Senate Committee reports HCR 98 urging Congress to coordinate counter‑drone technology at the border

The Senate Committee on Border Security voted to report House Concurrent Resolution 98 to the full Senate, calling on Congress to support coordinated deployment of counter‑unmanned aircraft systems to detect, track, identify and neutralize unauthorized drones near the Texas border.

Senator Hinojosa of Hidalgo told the committee, “Our national security begins at our borders,” and urged greater intergovernmental cooperation so federal, state and local agencies can respond to unauthorized drone activity.

Hinojosa said drones have been used to locate federal border agents, exploit weaknesses along the border and smuggle contraband. He cited data for the Rio Grande Valley sector stating it “reported over 1,000 incursions into U.S. airspace a month and reported 25,000 sightings in 2023.” The committee heard that unmanned aircraft systems can evade traditional detection and disrupt law‑enforcement work.

Jason Day, a resource witness from the Texas Department of Public Safety, was listed as present; no questions for the resource witness were recorded and no members of the public registered to testify on the measure.

Senator Hinojosa moved that HCR 98 be reported to the full Senate with a recommendation that it do pass. A roll call recorded Senator Birdwell, Senator Flores and Senator Hinojosa of Hidalgo voting aye; the clerk recorded three ayes and no nays and the committee reported the resolution favorably to the full Senate. During the roll call and subsequent remarks there was brief procedural confusion about whether an HCR could be placed on "local and uncontested" status; the committee ultimately ordered it as presented.

The resolution itself urges Congress to enhance coordination among federal, state and local authorities in the deployment of counter‑unmanned aircraft systems. The committee record shows no formal amendments, and no public testimony for or against the resolution was taken.