The “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act of 2023,” introduced by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Todd Young (R-IN), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), establishes several key provisions to facilitate the release of government UFO records:
-
It creates a new “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection” at the National Archives to centralize and preserve all U.S. government records related to unexplained aerial objects and phenomena.
-
The legislation establishes a 9-member oversight board called the “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Review Board” to coordinate and oversee review and disclosure of UFO records. Board members, who require security clearances, must be impartial citizens without any prior involvement in government UFO programs.
-
All government agencies must identify, organize, and prepare UFO records for disclosure to the review board and archives within 300 days. Records already publicly released cannot be re-classified or withheld.
-
Grounds for postponement of disclosure are limited to harm to national security, intelligence sources, or foreign relations. However, the review board can override postponements.
-
The board must create a “Controlled Disclosure Campaign Plan” that recommends a timeline and process for periodic review and public release of any postponed records.
-
The government must disclose and exercise eminent domain over any “technologies of unknown origin” related to UFOs, even if held privately.
-
The review board terminates in 2030 unless Congress extends it. Remaining provisions of the Act terminate once all UFO records have been released.
-
$20 million is authorized to fund the Act’s provisions in Fiscal Year 2024.