Official Summaries

Disabling Enemy Flight Entry and Neutralizing Suspect Equipment Act or the DEFENSE Act

This bill allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) to deputize state or local law enforcement officers to take certain drone countermeasures to protect stadiums and other public gatherings.

Specifically, DHS or DOJ may provide state or local law enforcement officers with the authority to identify, monitor, and track drones; warn drone operators; disrupt or take control of drones; or use reasonable force to disable, damage, and seize or destroy drones deemed to pose a threat.

This authority applies for the purposes of protecting an event, stadium, or venue; certain large public gatherings (e.g., gatherings that are primarily outdoors with an estimated attendance of at least 100,000 people); or other public gatherings protected by specific temporary flight restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Prior to being deputized, a state or local law enforcement officer must complete training in the use of the drone countermeasure authority.

DHS or DOJ, in coordination with the Department of Transportation and the FAA, must exercise oversight over the use of this authority by deputized state or local law enforcement officers.

Finally, the bill limits the equipment authorized for detecting, identifying, monitoring, or tracking drones to systems or technologies that are included on a list of authorized equipment maintained by DHS, in coordination with DOJ, the FAA, the Federal Communications Commission, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 663 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 663

To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General 
to deputize a State or local law enforcement officer to protect certain 
   events with temporary flight restrictions, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 20, 2025

 Mr. Cotton (for himself and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General 
to deputize a State or local law enforcement officer to protect certain 
   events with temporary flight restrictions, 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 ``Disabling Enemy Flight Entry and 
Neutralizing Suspect Equipment Act'' or the ``DEFENSE Act''.

SEC. 2. DRONE COUNTERMEASURES TO PROTECT EVENTS.

    Section 210G of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124n) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) Stadium Security.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary or the Attorney General 
        may deputize a State or local law enforcement officer to 
        exercise the authority granted by subsection (a), except that 
        the authority is granted solely for the purpose of protecting--
                    ``(A) a site with respect to which a flight 
                restriction is maintained pursuant to section 521 of 
                division F of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 
                (49 U.S.C. 40103 note);
                    ``(B) the location of an eligible large public 
                gathering described in section 44812(c) of title 49, 
                United States Code; or
                    ``(C) a public gathering otherwise protected by a 
                temporary flight restriction, at the discretion of the 
                Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 
                under the authority of section 40103(b) of title 49, 
                United States Code.
            ``(2) Training required.--The Secretary or the Attorney 
        General may deputize only a State or local law enforcement 
        officer that has completed training in the use of the authority 
        described in paragraph (1), as specified by the Secretary or 
        Attorney General in coordination with the Secretary of 
        Transportation and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
        Administration.
            ``(3) Oversight.--The Secretary or the Attorney General, in 
        coordination with the Secretary of Transportation and the 
        Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, shall 
        exercise oversight of the use of the authority described in 
        paragraph (1) by a deputized State or local law enforcement 
        officer.
            ``(4) Authorized equipment.--Equipment authorized for 
        unmanned aircraft system detection, identification, monitoring, 
        or tracking under this subsection shall be limited to systems 
        or technologies that are included on a list of authorized 
        equipment maintained by the Department, in coordination with 
        the Department of Justice, the Federal Aviation Administration, 
        the Federal Communications Commission, and the National 
        Telecommunications and Information Administration.''.
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