LIFT Act of 2025

Sponsor: Jennifer A. Kiggans (Republican-VA)July 23, 2025

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation.

Expands drone flights, speeds up approvals, and funds local electric air taxi projects.

This bill would make it easier for drones to fly beyond what the pilot can see and speed up how quickly drone permits are approved. It would also create a grant program for local governments to test electric air taxis. These changes aim to boost new aviation technologies and prioritize U.S.-made drones.

What Would Change

Today, routine drone flights beyond what the pilot can see are not fully enabled, and the integration of electric air taxis is in early stages. Also, drone waiver applications are reviewed using existing processes without specific artificial intelligence tools. This bill would require new rules for routine drone flights within six months, create a grant program for electric air taxi projects, and deploy AI tools to speed up waiver reviews within 120 days of becoming law.

Key Provisions

Requires the Department of Transportation to create new rules for routine drone flights that go beyond what the pilot can see.
Requires the Department of Transportation to establish metrics for assessing the performance and safety of advanced drone operations.
Requires the Department of Transportation to identify regulatory barriers for advanced drone operations and recommend solutions to the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Creates a grant program for state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to test electric air taxis.
Prioritizes U.S.-made drones for integration into the national airspace system.
Deploys artificial intelligence tools to speed up reviews of drone flight waiver applications.

View on Congress.gov

HR 4686 · 119th Congress · July 23, 2025 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 10/10

LIFT Act of 2025

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity