,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dfhf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #bc1 #bjbe,mrs4 ,kiggans of ,virginia 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,finstad1 ,mr4 ,wittman1 ,mr4 ,mc,cormick1 ,mr4 ,fine1 ,mr4 ,shreve1 and ,mr4 ,crenshaw7 introduced the following bill2 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 systems1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,local ,innovation for ,flight ,technologies ,act of #bjbe or the ,,lift ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress ,the term appropriate committees of ,congress has the meaning given the term in section #ddhja of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,unmanned aircraft system ,the term unmanned aircraft system has the meaning given the term in section #ddhja of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code4 #c4 ,expanding unmanned aircraft systems operations 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,transportation shall-- 7#a7 not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 issue a proposed rule enabling routine ,beyond ,visual ,line of ,sight 7hereinafter referred to as ,,bvlos7 operations for unmanned aircraft systems2 and 7#b7 not later than #f months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 issue a final rule based on the proposed rulemaking issued under paragraph 7#a74 7b7 ,safety metrics ,the ,secretary of ,transportation shall-- 7#a7 not later than #cj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 establish metrics for assessing the performance and safety of ,,bvlos operations of unmanned aircraft systems2 and 7#b7 not later than #ahj days of the date of enactment of this ,act1 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-- 7,a7 addressing the barriers and challenges expeditiously2 and 7,b7 potential regulation or legislative action4 #d4 ,examination of applicable international requirements ,the ,secretary of ,transportation shall-- 7#a7 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 ,aviation2 7#b7 identify potential barriers for the operation described in paragraph 7#a72 and 7#c7 submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress-- 7,a7 a report on the findings under paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b72 and 7,b7 appropriate legislative recommendations necessary to enable such operation4 #e4 ,use of artificial intelligence in waiver determinations 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 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 #ajg of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4 7b7 ,capability of artificial intelligence tools ,the artificial intelligence tools described in subsection 7a7 shall-- 7#a7 support performance- and risk-based evaluation of proposed operations2 7#b7 identify materially similar precedents and recommend consistent mitigation measures2 7#c7 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 waivers2 and 7#d7 be used in accordance with guidance on ,federal use of artificial intelligence1 as detailed in ,office of ,management and ,budget ,memorandum ,m-#be-ba4 7c7 ,additional waiver review ,in conducting the deployment of artificial intelligence tools required under subsection 7a71 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 #ddhjg of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code4 #f4 ,establishment of an electric vertical takeoff and landing pilot program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,transportation1 in coordination with the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 shall establish the electric ,vertical ,takeoff and ,landing 7hereinafter referred to as e,v,t,o,l7 integration pilot program to provide grants to ,state1 local1 ,tribal1 and territorial governments to carry out projects to accelerate the deployment of safe e,v,t,o,l operations in the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,request for proposals 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall issue a public request for proposals for the program established under subsection 7a7 to ,state1 local1 ,tribal1 and territorial governments4 7#b7 ,submission requirements ,such proposals shall be submitted not later than #ij days after the request is issued under subsection 7a7 and include a private sector partner with demonstrated experience in e,v,t,o,l aircraft development1 manufacturing1 and operations4 7c7 ,selection of projects ,not later than #ahj days after the request is issued under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary may select eligible pilot projects that propose to begin e,v,t,o,l operations not later than #ij days after the date on which any agreement for a pilot project is established4 ,selection criteria shall include-- 7#a7 the use of e,v,t,o,l aircraft and technologies developed or offered by a ,united ,states-based entity2 7#b7 overall representation of economic and geographic operations and proposed models of public-private partnership2 and 7#c7 overall representation of the operations to be conducted1 including advanced air mobility1 medical response1 cargo transport1 and rural access4 7d7 ,project agreements 7#a7 ,agreement contents ,the ,secretary shall execute agreements with applicants selected under subsection 7c7 that contain-- 7,a7 project goals2 7,b7 regulatory needs2 7,c7 timelines2 7,d7 information sharing and data exchange mechanisms2 and 7,e7 responsibilities4 7e7 ,reporting 7#a7 ,implementation report ,not later than #ahj days after the selection of pilot program participants under subsection 7c71 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 planning1 interagency coordination1 and any immediate regulatory or legislative challenges identified4 7#b7 ,annual report ,not later than #a year after the date on which the ,secretary submits the initial implementation report under paragraph 7#a71 and annually thereafter until the date specified in subsection 7f71 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,director and the appropriate committees of ,congress a report that includes-- 7,a7 the progress of the pilot program2 7,b7 any evaluation of program goals and outcomes2 7,c7 recommendations for the permanent integration of e,v,t,o,l operations into the national airspace2 and 7,d7 any proposed future initiatives to maintain ,united ,states leadership in e,v,t,o,l flight4 7f7 ,sunset ,the ,secretary shall cease to provide grants under the pilot program established under this section on the date that is #c years after the date the first pilot project becomes operational1 unless the ,secretary determines that an extension is warranted in the national interest4 7g7 ,information use and sharing ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 use the information and experience yielded by the pilot program to inform the development of regulations1 initiatives1 and plans to enable safe e,v,t,o,l operations2 and 7#b7 as appropriate1 share such information with the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,attorney ,general1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security1 and the heads of other relevant agencies4 #g4 ,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 law4