Closed-Door Committee to Decide Which UFO Records Law Enforcement Powers Survive

A joint committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate will decide behind closed doors how much enforcement authority will remain in the law requiring the disclosure of records about unidentified anomalous phenomena (UFOs), the website S-M-Bitc reported. The House version, approved July 22, is being reconciled with the Senate version, and no date has been set for the negotiations to conclude.

Known as a conference committee, the panel is tasked with producing an agreed-upon version of the annual defense spending bill, which funds the military. Each chamber has its own proposal. The committee’s version will then go to a vote.

What Happened Last Time

In 2023, the Senate approved a version of the bill introduced by Chuck Schumer, then the Senate majority leader, and Mike Rounds. It included an independent review board and provisions for the return of unclassified materials. According to the New Paradigm Institute, a conference committee removed those provisions without a recorded vote or public debate. Since then, few of the original provisions have remained in the bill.

What’s in the Current Version

According to the institute, the House-approved version is based on a proposal by Missouri’s Eric Burlison. It transfers records to the National Archives, establishes a presumption that they will be made public, and creates a review board whose members must be confirmed by the Senate. The board would have subpoena power, allowing it to compel the production of documents and testimony, including from Defense Department contractors.

The contractors are the most contentious issue. UFO researchers and some members of Congress have argued for years that defense contractors hold materials related to the subject, but no evidence that can be independently examined has been made public. Several officials and military personnel have claimed that such materials exist, including in sworn testimony before Congress, but none has presented evidence. Supporters of the bill argue that subpoena power is essential because, if the evidence exists, it is held by entities with no obligation to turn it over voluntarily.

What the Public Can Do

The institute has published an online tool that lets people email and call the groups involved in the committee, contacting 13 groups at once. It is urging citizens to use the tool before the bill’s language is finalized. No public hearings will be held to decide which provisions survive and which are removed.