Texas HB41 makes it by way of committee – sUAS Information

This Texas Home Invoice No. 41 prohibits governmental entities in Texas from buying or utilizing unmanned plane, associated tools, or providers produced or supplied by firms owned or managed by, or headquartered in, China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Syria. This prohibition applies no matter whether or not the corporate’s securities are publicly traded or if the corporate is listed on a public inventory alternate as being from a kind of nations.

The invoice permits governmental entities that acquired such tools or providers earlier than September 1, 2025, to proceed utilizing them till September 1, 2030.

Moreover, the invoice establishes the Regulation Enforcement Safe Unmanned Plane Grant Program, administered by the legal professional common, to offer grants to legislation enforcement businesses to interchange prohibited tools acquired earlier than September 1, 2025, that’s nonetheless in use. Grant recipients should give up the changed tools. This grant program will expire as soon as all appropriated funds are spent.

Lastly, the invoice requires the Division of Info Assets to create a mannequin safety plan by December 1, 2025, concerning the acquisition or use of telecommunications or video surveillance tools or providers from firms which will pose a danger to state safety, together with these listed within the unmanned plane prohibition.

This Act takes impact on September 1, 2025.

89R4658 JSC-F

By: Hefner H.B. No. 41

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT
regarding the acquisition or use of sure international tools or providers by a governmental entity.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. The heading to Chapter 423, Authorities Code, is
amended to learn as follows:
CHAPTER 423. [USE OF] UNMANNED AIRCRAFT
SECTION 2. Sections 423.001, 423.002, 423.003, 423.004,
423.0045, 423.0046, 423.005, 423.006, 423.007, 423.008, and
423.009, Authorities Code, are designated as Subchapter A, Chapter
423, Authorities Code, and a heading is added to Subchapter A to learn
as follows:

SUBCHAPTER A. REGULATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT
SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 423, Authorities Code, as added by this Act, is amended by including Part 423.010 to learn as follows:

Sec. 423.010. ACQUISITION OR USE OF CERTAIN FOREIGN UNMANNED AIRCRAFT OR RELATED EQUIPMENT OR SERVICES BY GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY PROHIBITED. (a) On this part:

(1) “Firm” means a sole proprietorship, group, affiliation, company, partnership, three way partnership, restricted partnership, restricted legal responsibility partnership, or restricted legal responsibility firm, together with a completely owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary, guardian firm, or affiliate of these entities or enterprise associations, that exists to make a revenue.

(2) “Governmental entity” means this state, a political subdivision of this state, or an company of this state or a political subdivision of this state.
(b) Besides as supplied by Subsection (d), a governmental entity could not purchase or use an unmanned plane, or associated tools or providers, produced or supplied by an organization that the governmental entity is aware of or has cause to imagine is:
(1) owned by or nearly all of inventory or different possession curiosity of the corporate is held or managed by:
(A) the federal government of China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Syria; or
(B) an organization or different entity, together with a authorities entity, that’s owned or managed by the federal government of China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Syria; or
(2) headquartered in China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or Syria.
(c) The prohibition described by Subsection (b) applies no matter whether or not:
(1) the corporate’s or its guardian firm’s securities are publicly traded; or
(2) the corporate or its guardian firm is listed on a public inventory alternate as a Chinese language, Iranian, North Korean, Russian, or Syrian firm.
(d) A governmental entity that, earlier than September 1, 2025, acquired, or entered right into a contract or settlement to amass, an unmanned plane or associated tools or providers described by Subsection (b) could proceed to make use of the unmanned plane or associated tools or providers till September 1, 2030.
SECTION 4. Chapter 423, Authorities Code, is amended by including Subchapter B to learn as follows:

SUBCHAPTER B. GRANT PROGRAM
Sec. 423.051. DEFINITION. On this subchapter, “program” means the Regulation Enforcement Safe Unmanned Plane Grant Program administered underneath this subchapter.
Sec. 423.052. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. (a) From cash appropriated for the aim, the legal professional common shall set up a grant program underneath this subchapter to offer grants to legislation enforcement businesses to interchange working tools prohibited underneath Part 423.010 that was actively in use by the legislation enforcement businesses instantly earlier than September 1, 2025, and that has not reached its finish of life earlier than that date.
(b) The legal professional common shall award grants underneath this system from cash appropriated for functions of this system.
Sec. 423.053. GRANT APPLICATION. (a) A legislation enforcement company could apply for a grant from the legal professional common within the kind and method prescribed by the legal professional common.
(b) The grant software should embrace the quantity and varieties of unmanned plane or associated tools that require substitute.
Sec. 423.054. USE OF FUNDS. Grant recipients could use funds solely to buy substitute unmanned plane or associated tools that complies with Part 423.010.
Sec. 423.055. SURRENDER OF REPLACED UNMANNED AIRCRAFT OR RELATED EQUIPMENT. To allow the designated entity to check or eliminate the plane or associated tools, a grant recipient
promptly shall give up to an entity designated by the legal professional common the prohibited unmanned plane or associated tools with respect to which the grant was awarded.
Sec. 423.056. EXPIRATION OF SUBCHAPTER. This subchapter expires on the second anniversary of the date that every one cash appropriated for the grant program established underneath this subchapter has been expended.
SECTION 5. Chapter 2054, Authorities Code, is amended by including Subchapter T to learn as follows:
SUBCHAPTER T. MODEL SECURITY PLAN REGARDING CERTAIN FOREIGN
TELECOMMUNICATIONS OR VIDEO SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGIES
Sec. 2054.651. MODEL SECURITY PLAN FOR PROHIBITED OR SUSPECT TECHNOLOGIES. (a) On this part, “firm” and “governmental entity” have the meanings assigned by Part
423.010.
(b) The division shall create and as vital amend a mannequin safety plan for prohibited or suspect applied sciences to handle a governmental entity’s acquisition or use of telecommunications or video surveillance tools or providers which will current a danger to state safety.
(c) The mannequin safety plan should record recognized firms that produce or present telecommunications or video surveillance tools or providers which will current a danger to state safety.
The record should embrace any international firm that’s:
(1) described by Part 423.010;
(2) prohibited from collaborating in federal contracts underneath Part 889, John S. McCain Nationwide Protection
Authorization Act for Fiscal 12 months 2019 (Pub. L. No. 115-232), or different federal legislation; or
(3) thought of by the division to pose a danger to state safety.
(d) The division shall make the mannequin safety plan created underneath this part obtainable to governmental entities.
SECTION 6. Part 423.010(b), Authorities Code, as added by
this Act:
(1) applies to the acquisition of an unmanned plane or associated tools or providers on or after the efficient date of this Act, besides {that a} contract or settlement to buy or in any other case purchase an unmanned plane or associated tools or providers described by that subsection that’s entered into earlier than the efficient date of this Act is unaffected by this Act; and
(2) besides as in any other case supplied by Part
423.010(d), Authorities Code, as added by this Act, applies to the usage of an unmanned plane or associated tools or providers on or after the efficient date of this Act, no matter whether or not the unmanned plane or associated tools or providers had been acquired earlier than, on, or after the efficient date of this Act.
SECTION 7. Not later than December 1, 2025, the Division of Info Assets shall create the preliminary mannequin safety plan required by Part 2054.651, Authorities Code, as added by
this Act.
SECTION 8. This Act takes impact September 1, 2025.

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