Congress·In Progress·H.R. 3334

USCP Empowerment Act of 2025

Capitol Police: Drone Defense Authority

Jun 24·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

The USCP Empowerment Act of 2025 is currently moving through the House committee process. On June 23, 2026, the committee voted to approve the bill with changes. It must now be reported to the full House for further consideration.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While security is a priority, the bill currently lacks Democratic support and faces a complex path through three different House committees.

Key Points

The bill gives the Capitol Police new powers to stop drones that fly too close to the U.S. Capitol or other protected buildings. Officers would be allowed to track these drones and even take control of them if they think there is a real danger to the area.
Police could use technology to jam the signals between a drone and its pilot. In serious cases, they would have the legal right to damage or destroy a drone to keep people and buildings safe.
To protect privacy, the bill says police can only listen to drone signals when necessary. They generally have to delete any recorded data within 180 days unless it is being used for a criminal investigation or a court case.
The Capitol Police must work with the Federal Aviation Administration to make sure their actions do not interfere with regular airplanes or airport safety. They also have to send a report to Congress every six months about how they are using these powers.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

4 milestones5 actions

Jun 24, 2026House

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.

Jun 24, 2026House

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Feb 2, 2026House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

May 13, 2025House

Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

May 13, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.