Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House OKs bill to criminalize drone incursions at prison perimeters
Summary
House Bill 5 22, which creates restricted perimeter airspace around correctional facilities and increases penalties for flying drones into that area and for dropping contraband, passed the House after proponents described repeated incursions and security risks.
The Idaho House passed House Bill 5 22, a measure sponsors said would allow correctional officers and police to take action against drones that enter a restricted perimeter around prisons and to impose criminal penalties for incursions and for dropping contraband.
A sponsor summarized the problem as multiple incursions where drones delivered contraband into prison perimeters, telling colleagues that drones “can carry up to 50 pounds” and describing them in stark terms: "They're weapons of mass destruction, essentially." The sponsor said the bill makes entry into a restricted perimeter a misdemeanor with fines up to $5,000 and up to a year in jail, and that dropping contraband would be a felony.
The sponsor said the measure is a first step and noted federal programs (the "Safe Skies Act") may fund future tracking and interdiction capabilities. The House recorded a majority vote in favor and the bill was transmitted to the Senate.
