WASHINGTON
– Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) are leading the introduction
of the Drone Act of 2023.
Their bipartisan proposal seeks to criminalize dangerous drone activity –
including by drug and human traffickers who have embraced drone technology to
facilitate their operations. Alarmingly, criminals have started attaching
weapons to drones, posing significant national security and public safety
concerns.
“As
drone usage continues to increase, we have to modernize our laws to deter
criminal activity. Significant effort went into making sure this bill doesn’t stifle
the positive aspects of drone innovation. A lot of work also went into making
sure this bill gives law enforcement the tools it needs to go after terrorists
and drug cartels that use drones to advance their dangerous enterprises. I’m hopeful
we can move this bill to protect the safety and security of Americans,” Grassley
said.
“As drone technology
advances and criminals look for creative ways to evade detection, today we’re
introducing bipartisan legislation to prohibit the dangerous use of drones
and give law enforcement the tools needed to hold lawbreakers accountable.
I’ll keep working with Republicans and Democrats to get our legislation over
the finish line so we can better support the men and women working around the
clock to secure our border and keep Arizonans safe,” said Kelly.
The
Drone
Act of 2023 would ensure drug traffickers and terrorists cannot use
drones to carry out violent attacks. In recent years, a would-be al Qaeda
operative, Rezwan Ferdus,
pleaded
guilty to charges of attempting to damage federal buildings,
including developing a high-speed drone that could attack the Pentagon with
grenades. International drug traffickers are now using drones to spy on U.S.
law enforcement at the southern border, smuggle drugs into the country and even
drop bombs on competing drug organizations.
Federal
law currently prohibits certain uses for drones, but those provisions are
limited and fail to address a wide range of illicit activity. This legislation will
expand the list of criminal offenses and make them punishable with a $250,000
fine or a prison sentence. Among others, the new covered offenses include:
·
Attaching
a firearm, explosive or other dangerous weapon to a drone;
·
Using
a drone to cause serious bodily injury or death to a person, or causing damage
to property;
·
Interfering
with a law enforcement activity;
·
Transporting
contraband with a drone;
·
Crossing
the U.S. border with a drone.
The
legislation is also cosponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Catherine Cortez
Masto (D-Nev.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Grassley,
Kelly and colleagues
first
introduced a version of this legislation last year.
Bill
text is available
HERE.
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