[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4686 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4686
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to expand Beyond Visual Line
of Sight operations for unmanned aircraft systems, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2025
Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia (for herself, Mr. Finstad, Mr. Wittman, Mr.
McCormick, Mr. Fine, Mr. Shreve, and Mr. Crenshaw) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to expand Beyond Visual Line
of Sight operations for unmanned aircraft systems, 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 ``Local Innovation for Flight
Technologies Act of 2025'' or the ``LIFT Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' has the meaning given
the term in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code.
(2) Unmanned aircraft system.--The term ``unmanned aircraft
system'' has the meaning given the term in section 44801 of
title 49, United States Code.
SEC. 3. EXPANDING UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS OPERATIONS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation shall--
(1) not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, issue a proposed rule enabling routine Beyond Visual
Line of Sight (hereinafter referred to as ``BVLOS'') operations
for unmanned aircraft systems; and
(2) not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, issue a final rule based on the proposed rulemaking
issued under paragraph (1).
(b) Safety Metrics.--The Secretary of Transportation shall--
(1) not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, establish metrics for assessing the performance and
safety of BVLOS operations of unmanned aircraft systems; and
(2) not later than 180 days of the date of enactment of
this Act, identify and describe any additional regulatory
barriers and challenges to such BVLOS implementation and submit
to the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
recommendations for--
(A) addressing the barriers and challenges
expeditiously; and
(B) potential regulation or legislative action.
SEC. 4. EXAMINATION OF APPLICABLE INTERNATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.
The Secretary of Transportation shall--
(1) explore options to ensure that unmanned aircraft
systems operating over the high seas within flight
informational regions for which the United States is
responsible for operational control may operate without being
subject to the requirements applicable to manned aircraft
engaging in international navigation as referenced in the
Convention on International Civil Aviation;
(2) identify potential barriers for the operation described
in paragraph (1); and
(3) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress--
(A) a report on the findings under paragraphs (1)
and (2); and
(B) appropriate legislative recommendations
necessary to enable such operation.
SEC. 5. USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN WAIVER DETERMINATIONS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall initiate
the deployment of artificial intelligence tools to assist in and
expedite the review of unmanned aircraft system waiver applications
under part 107 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.
(b) Capability of Artificial Intelligence Tools.--The artificial
intelligence tools described in subsection (a) shall--
(1) support performance- and risk-based evaluation of
proposed operations;
(2) identify materially similar precedents and recommend
consistent mitigation measures;
(3) assist the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration in identifying categories of unmanned aircraft
system operations with sufficient safety data or recurring
approval patterns that may warrant further rulemaking to
eliminate the need for individualized waivers; and
(4) be used in accordance with guidance on Federal use of
artificial intelligence, as detailed in Office of Management
and Budget Memorandum M-25-21.
(c) Additional Waiver Review.--In conducting the deployment of
artificial intelligence tools required under subsection (a), the
Secretary of Transportation shall examine the extent to which such
artificial intelligence tools could be used to review exemption
petitions for applicants seeking to operate pursuant to section 44807
of title 49, United States Code.
SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ELECTRIC VERTICAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING PILOT
PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation, in coordination
with the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall
establish the electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (hereinafter
referred to as ``eVTOL'') integration pilot program to provide grants
to State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to carry out
projects to accelerate the deployment of safe eVTOL operations in the
United States.
(b) Request for Proposals.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a public
request for proposals for the program established under
subsection (a) to State, local, Tribal, and territorial
governments.
(2) Submission requirements.--Such proposals shall be
submitted not later than 90 days after the request is issued
under subsection (a) and include a private sector partner with
demonstrated experience in eVTOL aircraft development,
manufacturing, and operations.
(c) Selection of Projects.--Not later than 180 days after the
request is issued under subsection (a), the Secretary may select
eligible pilot projects that propose to begin eVTOL operations not
later than 90 days after the date on which any agreement for a pilot
project is established. Selection criteria shall include--
(1) the use of eVTOL aircraft and technologies developed or
offered by a United States-based entity;
(2) overall representation of economic and geographic
operations and proposed models of public-private partnership;
and
(3) overall representation of the operations to be
conducted, including advanced air mobility, medical response,
cargo transport, and rural access.
(d) Project Agreements.--
(1) Agreement contents.--The Secretary shall execute
agreements with applicants selected under subsection (c) that
contain--
(A) project goals;
(B) regulatory needs;
(C) timelines;
(D) information sharing and data exchange
mechanisms; and
(E) responsibilities.
(e) Reporting.--
(1) Implementation report.--Not later than 180 days after
the selection of pilot program participants under subsection
(c), the Secretary shall submit to the Director of the Office
of Science and Technology Policy and the appropriate committees
of Congress an initial implementation report containing a
summary of early-stage planning, interagency coordination, and
any immediate regulatory or legislative challenges identified.
(2) Annual report.--Not later than 1 year after the date on
which the Secretary submits the initial implementation report
under paragraph (1), and annually thereafter until the date
specified in subsection (f), the Secretary shall submit to the
Director and the appropriate committees of Congress a report
that includes--
(A) the progress of the pilot program;
(B) any evaluation of program goals and outcomes;
(C) recommendations for the permanent integration
of eVTOL operations into the national airspace; and
(D) any proposed future initiatives to maintain
United States leadership in eVTOL flight.
(f) Sunset.--The Secretary shall cease to provide grants under the
pilot program established under this section on the date that is 3
years after the date the first pilot project becomes operational,
unless the Secretary determines that an extension is warranted in the
national interest.
(g) Information Use and Sharing.--The Secretary shall--
(1) use the information and experience yielded by the pilot
program to inform the development of regulations, initiatives,
and plans to enable safe eVTOL operations; and
(2) as appropriate, share such information with the
Secretary of Defense, the Attorney General, the Secretary of
Homeland Security, and the heads of other relevant agencies.
SEC. 7. PRIORITIZATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS MANUFACTURED IN THE
UNITED STATES.
The Secretary of Transportation shall prioritize the integration of
unmanned aircraft systems manufactured in the United States into the
national airspace system over unmanned aircraft systems manufactured
outside of the United States to the maximum extent permitted by law.
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