National Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Initiative Act
A BILL
To provide for a coordinated Federal initiative to accelerate unmanned aircraft systems civilian and advanced air mobility research and development for economic and national security, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds the following:
Unmanned aircraft systems have the potential to change and transform sectors of the United States economy.
Current uses and applications of unmanned aircraft systems include agriculture, law enforcement, public safety, disaster evaluation and response, fire detection, border security, weather forecasting, construction, utility monitoring, and many other uses and applications.
Research, development, demonstration, testing, and evaluation of counter-UAS systems activities are critical to fully understand the capabilities of and threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems.
Unmanned aircraft systems are subject to safety, privacy, cybersecurity, and supply chain risks, particularly as most unmanned aircraft systems in the United States are manufactured or assembled from parts manufactured in foreign countries.
National and homeland security threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems include criminal and terrorist use for espionage, surveillance, and intelligence gathering, smuggling drugs and contraband, and platforms to deliver explosives or chemicals, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons, and other firearms.
The Federal Government has an important role in advancing research, development, voluntary consensus standards, and education activities in unmanned aircraft systems and counter-UAS systems technologies through coordination and collaboration between State, local, Federal, and Tribal governments, academia, and the private sector.
There is a lack of voluntary consensus standards for unmanned aircraft systems for academia and the public and private sectors.
The United States needs to invest in domestic manufacturing and secure supply chains of unmanned aircraft systems to meet the demand by the Government and the commercial sectors, to reduce reliance on foreign-made systems.
Advanced air mobility aims to transform the way people and goods are transported through new capabilities and applications.
Sec. 3 Definitions
In this Act, the following definitions apply:
Advanced air mobility— The term advanced air mobility means air transportation systems that transport individuals and property between points in the United States using aircraft, such as remotely piloted, autonomous, or vertical take-off and landing aircraft, including those powered by electric or hybrid driven propulsions, in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
Advisory committee— The term Advisory Committee means the National Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Initiative Advisory Committee established under section 104(a).
Counter-UAS system— The term counter-UAS system has the meaning given such term in section 44801(5) of title 49, United States Code.
Initiative— The term Initiative means the National Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Initiative established under section 101(a).
Initiative office— The term Initiative Office means the National Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Initiative Office established under section 102(a).
Institute— The term Institute means a Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Research Institute described in section 201(b).
Interagency committee— The terms Interagency Committee means the interagency committee established under section 103(a).
National laboratory— The term National Laboratory has the meaning given such term in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
Unmanned aircraft system— The term unmanned aircraft system has the meaning given such term in section 44801(12) of title 49, United States Code.
Sec. 4 Purposes
The purpose of this Act is to ensure United States leadership in unmanned aircraft systems by—
supporting research, development, demonstration, and testing of unmanned aircraft systems in order to—
lead in secure and next generation unmanned aircraft systems, including counter-UAS systems;
promote further development of facilities and centers available for unmanned aircraft systems research, testing, and education;
stimulate research on and promote more rapid development of unmanned aircraft systems;
promote domestic manufacturing of unmanned aircraft systems;
mitigate supply chain risks;
mitigate risks to public safety and national and homeland security;
prepare the present and future United States workforce for the integration of unmanned aircraft systems across sectors of the economy;
promote the development and adoption of curriculum and research opportunities for unmanned aircraft systems;
enable the advanced air mobility systems ecosystem;
enhance and accelerate the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System;
improve safety and sustainability of ground transportation;
address basic research knowledge gaps;
maximize the benefits of unmanned aircraft systems;
increase and improve environmental observations and monitoring; and
establish a robust data management strategy for scientific data collected by unmanned systems;
improving the interagency planning and coordination of Federal research and development of unmanned aircraft systems and maximizing the effectiveness of the Federal Government’s unmanned aircraft systems research and development programs;
promoting research and development collaboration among State, local, Tribal, and Federal Governments, National Laboratories, industry, and universities;
promoting the development of voluntary consensus standards for unmanned aircraft systems; and
supporting development of an advanced air mobility ecosystem in the United States.