Deescalation Drone Pilot Program Act

Summary#

This bill adds a new section to title 49 that creates an FAA pilot program to study small, nonlethal "deescalation" unmanned aircraft for use by federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement responding to active shooter events. The bill reaffirms the existing ban on armed unmanned aircraft. The pilot must be established within 2 months of enactment and must: review and validate nonlethal weapons for drones; set training, operational, and safety protocols; assess effectiveness in indoor active shooter events and safety benefits from increasing the distance between officers and shooters; and use existing UAS test ranges and law enforcement partnerships. The Administrator may enter interagency aviation agreements and must solicit stakeholder input. A report to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is required within 3 months after the pilot ends. After that report, the FAA must begin rulemaking within 60 days to create a process to approve law enforcement use and manufacturer testing. Drones used in the pilot must be manufactured in the United States. The bill defines "active shooter event," "nonlethal deescalation unmanned aircraft," and "nonlethal weapon."

What it means for you#

• Law enforcement agencies: Eligible federal, State, local, and Tribal agencies could apply to join a pilot that tests nonlethal drones for active shooter responses. Participation requires following training, safety, and operational rules developed in the pilot.
• Manufacturers: Companies may be able to test and demonstrate nonlethal devices through the FAA process created after the pilot, but drones used in the pilot must meet the domestic manufacturing requirement in the bill.
• General public: The bill starts testing and reporting; it does not authorize broad operational use yet. Any wider approval would come later through FAA rulemaking described in the bill.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on funding, appropriations, or estimated costs is included in the bill text or metadata. The bill requires administrative work (setting up the pilot, reporting, and rulemaking) but does not specify how those activities would be paid for.

Proponents' View#

The bill directs the FAA to test and evaluate nonlethal deescalation drones, including validating devices, setting training and safety protocols, and measuring whether such drones can increase safe engagement distance in indoor active shooter events. Supporters would point to the bill's structured pilot, interagency cooperation, stakeholder input, and a required report and follow-on rulemaking as steps to carefully study these technologies. The bill also requires the drones used in the pilot to be manufactured domestically.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' views or formal objections is included in the provided bill text or metadata.