Bill Details
View committees (1)
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill stops federal law enforcement agencies from using drones to deliberately watch, record, photograph, or gather evidence about a specifically targeted United States citizen or that citizen’s private property. It does not ban all drone use by the government, but it draws clear limits: agencies cannot intentionally aim drones at a particular person or their private property unless one of a few narrow exceptions applies. The goal is to protect individual privacy by preventing targeted aerial surveillance of citizens without consent, a court order, or a narrowly defined national security finding.
- Who is covered: the rule applies to federal law enforcement agencies using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).
- What is banned: intentionally conducting surveillance, collecting information or evidence, or photographing/recording a specifically targeted U.S. citizen or that citizen’s private property.
- When drones are allowed: agencies may use a drone if the citizen gives written consent for the photo/recording to be published or shared, if a judge signs a search warrant authorizing the drone, or if the President (through the Secretary of Homeland Security) authorizes it with a written, sworn certification that it’s needed to stop a high-risk terrorist attack by a specific person or group.
- Key limits: the exceptions are narrow—consent must be written, a warrant must be judicially approved, and the national security exception requires high-level authorization and a sworn certification focused on a specific terrorist threat.
Official Summaries
Buzz Off Act
This bill prohibits federal law enforcement from using unmanned aerial vehicles to intentionally conduct surveillance of a specifically targeted U.S. citizen or the property of such an individual, with certain exceptions.
Specifically, this prohibition shall not apply if (1) the federal law enforcement agency in question first obtains a search warrant, (2) the Department of Homeland Security certifies that such surveillance is necessary to counter a high risk of a terrorist attack by a specified person or organization, or (3) the citizen gives written consent for a photograph or recording that will be made available to the public.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 96 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 96
To prevent agencies from using unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct
surveillance of United States citizens, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2025
Mr. Biggs of Arizona introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prevent agencies from using unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct
surveillance of United States citizens, 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 ``Buzz Off Act''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITING USE OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES.
(a) Surveillance.--A Federal law enforcement agency may not use an
unmanned aerial vehicle to intentionally conduct surveillance of,
gather evidence or collect information about, or photographically or
electronically record a specifically targeted United States citizen or
the specifically targeted private property of a United States citizen.
(b) Exception.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), a Federal law
enforcement agency may use an unmanned aerial vehicle to photograph, or
otherwise record a United States citizen for the purposes of publishing
or otherwise publicly disseminating such photograph or recording if the
agency obtains the written consent of such United States citizen.
(c) Applicability.--Subsection (a) shall not apply in the case
that--
(1) the President, acting through the Secretary of Homeland
Security, authorizes use of an unmanned aerial vehicle to
conduct surveillance if the Secretary certifies in writing
under oath that the surveillance is necessary to counter a high
risk of a terrorist attack by a specific individual or
organization; or
(2) the head of a Federal law enforcement agency first
obtains a search warrant signed by a judge authorizing the use
of an unmanned aerial vehicle.
<all>