§1829 Government-wide Policy for Procurement of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Summary

OMB must create, within 180 days after the Act is passed, a government-wide policy for buying unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for non-Defense and non‑intelligence uses and for grants or cooperative agreements with nonfederal groups. OMB must work with the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Department of Justice, other departments it chooses, and consult the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The policy must set security rules, using industry standards and NIST advice when possible, to protect federal information on UAS. It must cover controlled access; managing changes to software, firmware, and hardware with secure update methods; cryptographic protection of sensitive, privacy, and controlled unclassified data; safeguards during and after use; keeping data out of nonapproved storage or destinations; and letting users opt out of sending nonrequired data and choose with whom required data is shared. The policy must use a risk-based approach. Within 180 days after the policy is issued, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council must revise the Federal Acquisition Regulation as needed, and any agency not fully under the FAR must update its own rules. OMB must include subtitle exemptions and allow a written waiver by the head of the buying agency (not delegable below Deputy Secretary or Administrator) if no compliant product meets mission-critical needs; the waiver must say how many items and the procurement value, last no more than 3 years, be reported to OMB, and be sent within 30 days to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the House of Representatives.