A bill to improve the operation of the Department of Homeland Security's Unmanned Aircraft System Program.
Latest action · Jan 13, 2015 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 13, 2015
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to fully utilize surveillance and detection capabilities developed or used by federal agencies to enhance the functioning and operational capability to conduct continuous and integrated manned or unmanned monitoring, sensing, or surveillance of 100% of the southern border of the United States.
Prohibits DHS from procuring any additional unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) until it provides written certification that it successfully operated its current UAS fleet at least 23,000 hours during the preceding calendar year. Excepts the procurement of unmanned aircraft that do not weigh more than 150 pounds.
Requires DHS to: (1) use the best available radar and surveillance technology to increase awareness of illegal border activities along the southern border and to identify gaps in surveillance capabilities; and (2) consult with the Department of Defense to identify best practices that could be used by DHS to improve the security of the southern border.
Directs DHS to report biannually on:
- the number of UAS flight hours required, planned, and flown to provide persistent surveillance along the southern border and the number of flight hours cancelled;
- the number of UAS flight hours planned in support of any federal or state agency;
- performance measures regarding the number of hours flown, subjects detected, and apprehensions and illicit drug seizures assisted; and
- the accumulated cost associated with the UAS Program.
Terminates this Act five years after its enactment.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jan 13, 2015.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-AZ | Jeff Flake | Original | Jan 13, 2015 |
| R-NH | Kelly Ayotte | Original | Jan 13, 2015 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 13, 2015Introduced in Senate
- Jan 13, 2015Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Arizona
- Aviation and airports
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- California
- Congressional oversight
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Department of Homeland Security
- Drug trafficking and controlled substances
- Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
- Latin America
- Mexico
- New Mexico
- Public contracts and procurement
- Smuggling and trafficking
- Texas
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 13, 2015Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.