—This section shall cease to have effect on December 31, 2022.

Section-by-Section Analysis of Proposed Legislation Regarding Official Actions to Address
Threats Posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Public Safety or Homeland Security
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are commercially available, challenging to
detect and mitigate, and capable of carrying harmful payloads and performing
surveillance while evading traditional ground security measures. However, some
of the most promising technical countermeasures for detecting and mitigating UAS
may be construed to be illegal under certain laws that were passed when UAS were
unforeseen. These laws include statutes governing electronic communications,
access to protected computers, and interference with civil aircraft.
Potential liability under such laws restricts innovation, evaluation, and operational
use of technical countermeasures that can address the unique public safety and
homeland security threats posed by UAS while minimizing collateral risk. The
proposed legislation provides a savings clause under title 18, United States Code,
for authorized development or use of such countermeasures.
This legislation provides that development or use of countermeasures against UAS
must be pursuant to a coordinated, government-wide policy. A coordinated
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 approach is critical to ensure that development and use of technical
countermeasures for detecting and mitigating UAS is consistent with the safety and
efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS), the protection of privacy, civil
rights, and civil liberties, and other government-wide equities. Indeed, multiple
departments and agencies have responsibility for the safety or security of facilities,
locations, installations, and operations that may be vulnerable to threats posed by
UAS, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of
Transportation, the Department of Justice, the Department of Defense, the
Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the
Interior, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Multiple
departments and agencies also perform important operations that may be vulnerable
to threats posed by UAS, including but not limited to: search and rescue operations;
medical evacuations; wildland firefighting; patrol and detection monitoring of the
United States border; National Security Special Events and Special Event
Assessment Ratings events; fugitive apprehension operations and law enforcement
investigations; prisoner detention, correctional, and related operations; securing
authorized vessels, whether moored or underway; authorized protection of a person
or persons; transportation of special nuclear materials; and security, emergency
response, or military training and operations. The proposed legislation helps to
ensure that authorized members of the Armed Forces and Federal officers,
employees, contractors, and other appropriate persons designated by the heads of
the executive department and agencies consistent with the requirements of the
government-wide policy required by the proposed legislation will not face penalties
for protecting those equities in a way that is consistent with other applicable law,
including the U.S. Constitution.
Subsection (a) sets forth the savings clause discussed above. Though many
provisions in Title 18 may conflict with authorized Counter-UAS activities, certain
statutes are especially problematic. For example, sections 2510–2522 of title 18,
United States Code (the Wiretap Act), among other things, subject any person who
intentionally intercepts the “contents” of electronic communications to fines,
imprisonment, and/or civil liability, and sections 3121–3127 of title 18, United
States Code (the Pen/Trap Statute), among other things, generally prohibit the
installation or use of a device to collect “non-content” information of electronic
communications. In addition, section 1030 of title 18, United States Code (the
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act) prohibits unauthorized access to and use of
“protected computers.” These statutes might be construed to prohibit access to or
interception of the telemetry, signaling information, or other communications of
UAS. Furthermore, any attempt to interfere with the flight of UAS that pose a
threat to covered facilities, locations and installations or covered operations may
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 conflict with section 32 of title 18, United States Code (the Aircraft Sabotage Act),
which among other things, imposes fines and criminal penalties on anyone who
“damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks any aircraft in the special aircraft
jurisdiction of the United States.” In the event of unanticipated conflicts with other
statutes, and in order to avoid criminalizing critically important activities by
government officials that are consistent with the U.S. Constitution, the savings
clause also refers generally to “any provision of title 18, United States Code.”
Congress has previously recognized the importance of ensuring that federal
criminal laws in Title 18 do not inadvertently blunt the development or use of UAS
countermeasures. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2017 contains two sections (Sec. 1697—codified at section 130i of title 10,
U.S. Code—and Sec. 3112) authorizing the Department of Defense, and the
Department of Energy, respectively, to protect certain facilities and assets from
threats posed by UAS. Both sections authorize such activities “[n]otwithstanding
any provision of title 18.”
Subsection (b) describes the specific actions referenced in subsection (a), which
relate to the UAS context. The proposed legislation would generally allow
research, testing, training on, and evaluating technical means for countering UAS,
as well as the use of technical means to detect, identify, monitor, and track a UAS
to evaluate whether it poses a threat to the safety or security of covered facilities,
locations, and installations or covered operations. With respect to the use of
technical means to re-direct, disable, disrupt control of, exercise control of, seize,
or confiscate UAS, the proposed legislation would allow such actions in response
to a UAS posing a threat to the safety or security of covered facilities, locations,
and installations or covered operations. Subsection (b)(3) of the proposed
legislation would allow the use of reasonable force to disable, disrupt, damage or
destroy a UAS posing a threat to the safety or security of covered facilities,
locations, and installations or covered operations.
