Lawmaker Proposes Restrictions on Hobby Drones

The Consumer Electronics Association estimates 700,000 Americans will buy hobby drones this year. A Plymouth Township legislator has proposed what he calls “reasonable restrictions on their use.” (Photo by Flickr user Kevla)

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A southeast Michigan legislator has introduced a set of bills regulating the use of drones, saying that even in the air, there are some lines that shouldn’t be crossed.

State Rep. Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth Township, said personal unmanned aircraft have interfered with emergency public safety efforts and utility services or been used in a criminal act.

In California, for example, drone hobbyists attempting the record the wildfires obstructed the work of firefighters attempting to control the fast-moving fires. In August, a drone was used as a high-flying drug mule to drop marijuana, heroin and tobacco into an Ohio prison yard, sparking a fight among inmates that was resolved by force.

Also, Heise said, hobbyists using drones to take up-close pictures and video of utility operations have created concerns about potential collisions that could cost human life or interrupt utility utility services.

“Drones are becoming more and more commonplace and, while the majority of operators are doing no deliberate harm, a few bad actors are showing us where the lines need to be drawn,” Heise said in a statement. “These bills are designed to place very reasonable restrictions on the manner in which unmanned aircraft can be used.”

House Bills 4866 and 4867 would establish a “no fly” zone for drones within 1,500 feet of any state prison or county jail in Michigan, except for those operated by law enforcement.

“Generally speaking, drone operators really would not have any good reason to be flying by or through the airspace of these facilities,” Heise said. “It’s a shame, though not necessarily a surprise, that drones would somehow be used by or on behalf of criminals.”

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House Bill 4868 would prohibit the use of drones for the purpose of committing a felony or misdemeanor, or in a manner that interferes with a public safety operation or utility services. Violations could result in a $1,000 fine or possible imprisonment.

The surge in drone use — the Consumer Electronics Association estimates hobbyists will buy 700,000 of the remote-controlled aircraft in the United States this year, up 63 percent from 2014 — creates some thorny legal issues. Critics say the government is sometimes heavy-handed in its approach to regulating drone use, quickly enacting laws that have unintended and far-reaching consequences that stifle innovation, hamper economic growth and create inconsistencies with federal law.

“This is unfamiliar territory in some ways, but it’s been made abundantly clear that there need to be boundaries for the use of these devices,” Heise said. “Where there’s a possibility for loss of life, we need to be extremely vigilant about the proper and ethical use of this technology.”

All three bills have been referred to the House Committee on Criminal Justice, where Heise serves as chair.

More Stories About Drones in Michigan

• Michigan Bans Use of Drones to Hunt, Fish
• Should Local Communities Ban Personal Drones?
• Michigan First in Nation OK’d for Statewide Use of Police Drones