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S. 1809

U.S. Senate•Senate Floor Calendar

Summary

S. 1809, the Drone Espionage Act, was introduced in the Senate on May 20, 2025 by Sen. Ashley Moody (R) with 13 co-sponsors. It last saw action on Feb 9, 2026: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 316.

Record

Text

S. 1809 has 13 co-sponsors.

sb1809/introduced-in-senate.txt
119 S1809 IS: Drone Espionage Act
 U.S. Senate
 2025-05-20
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
   119th CONGRESS  1st Session  S. 1809  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   May 20, 2025   Mrs. Moody  (for herself,  Mr. Cotton ,  Mr. Lee ,  Mr. Budd ,  Mr. Moreno , and  Mr. Tillis ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on the Judiciary    A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking or transmitting video of defense information, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Drone Espionage Act  .
2.
Taking or transmitting video of defense information prohibited
Section 793 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting  video,  after  photographic negative,  each place such term appears.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-05-20
  2. Passed Senate
  3. Passed House
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

CRS Summary

The summaries are the Congressional Research Service’s, one per stage. Read them in full.

Reported to Senate Feb 9, 2026

sb1809/reported-to-senate.md

Shown Here:
Reported to Senate (02/09/2026)

Drone Espionage Act

This bill makes it a federal crime under the Espionage Act to engage in certain activities related to obtaining, receiving, or transmitting video of national defense information. The term national defense information means information or other material that is related to national defense.

The Espionage Act prohibits certain activities related to obtaining, receiving, or transmitting national defense information that could harm the United States or aid a foreign nation. Under current law, the prohibitions only apply if national defense information is obtained, received, or transmitted by certain means, such as a sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, document, writing, or note. Under current law, a violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.

This bill makes the criminal prohibitions under the Espionage Act applicable if national defense information is obtained, received, or transmitted by means of video. Under this bill, a violator is subject to the same penalties as under existing law—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.

Sponsors

Sen. Ashley Moody (R) sponsors S. 1809, and 13 members have co-sponsored it, 5 of them from the day it was introduced.

Committees

S. 1809 went before 2 committees: Judiciary and Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee.

Judiciary
Judiciary
Reported By · Feb 9, 2026
Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee
Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee
Hearings By (subcommittee) · Jun 10, 2025

Actions

S. 1809 has taken 6 actions since May 20, 2025, the latest on Feb 9, 2026.

ChamberAction
Feb 9, 2026
Senate
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley without amendment. Without written report.Judiciary Committee
Feb 9, 2026
Senate
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 316.
Feb 5, 2026
Senate
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.Judiciary Committee
Jun 10, 2025
Senate
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs. Hearings held.Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee
May 20, 2025
Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.Judiciary Committee

Votes

S. 1809 has not gone to a roll call.

1 bill is related to S. 1809, as Identical bill.

Titles

S. 1809 goes by 4 titles, 2 of them short titles.

  • Drone Espionage Act — Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
  • Drone Espionage Act — Display Title
  • Drone Espionage Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit taking or transmitting video of defense information, and for other purposes. — Official Title as Introduced

Cost estimate

The Congressional Budget Office has filed 1 estimate for S. 1809, the latest on Apr 13, 2026.

Lobbying

1 client hired 1 firm and 12 registered lobbyists who named S. 1809 in 1 quarterly filing, 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Civil Rights/Civil Liberties.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION—District of Columbia11—

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION11—

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
CHRISTOPHER ANDERS111
ELLEN FLENNIKEN111
HADDY GASSAMA111
KATE VOIGT111
KEYARMIN HAMADANCHY111
KIMBERLY CONWAY111
MADISON ROBERTS111
NAUREEN SHAH111
NINA PATEL111
SARAH MEHTA111
TARA PALMER STUTSMAN111
VANIA LEVEILLE111

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNIONAMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION2026 first_quarter$720K1st Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files S. 1809 under Crime and Law Enforcement, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 4 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; S. 1809’s is Crime and Law Enforcement.

s1809/policy-areas.txt
Crime and Law EnforcementAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public WorksWater Resources Development

Legislative Subjects

S. 1809 carries 4 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from Digital media to Military operations and strategy.

s1809/subjects.txt
Digital mediaEspionage and treasonMilitary facilities and propertyMilitary operations and strategy

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com