Sec. 619. Pilot program for UAS inspections of FAA infrastructure
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/bill/118/hr/3935/ih/section-619A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish and initiate a pilot program to supplement appropriate inspection and oversight activities of the department with unmanned aircraft systems for the purposes of increasing employee safety, enhancing data collection, increasing the accuracy of inspections, reducing costs, and other purposes the Secretary considers to be in the broader interests of good government. Under the program required in subsection (a), the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall evaluate the use of unmanned aircraft systems to inspect ground-based aviation infrastructure that may require visual inspection in hard-to-reach areas, including— navigational aids; air traffic control towers; radar facilities; communication facilities; and other air traffic control facilities.
In carrying out the pilot program established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with the labor union certified under section 7111 of title 5, United States Code, to represent personnel responsible for the inspection of the ground-based aviation infrastructure described in subsection (b). The Secretary may not carry out an inspection under this section using an unmanned aircraft system manufactured by— an entity domiciled in the People’s Republic of China or the Russian Federation; or an entity, or a subsidiary or affiliate of an entity, that is subject to influence or control by— the Government of the People’s Republic of China; the Chinese Communist Party; or the Russian Federation.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the termination of the pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall provide to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a briefing on the status and results of the pilot program established under subsection (a), including— cost saving; a description of how unmanned aircraft systems were used to supplement existing inspection, data collection, or oversight activities of Department employees, including the number of operations and types of activities performed; efficiency or safety improvements, if any, associated with the use of unmanned aircraft systems to supplement conventional inspection, data collection, or oversight activities; the fleet of unmanned aircraft systems maintained by the Department of Transportation for the program, or an overview of the services used as part of the pilot program; and recommendations for improving the use or efficacy of unmanned aircraft systems to supplement the Department’s conventional inspection, data collection, or oversight activities.
The pilot program established under subsection
(a)and the reporting requirement under subsection
(f)shall terminate on the date that is 50 months after the date of enactment of this Act. Upon termination of the pilot program, the Secretary shall assess the results of the pilot program under this section and determine whether to permanently incorporate the use of unmanned aircraft systems into the regular inspection, data collection, and oversight activities of the Department. Not later than 3 months after the termination of the pilot program under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on the final results of the pilot program and the actions taken by the Administrator pursuant to paragraph (2).