PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-635.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · May 13, 2015
Commercial UAS Modernization Act
This bill amends the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to permit a person to operate a small commercial unmanned aircraft (drone) without an airworthiness certificate within the United States for the period beginning on enactment of this Act and ending on the effective date of a final rule based on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking "Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems" dated February 23, 2015, subject to the following conditions and restrictions:
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must receive proof that the drone owner has liability insurance for the drone;
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
the owner must register the drone;
the operator must pass a test developed to assess initial aeronautical knowledge and a proficiency test administered by a drone test site; and
the operator must demonstrate the ability to fly the drone in accordance with certain operating restrictions concerning visibility, time of day, air traffic control, airspace, preflight inspection, and operator health.
A drone may not be operated until the operator of a test site certifies that it meets the requirements in the rulemaking notice and can operate within the restrictions.
The owner or operator of a drone involved in an accident causing personal injury or property damage must report it to the FAA within two days after the accident.
The FAA shall:
appoint a Deputy Associate Administrator for Unmanned Aircraft,
establish a joint aircraft system research and development data collection and analysis program at the William J. Hughes Technical Center, and
implement an air traffic management pilot program to research and test a new regulatory structure for drone operations in airspace below 1,200 feet.
People & committees
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] · D–NJ
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-635.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze S.1314 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine S.1314 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine S.1314 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine S.1314 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.