S.Amdt. 1984

SA 1984. Mr. KENNEDY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
to amendment SA 1911 submitted by Ms. Cantwell (for herself, Mr. Cruz,
Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Moran) and intended to be proposed to the bill
H.R. 3935, to amend title 49, United States Code, to reauthorize and
improve the Federal Aviation Administration and other civil aviation
programs, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the
table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle A of title IX, add the following:

SEC. 937. EXPANDING USE OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN THE
GULF OF MEXICO.

(a) In General.--The Administrator shall prioritize the
authorization of an eligible UAS test range sponsor
partnering with an eligible airport authority to achieve the
goals specified in subsection (b).
(b) Goals.--The goals of a partnership authorized pursuant
to subsection (a) shall be to test the operations of
innovative technologies in both commercial and non-commercial
applications to--
(1) identify challenges associated with aviation operations
over large bodies of water;
(2) provide transportation of cargo and passengers to
offshore energy infrastructure;
(3) assess the impacts of operations in saltwater
environments;
(4) identify the challenges of integrating such
technologies in complex airspace, including with commercial
rotorcraft; and
(5) identify the differences between coordinating with
Federal air traffic control towers and towers operated under
the FAA Contract Tower Program.
(c) Briefing to Congress.--The Administrator shall provide
an annual briefing to the appropriate committees of Congress
on the status of the partnership authorized under this
section, including detailing any barriers to the
commercialization of innovative technologies in the Gulf of
Mexico.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible airport authority.--The term ``eligible
airport authority'' means an AIP-eligible airport authority
that is--
(A) located in a state bordering the Gulf of Mexico which
does not already contain a UAS Test Range;
(B) has an air traffic control tower operated under the FAA
Contract Tower Program;
(C) is located within 60 miles of a port; and
(D) does not have any scheduled passenger airline service
as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) Innovative technologies.--The term ``innovative
technologies'' means unmanned aircraft systems and powered-
lift aircraft.
(3) UAS.--The term ``UAS'' means an unmanned aircraft
system.
______