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Committee hears bill to ban knowingly flying drones over schools; amendment adds standalone childcare centers
Summary
Representative Seegrest presented sponsor testimony on HB 597 to prohibit knowingly operating unmanned aerial vehicles over schools and certain standalone childcare centers, with graduated penalties and exemptions for government and authorized commercial operators; Vice Chair Daniels' amendment to explicitly include standalone childcare centers was adopted without objection.
Representative Seegrest told the Transportation Committee that House Bill 597 would close a legal gap uncovered after incidents in another state where drones were flown near school windows.
"This bill is a proactive measure to protect the safety, privacy, and security of students and young children," Seegrest said, describing episodes in which drone operators approached school windows and local law enforcement found no statute that clearly prohibited the conduct.
Under the bill as presented, "school" is defined broadly to cover traditional public schools, community schools, STEM schools, charter nonpublic schools, joint vocational…
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