United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 1 R · 1 D cosponsors

S 663 — DEFENSE Act

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 20, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Prognosis

Advancing 34% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (1 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

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

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

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Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General to deputize state or local law enforcement officers for specific drone countermeasures at events with temporary flight restrictions.

  • 6 U.S.C. 124n

    (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.

    This addition allows for the deputization of local law enforcement to enhance security measures at designated events by utilizing drone countermeasures.

Action History

  1. Introduced in Senate

  2. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 545 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (1)

Not signed on (545)

545 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety transportation technology
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does S 663 do?
Disabling Enemy Flight Entry and Neutralizing Suspect Equipment Act or the DEFENSE ActThis 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.
Who sponsors S 663?
S 663 is sponsored by Cotton, Tom (Republican) and Rosen, Jacky (Democratic).
What is the current status of S 663?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced February 20, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track S 663?
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