HR3334-119

What This Bill Does

The USCP Empowerment Act gives the Capitol Police Board counter-UAS authority for covered Capitol Police facilities and assets. When authorized, U.S. Capitol Police personnel protecting people, facilities, or assets may detect, identify, monitor, and track unmanned aircraft systems; warn operators; disrupt control signals; seize or control the aircraft; confiscate it; or use reasonable force to disable, damage, or destroy it. The authority overrides specified aviation and communications statutes but requires coordination with the Department of Transportation and FAA when aviation is affected. The Board may support research, testing, training, and evaluation of counter-UAS equipment, and seized aircraft may be forfeited. The bill requires regulations and guidance, First and Fourth Amendment safeguards, limits on intercepting and retaining communications, restricted disclosure, public notice and law enforcement engagement, and semiannual reports to House Administration and Senate Rules with policy, incident, privacy, airspace, retention, sharing, and technology details.

Who Benefits and How

Capitol Police officers benefit from explicit authority to mitigate credible drone threats around covered Capitol facilities and assets. Members of Congress benefit from additional protection against unmanned aircraft threats near the Capitol complex. Capitol visitors benefit from a security regime aimed at reducing drone-related risks during public access and events. FAA airspace staff benefit from required coordination when counter-UAS actions affect aviation operations.

Who Bears the Burden and How

UAS operators near Capitol facilities face warnings, signal disruption, seizure, confiscation, disabling, destruction, and forfeiture if their aircraft pose covered threats. Capitol Police Board staff must issue rules, authorize activities, oversee safeguards, and report to congressional committees every six months. Capitol Police privacy offices must enforce communications-retention, disclosure, and constitutional safeguards. Technology vendors and testing teams must work within the bill's evaluation, training, and operational limits.

Key Provisions

• Authorizes Capitol Police counter-UAS detection, tracking, warning, disruption, seizure, control, confiscation, and disabling activities.
• Requires DOT and FAA coordination when counter-drone actions affect aviation.
• Requires First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, communications-retention, disclosure, and public notice safeguards.
• Requires semiannual reports to House Administration and Senate Rules on policies, incidents, privacy, airspace, retention, sharing, and technology.