Bill Details
HR.1058 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-06 - Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced Date
2025-02-06
Policy Area
Crime and Law Enforcement
Committees
View committees (1)
Cosponsors
View cosponsors (8)
7
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would let certain Justice Department grant money be used to buy and run unmanned aircraft systems, better known as drones, for public safety work. In simple terms, it would give police and other public safety agencies another tool they can use during emergencies, searches, disaster response, and other situations where drones may help officers see what is happening more quickly and safely. The bill changes two existing federal grant programs so that drone purchases and operations can count as allowed uses of the money.
- It adds drone use as an allowed expense under Byrne grants, which are Justice Department grants used by state and local law enforcement for criminal justice and public safety purposes.
- It also adds drone use as an allowed expense under COPS grants, which help support community policing and law enforcement staffing and equipment needs.
- The drones would have to be used in ways that benefit public safety, not for unrelated purposes.
- The bill does not create a new grant program; it changes the rules for two existing grant programs so agencies can choose to use funding for drones if they want to.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1058 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1058
To authorize the use of certain Department of Justice grants to
purchase and operate unmanned aircraft systems to benefit public
safety.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 6, 2025
Mr. Correa (for himself and Mr. Nehls) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the use of certain Department of Justice grants to
purchase and operate unmanned aircraft systems to benefit public
safety.
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 ``Directing Resources for Officers
Navigating Emergencies Act of 2025'' or the ``DRONE Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. USE OF GRANT FUNDS FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT.
(a) Byrne Grants.--Section 501(a)(1) of the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10152(a)(1)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(J) Programs to purchase and operate unmanned
aircraft systems (as such term is defined in section
44801 of title 49, United States Code) to benefit
public safety.''.
(b) COPS Grants.--Section 1701(b) of the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (23) and (24) as paragraphs
(24) and (25), respectively;
(2) by inserting after paragraph (22) the following:
``(23) to purchase and operate unmanned aircraft systems
(as such term is defined in section 44801 of title 49, United
States Code) to benefit public safety;''; and
(3) in paragraph (24), as so redesignated, by striking
``(22)'' and inserting ``(23)''.
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