# 119-hr-9729: Human Authority over Autonomous Weapons Act of 2026

119-hr-9729, Human Authority over Autonomous Weapons Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA); status introduced (as of 2026-08-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9729
- As of: 2026-08-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9729
- Congress: 119
- Title: Human Authority over Autonomous Weapons Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-01

## Summary

**This bill would require the Defense Department to ensure _human command responsibility_ for any use of force involving autonomous or artificial intelligence-enabled weapon systems.** It would mandate human oversight for lethal decisions and a five-year rule requiring non‑AI target verification for such uses of force. - Military commanders and operators would be formally identified and held responsible for authorizing, supervising, and terminating any use of an autonomous or AI-enabled weapon system. They would need to provide human oversight, approval, or be in the loop for intentionally lethal actions. - The Department of Defense would have to establish procedures to implement these responsibilities and follow them in addition to existing DoD Directive 3000.09. - The requirement would not apply to United States missile defense systems or other systems designed to intercept or engage missiles and munitions when those weapons are used against the United States or its Armed Forces. - The Secretary of Defense would have to report to the armed services committees within one year on the procedures put in place and on how often those procedures prevented or delayed uses of force.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Barrett, Tom [R-MI-7] (R-MI), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51] (D-CA), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Human oversight for military AI weapons: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would require the Secretary of Defense to make any use of force by autonomous or AI-enabled weapon systems subject to human command responsibility. The Secretary would have to identify the human commander or operator who authorizes, supervises, and can terminate each use of for…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-9729 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9729)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9729 (as of 2026-08-01).