Subsection (c) authorizes, but does not require, civil forfeiture of UAS that are
subject to authorized actions described in subsection (b).
Subsection (d) provides that the actions in subsections (b) and (c) may be taken
only after the issuance of government-wide policy prescribing roles and
responsibilities for implementing this section. That policy would be developed in
consultation with appropriate departments and agencies, including the Secretary of
Transportation to ensure the safety and efficiency of the NAS. Requiring the
development of government-wide policy ensures that departments and agencies
execute UAS countermeasures in a coordinated and effective manner, and that such
activities are subject to appropriate oversight and control. A whole-of-government
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 framework also protects the integrity of the NAS, while permitting departments and
agencies to defend covered facilities and operations from malicious uses of UAS.
The proposed legislation requires the government-wide policy to (1) respect
privacy, civil rights and civil liberties; (2) prescribe roles and processes, as
appropriate, to ensure compliance with applicable law and regulations concerning
the management of the radio frequency spectrum; (3) consider each Federal
department and agency’s responsibilities for the safety or security of its facilities
and operations; and (4) develop standards and procedures with respect to
designations of covered facilities, locations, installations, covered operations, and
covered persons, including by requiring that only that only individuals with
appropriate training and acting subject to Federal Government oversight may be
designated as such.
Subsection (e) provides that departments and agencies must issue policies,
procedures, or plans to carry out this section, consistent with any limitations or
specifications in the government-wide policy. Departments and agencies may also
issue regulations to carry out this section. Subsection (e)(2) provides that
departments and agencies must develop the actions issued under this subsection in
coordination with the Secretary of Transportation. This provision intends to foster
airspace safety by ensuring that departments and agencies engage with the
Secretary of Transportation early on to identify and mitigate any potential collateral
impacts on the NAS. In the NDAA for FY 2017, Congress similarly recognized the
importance of preserving a coordinating role for the Secretary of Transportation in
the development of the actions for countering UAS. The term "coordination" in
subsection (e)(2) means that the heads of departments and agencies will seek the
views, information, and advice of the Secretary of Transportation concerning any
potential effects on the NAS as department and agencies develop the types of
actions to be taken and the circumstances of execution under this provision. The
Secretary of Transportation will provide such views, information, and advice in a
reasonably prompt manner. If the Secretary of Transportation notifies the head of
a department or agency that taking the proposed actions would affect aviation safety
or NAS operations, the head of the department or agency concerned will work
collaboratively with the Secretary of Transportation to consider proposed actions
to mitigate or otherwise address effects on aviation safety, air navigation services,
and NAS efficiency—consistent with national or homeland security and law
enforcement requirements—prior to finalizing the types of actions authorized to be
taken under this provision.
Subsection (e)(3) requires internal review of regulations, policies, procedures, or
plans that would result in the monitoring, interception or other access to wire or
electronic communications.
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 Subsection (f) provides that no court shall have jurisdiction to hear causes or claims,
including for money damages, against a federal officer, employee, agent or
contractor arising from any authorized actions described in subsections (b). This
provision serves to protect individuals taking authorized actions described in
subsections (b) from damages claims and official-capacity claims.
Subsection (g) clarifies that the proposed legislation does not affect Federal
agencies’ authority to continue testing and/or using technical means for countering
UAS that comport with title 18, United States Code, and other applicable law,
including the aforementioned sections of the NDAA for FY 2017. In addition, the
proposed legislation clarifies that it does not restrict or limit the authority of the
Federal Aviation Administration, which remains the exclusive Federal agency with
authority over the nation’s airspace and authority to manage the safe and efficient
use of the NAS.
Subsection (h) provides exemptions from disclosure under State and Federal law
for information relating to the technology used pursuant to the proposed legislation,
and specific policies, procedures, or plans issued thereunder.
Subsection (i) clarifies that “unmanned aircraft” and “unmanned aircraft system”
have the meanings given those terms by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act
of 2012. The term “covered facilities, locations and installations” is defined to
mean non-mobile assets in the United States that are designated by the respective
agency head pursuant to standards and procedures developed in government-wide
policy. The term “covered person” is defined to mean any member of the Armed
Forces, a Federal officer, employee, agent, or contractor, or any other individual
that is designated by the respective department or agency head in accordance with
the standards and procedures established in government-wide policy. The term
“covered operations” is defined to mean governmental operations that are
determined by an agency head, consistent with government-wide policy, to be
important to public safety, law enforcement, or national or homeland security.
Subjection (j) provides that the legislation ceases to have effect on December 31,
2022.

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