(a) In General.—During any fiscal year for which funds are appropriated for the design or construction of an Offshore Patrol Cutter, the Commandant—

(1) may not award a contract for design of an unmanned aircraft system for use by the Coast Guard; and

(2) may lease, acquire, or acquire the services of an unmanned aircraft system only if such system—

(A) has been part of a program of record of, procured by, or used by a Federal entity (or funds for research, development, test, and evaluation have been received from a Federal entity with regard to such system) before the date on which the Commandant leases, acquires, or acquires the services of the system; and

(B) is leased, acquired, or utilized by the Commandant through an agreement with a Federal entity, unless such an agreement is not practicable or would be less cost-effective than an independent contract action by the Coast Guard.


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Terms Used In 14 USC 1156

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC

(b) Small Unmanned Aircraft Exemption.—Subsection (a)(2) does not apply to small unmanned aircraft.

(c) Definitions.—In this section, the terms “small unmanned aircraft” and “unmanned aircraft system” have the meanings given those terms in section 44801 of title 49.