The UAP Disclosure Act requires agencies to identify and preserve UAP records. Here is what it does, what it means, and what was stripped.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Mike Rounds announce the UAP Disclosure Act in July 2023. The original version would have created an independent review board to declassify UAP records. The version that passed into law was a scaled-down version.
What the UAP Disclosure Act Does
The UAP Disclosure Act, as signed into law as part of the FY2024 NDAA (Public Law 118-31, Section 1673), establishes a legal framework for how the U.S. government handles records related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. The law requires federal agencies to:
- Identify all UAP records in their custody, including records that are currently classified
- Submit those records to a centralized collection managed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- Preserve those records for potential future review and public release
- Communicate with AARO and NARA regarding records in their custody
The law defines UAP records broadly. According to the Congress.gov text of the Senate amendment, a UAP record includes any record that relates to the “identification, collection, exploitation, and analysis” of UAP, including technical data, intelligence reports, sensor data, and any communications or records that reference UAP programs or activities.
The law also establishes a presumption of public disclosure. Under the law, UAP records should be made available to the public unless a specific exemption applies. However, the law does not create an independent body to enforce this presumption or to override agency decisions to keep records classified.
Where the UAPDA Came From: The JFK Records Act Model
The UAP Disclosure Act was explicitly modeled on the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. The JFK Records Act created an independent review board of five citizens, nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, with the authority to identify, collect, and declassify records related to the Kennedy assassination.
The JFK Records Act had a specific mechanism: the review board could recommend that records be released. The President could override the board’s recommendation and keep records classified, but only by issuing a personal certification that disclosure would cause specific harms (damage to military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or foreign relations). This created a strong incentive toward disclosure because the President would have to personally accept political responsibility for keeping records secret.
The JFK Records Act model worked. According to the National Archives, the JFK Assassination Records Review Board oversaw the release of more than 5 million pages of documents. By 2023, approximately 99 percent of assassination-related records had been released to the public. The remaining documents were withheld by individual agencies, not by the review board.
Senators Schumer and Rounds designed the original UAPDA to follow this same model. The original version, introduced as an amendment to the FY2024 NDAA in July 2023, would have:
- Created an independent UAP Records Review Board with citizen members nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate
- Given the board authority to review and approve the public release of UAP records, or postpone disclosure when specific harms could be demonstrated
- Established a presumption of immediate disclosure (records public unless the board found specific grounds for postponement)
- Authorized the board to declassify UAP records regardless of their classification level
- Included eminent domain provisions allowing the government to take ownership of any “recovered technologies of unknown origin and biological evidence of non-human intelligence” controlled by private persons or entities
- Required a “Controlled Disclosure Campaign Plan” to systematically review and release records over a defined timeline
The Senate passed the FY2024 NDAA with the full UAPDA language on July 27, 2023, by a vote of 86 to 11. The House passed its version of the NDAA on July 14, 2023, by a vote of 219 to 210. The conference committee that reconciled the two versions was where the UAPDA was significantly modified.
What Was Stripped During Conference
The final version of the FY2024 NDAA, signed into law by President Biden on December 22, 2023, contained a significantly scaled-down version of the UAPDA. According to reporting by Douglas Dean Johnson, the Pentagon’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security submitted a 33-page proposed rewrite to congressional negotiators in late November 2023 that sought to remove most of the UAPDA’s enforcement mechanisms.
The following provisions were eliminated from the final NDAA:
- Independent Review Board: The citizen review board with authority to declassify records was removed entirely. No independent body exists to review agency decisions to withhold UAP records.
- Declassification Authority: The board’s power to declassify records regardless of classification level was removed. Individual agencies retain full control over their classified UAP records.
- Eminent Domain: The provision allowing the government to take ownership of privately-held UAP materials was removed. Private entities and individuals continue to hold any UAP-related materials they may possess without government oversight.
