UFO sightings: In a first, civilian pilots could report UAP to FAA under proposed bill

Commercial airline pilots who witness crafts flying through the skies in unexplainable ways would be able to report the UFO sightings to the federal government under a House bill introduced Thursday.

The bipartisan legislation comes months after House leaders heard testimony from military officers who described reports of mysterious objects outmaneuvering military jets. Within weeks of the public hearing, the Pentagon's office to investigate UFOs unveiled a website where military members and other government workers could make reports of sightings dating back to 1945.

But while the public can access declassified information about UFOs on the website, they are unable to make reports of their own.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California) and Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wisconsin) both sponsored the new bill, which would at least create a reporting mechanism for civilian pilots who claim to see UFOs, which the government now refers to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP.) The term is not only less loaded than "UFO" – a label that may conjure images of flying saucers and little green men – but broadens its definition to include objects spotted not just in the skies, but also near or under water.

Garcia called UAP transparency "incredibly important for our national security" in a statement, which he said was the basis for the proposed measures.

“This bill is another step forward for disclosure and to provide a safe process for UAP reporting by civilian and commercial personnel," Garcia said.

Commercial pilots, other airline workers, could report UFOs to FAA

Under the provisions that Garcia and Grothman proposed, civilian and commercial pilots would be able to report UAP sightings to the the Federal Aviation Administration, which would be compelled to raise them up to the Pentagon's All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.

FAA air traffic controllers, flight attendants, maintenance workers, dispatchers, and airlines themselves would also be able to make UAP reports under the legislation. Before bringing the reports to the resolution office, the FAA would first be required to compile relevant communication, information or data to complement the first-hand sightings.

If the bill were to be signed into law, the FAA would also be tasked with analyzing any threats such incidents could pose to national security and U.S. airspace.

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Bill includes legal protections for those who report sightings

Among the most critical components that Garcia and Grothman included in their proposed legislation is language providing legal protections to those who make reports. The representatives acknowledged that a skeptical culture still exists that stigmatizes or punishes those who make claims of seeing unexplainable objects whizzing through the air.

Pilots and other airline employees who report UAP would be shielded from being medically disqualified simply for making a report. The bill would also make it illegal for airlines to retaliate against employees who report sightings or to even issue cease-and-desist letters.

Grothman called the legislation a "crucial initiative that empowers those on the frontline of our skies to contribute valuable intelligence regarding UAP sightings that can help ensure that potential threats are thoroughly investigated."

"Our bipartisan effort highlights our need for transparency from the federal government regarding UAPs to better protect the safety and security of American citizens,” Grothman said in a statement.

Congressmen heard stunning UAP testimony in July

Garcia and Grothman are both on the House Oversight subcommittee that in July heard testimony from two former Navy pilots who came forward with information about objects routinely violating U.S. airspace.

Lt. Ryan Graves and Cmdr. David Fravor each provided accounts of specific incidents they had either witnessed over the years or heard about from other pilots they deemed credible. Some of the accounts they described were of aircrafts displaying capabilities they believed were beyond any known human technology.

Fravor himself was among Navy pilots who spotted the now-famous Tic Tac-shaped object that was captured in 2004 on video during a flight off the coast of Southern California. In testifying about the well-known sighting, Fravor described the oval object as "perfectly white, smooth, no windows," and displaying flight capabilities that were unheard of.

The hearing also included former Pentagon intelligence official David Grusch, who testified about an alleged shadowy "multi-decade" Pentagon program to retrieve and study not only downed spacecraft, but extraterrestrial pilots. The Pentagon has repeatedly denied that such a program exists.

The hearing served to reignite long-held public suspicions that the U.S. military and other high levels of government are suppressing information about extraterrestrial activity and galvanized a movement for transparency.

The Representatives' bill has the endorsement of the Americans for Safe Aerospace, of which Graves is the executive director.

“Pilots are trained observers of our skies, but I have heard from dozens of frustrated pilots for major airlines who witnessed UAP yet had no confidential way to report them to the government," Graves said in a statement. "I am incredibly encouraged to see Congressman Garcia and Congressman Grothman standing with pilots and taking a pragmatic and historic step forward for national security and aviation safety.”

Other UAP legislation moving through Congress

The bill's introduction comes less than a month since Congress passed a watered-down version of a bill seeking the release of the executive branch's UFO records.

The legislation, which President Joe Biden was expected to sign into law, was a disappointment to many advocates who had long fought for government transparency about UAP. While the measure directs the government to disclose to the public at least some records about UAP, it grants various agencies wide latitude in concealing certain information.

But some still hope that after years of secrecy, the government is slowly coming around to the idea of sharing more information publicly. In the same month that the Pentagon revealed its UAP website, NASA released a report of its own highlighting the space agency's intention to study reports. NASA also hired a director of UAP research.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bipartisan bill would allow commercial pilots to report UFO sightings