Senate committee advances ban on state, local purchases of drones and tech from Chinese‑owned firms

Senator Dixon, sponsor of Senate Bill 64, told the Senate Rules standing committee Feb. 28 that the bill would “prohibit state and local government from purchasing drones, primarily that were companies that were owned by the government of China.” The committee voted to advance the committee substitute (LC550577S) to the full Rules calendar.

The substitute moves the compliance deadline for replacing affected equipment from 2026 to 2029. Senator Dixon said the change came after conversations with the sheriff’s association and local officials about the time needed to transition from Chinese-made drones to U.S. alternatives. He said some U.S. drone manufacturers offer rebates of “up to $15,000” for trading in older devices.

Committee members questioned how large a share of the market the covered drones represent; one lawmaker asked whether the Chinese-made models made up “about what percent of the market?” and a committee answer referenced an estimate of roughly 95 percent. Committee members also acknowledged public-safety concerns and technological differences between some Chinese-made and U.S.-made models; Dixon said several U.S. manufacturers that are five years old or younger are narrowing that gap and could be competitive within the four-year transition period.

A motion to do pass the committee substitute LC550577S was made by Senator Albers and seconded by Senator Anabotarte; the chairman recorded the motion as carrying unanimously and sent the bill to the Rules calendar for consideration on Monday.

The bill as presented would apply to purchases by state and local governmental entities; the substitute and committee discussion included no changes to private purchases or to any enforcement mechanism beyond procurement prohibitions.

The committee did not identify any statutory cross-references during the discussion. The measure will next appear on the Rules calendar.