- Controlled Disclosure Campaign Plan: The systematic review and release timeline was removed. No structured timeline for UAP record disclosure exists in the law.
- Presidential Override Mechanism: The requirement that the President personally certify any postponement of disclosure was removed. Agencies can classify UAP records under existing classification frameworks without presidential review.
Former AARO Director Sean Kirkpatrick told Douglas Dean Johnson that the Pentagon actively opposed the full UAPDA during conference negotiations. According to Johnson’s reporting, Kirkpatrick asserted that the Pentagon/AARO successfully derailed the Schumer-Rounds UAPDA in late 2023.
What Survived: Section 1673
The version of the UAPDA that became law as Section 1673 of the FY2024 NDAA retains the following:
- Establishment of a UAP Records Collection at the National Archives
- Requirement for agencies to identify and preserve UAP records
- Requirement for agencies to communicate with AARO and NARA about UAP records
- Presumption of public disclosure (records should be public unless exempted)
- UAP definition aligned with the FY2022 NDAA (covering air, space, sea, and transmedium phenomena)
According to the Rdrnews.com analysis, the final version left “only a few remnants, such as establishing a new UAP records collection to be managed by NARA.” The enforcement mechanisms that made the JFK Records Act effective, the independent review board and presidential override, were absent.
The 2025 and 2026 Versions: Attempts to Restore the Full UAPDA
Multiple attempts have been made to restore the provisions that were stripped from the original UAPDA.
UAP Disclosure Act of 2024 (FY2025 NDAA attempt)
In July 2024, Senators Schumer and Rounds re-submitted the UAPDA as a possible floor amendment (SA 2610) to the FY2025 NDAA. According to MeriTalk, the Rules Committee stripped UFO amendments from the FY2025 NDAA before it reached the House floor. The FY2025 NDAA was signed into law without UAP disclosure provisions.
UAP Disclosure Act of 2025 (FY2026 NDAA)
In August 2025, Representative Eric Burlison introduced the UAP Disclosure Act of 2025 as an amendment to the FY2026 NDAA. According to Burlison’s office, the amendment aims to “increase transparency on government records related to UAP.”
A Senate version (SA 3111) was also introduced by Senators Gillibrand and Rounds. The Senate version is labeled the “UAP Disclosure Act of 2025” and was submitted as a possible floor amendment to the FY2026 NDAA. Both versions aim to restore the independent review board and declassification authority that were stripped in the FY2024 conference.
UAP Transparency Act (H.R. 1187)
In the House, Representative Jared Moskowitz introduced the UAP Transparency Act as a standalone bill. The bill requires the President to submit quarterly reports to the House Oversight Committee and the Senate Homeland Security Committee detailing progress toward implementing UAP disclosure across all federal departments and agencies.
UAP Whistleblower Protection Act (H.R. 5060)
A companion bill, the UAP Whistleblower Protection Act, was introduced to provide legal protections for government employees who disclose information about UAP programs. This bill addresses the concern raised by David Grusch at the July 2023 hearing, where he stated that officials with knowledge of UAP programs faced career consequences for coming forward.
What This Means for the Public
The UAP Disclosure Act in its current form means that UAP records are being identified and preserved at the National Archives. It does not mean those records are being released to the public. Without an independent review board, the decision to declassify UAP records remains with the agencies that hold them, the same agencies that have classified those records in the first place.
The practical impact for the public is limited but not zero:
- Records are being collected: Agencies are required to identify UAP records and submit them to NARA. This means a centralized collection of UAP records exists for the first time, even if access is restricted.
- Preservation is required: Agencies cannot destroy UAP records under the law. Records that might otherwise have been discarded or lost are now legally required to be preserved.
- Future disclosure is possible: The records collection at NARA provides a foundation for future declassification efforts if Congress passes stronger legislation or if executive policy changes.
