CINCINNATI — An Ohio House Bill that could impact drone pilots across the state is heading to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk.
Ohio House Bill 77 would make it a criminal offense for anyone operating a drone in a manner that knowingly endangers a person or property or that purposely disregards others' rights or safety.
Those found guilty of the offense would have to pay a $500 fine or spend six months in jail.
"We need to have Ohio law that allows us to prosecute those that are being bad actors and that air space," said Rep. Bernie Willis, R–Springfield. "It aligns Ohio law with the federal law."
Willis sponsored the bill, which garnered bipartisan support in passing both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate.
"What it creates is some more information sources with the aviation authority of Ohio," he said. "It will be a one-stop shopping place for (drone pilots) to go out on the web and see, 'Okay, these are the places that actually have some kind of restriction.'"
The bill would also make it illegal to operate a drone in a manner that disrupts law enforcement and emergency services.
"I agree with not disrupting emergency services and interfering with police operations and things like that. I mean, you have no business doing that sort of thing," said Carl Ray, CEO of Cincinnati Drone Photos LLC.
Still, Ray contended the bill would have little impact as many of the regulations it contains are already enforced under federal law.
That's because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for the regulations governing their use, and Congress has written some requirements into law.
Additionally, HB 77 authorizes local governments to regulate drones flying over public property.
"When municipalities are going to try to control the airspace, that's where it's going to get really cloudy and gray," Ray said. "I don't know how (municipalities) are going to be able to override what the federal government is already doing."
"We felt the need to clarify that for our local municipalities," Willis said. "Just like anything else that we would do, we would need to be dealing with the municipality."
Despite what has been playing out in national headlines over the last week and in Ohio at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Willis said the bill's legislative process began well before the drone delirium.
The Air Force base had to temporarily shut down its airspace late Friday, Dec. 13 into early Saturday, Dec. 14 due to mysterious drones flying in the area.
More drones were spotted flying over the base late Monday evening and early Tuesday morning. Robert Purtiman, a spokesman for Wright-Patterson, said none of those sightings had affected Wright-Patterson's airspace at the time. Residents on the base, facilities or assets were not impacted either.
The drone sightings at the base sparked questions about whether they were related to several sightings of mysterious drones across the United States, particularly for supposed flights over New Jersey bases. These sightings have resulted in investigations by the FBI and Homeland Security.
