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Senate committee hears bill to criminalize unsafe drone use near emergency operations
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 49, a Department of Safety–backed measure that would create criminal penalties for misuse of small unmanned aircraft systems (drones), targeting interference with emergency responders, airport operations and deliveries to correctional facilities.
Sen. Regina Buritzel, prime sponsor of Senate Bill 49, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Department of Safety requested the bill to create crimes and penalties for unlawful use of small unmanned aircraft systems.
The bill would make it a misdemeanor to operate a small UAS that interferes with law enforcement, firefighting or other emergency response operations, Sen. Regina Buritzel said. It also would create an array of tougher penalties: a misdemeanor for operating a small UAS in FAA-restricted airspace over a correctional facility, a class B felony if the operation was intended to deliver contraband or aid an escape, and felony charges when a UAS operation causes damage to a manned aircraft or injuries.
The measure directs courts to look to Federal Aviation Administration rules in defining some conduct and, in an amendment the…
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