- No enforcement mechanism exists: The law creates a presumption of public disclosure, but there is no independent body to enforce that presumption. If an agency decides to keep a UAP record classified, the law provides no mechanism for the public to challenge that decision.
The law authorizes $20 million for fiscal year 2026 to implement its provisions, according to uapda.org. This funding supports the establishment and operation of the review board, processing and digitization of UAP records, and creation and maintenance of the public-facing collection.
The Bottom Line
The UAP Disclosure Act is a real federal law with real requirements for government agencies. It establishes a records collection and a presumption of public disclosure. But the version that passed into law is a fraction of what was proposed. The independent review board, the declassification authority, the eminent domain provisions, and the systematic disclosure timeline were all removed during congressional negotiations. The law requires agencies to save their UAP records. It does not require them to release those records to you.
The gap between what was proposed and what was enacted is significant. The original UAPDA would have created a mechanism similar to what worked for the JFK assassination records: an independent body with the power to override agency secrecy. The Pentagon opposed that mechanism and, according to former AARO Director Sean Kirkpatrick, succeeded in removing it. Whether Congress can restore it depends on the FY2026 NDAA negotiations and whether bipartisan support for UAP disclosure translates into legislative action.
Multiple legislative efforts are underway to restore the full UAPDA. Whether those efforts succeed depends on the outcome of the FY2026 NDAA negotiations and whether Congress decides to push back against Pentagon opposition to the disclosure framework.
YouTube Videos
Senator Mike Rounds confirms his plan to reintroduce the UAP Disclosure Act in an exclusive interview with Ross Coulthart on NewsNation’s Reality Check, July 2025.
Senator Rounds expresses confidence that the UAP Disclosure Amendment will remain in the NDAA, speaking exclusively with NewsNation after a UAP hearing, September 2025.
Analysis of Senator Schumer’s 2025 re-filing of the UAPDA, which still includes eminent domain provisions. From the Psicoactivo podcast, July 2025.
Sources
Legislation and Government Documents
Senate Amendment 2610: UAP Disclosure Act of 2024: Full text of the Senate-passed version of the UAPDA as submitted by Senators Schumer and Rounds.
H.R. 1187: UAP Transparency Act: Standalone House bill requiring quarterly presidential reports on UAP disclosure progress.
H.R. 5060: UAP Whistleblower Protection Act: Bill providing legal protections for government employees who disclose UAP information.
Senate Amendment 3111: UAP Disclosure Act of 2025: Senate version of the 2025 UAPDA submitted as amendment to FY2026 NDAA.
Schumer-Rounds Press Release (July 2023): Original announcement of the UAP Disclosure Act with description of key provisions.
News and Analysis
Douglas Dean Johnson: Pentagon’s 33-Page Rewrite of the UAPDA: Detailed reporting on the Pentagon’s proposed rewrite and Kirkpatrick’s claims about derailing the UAPDA.
Inside Government Contracts: Implications of the UAP Amendment in the FY2024 NDAA: Legal analysis of what survived and what was stripped.
MeriTalk: FY2025 NDAA Advances with UFO Amendments Stripped: Coverage of the Rules Committee removing UAP amendments from the FY2025 NDAA.
Rep. Burlison: UAP Disclosure Act of 2025: Press release announcing the 2025 UAPDA submission.
Reference and Guides
UAPDA.org: Introduction and Guide: Comprehensive guide to the UAP Disclosure Act provisions, funding, and background.
UAP Caucus: UAPDA Guide: Congressional UAP caucus resource on the UAPDA.
Wikipedia: FY2024 NDAA: Overview of the NDAA, including UAP provisions and legislative history.
Related Articles
Congressional UAP Hearing 2024: What witnesses told Congress about UAP in the November 2024 hearing.
UAP Hearing Key Takeaways Summary: Summary of all three congressional UAP hearings since 2022.
AARO: The Pentagon’s UAP Office: What AARO does and its track record.
What Does UAP Stand For in Government: The official definition and terminology history.