H.R. 2183: Drones Accountability Act

113th Congress · introduced 2013-05-23 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-05-23 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-13] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Drones Accountability Act

Plain summary

Drones Accountability Act - Prohibits the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from operating or controlling armed unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) or combat aircraft. Prohibit any member of the U.S. Armed Forces and any other employee or contractor of the Department of Defense (DOD) from carrying out an order or authorization from any CIA employee or contractor to use lethal force. Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to report to Congress on: (1) the existence and sufficiency of civilian protection mechanisms in accordance with international law concerning armed operations that use unmanned aerial operations; (2) the methodology used to distinguish combatants from civilians before armed operations and after a strike has occurred; (3) the existence and sufficiency of standards for the identification of targets and the sufficiency of intelligence sources and analysis where there is limited U.S. ground presence; and (4) the existence and sufficiency of processes for recognizing the effects of drone strikes on the organization being targeted and on the country or region in which the strike takes place. Requires the DOD, Department of Justice (DOJ), and CIA, once every three months, to provide Congress with all legal opinions giving advice with regard the authority to use lethal force in order to justify operations. Expresses the sense of Congress that a moratorium must be enforced against the lethal use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles until the Administration has presented, and Congress has approved, sufficient safeguards and sufficient oversight addressing the concerns highlighted in the report required by this Act. Bars, until such safeguards are in place, the obligation or expenditure of any funding available for the Armed Forces or the CIA for the purpose of using lethal force against an individual unless: (1) that individual presents an imminent threat to the United States, (2) lethal force is the last resort, and (3) the harm caused to civilians or civilian property is proportional and does not violate international humanitarian law.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Drones Accountability Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-13] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

James P. McGovern (D-MA)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113hr2183.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr2183 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113