Committee hears wide-ranging testimony on proposal to ban Chinese- and Russian-made drones for public entities

House members held a public hearing on House Bill 751 and House Bill 930, introduced to prevent state and local governments from purchasing drones manufactured in the People’s Republic of China or the Russian Federation and to require affected public entities to retire such drones within two years unless a waiver is granted by the director of public safety.

Josh Hobert, presenting the bills alongside Mark Myers, said Chinese-made drones now account for a large share of the U.S. market and asserted federal security concerns, referencing prior Pentagon and Commerce Department steps. Hobert said the bills give Missouri public entities two years to remove Chinese or Russian drones from their fleets and allow the director of public safety to issue waivers in “exigent” or other specified circumstances.

Supporters’ arguments Mason Sisk of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) told the committee that several federal agencies have raised security concerns and said many states are considering similar measures. James Harris (StateArmor Action) and other witnesses cited warnings from the Department of Defense, the FBI and CISA and urged action to avoid…