II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1755 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit unsafe operation of 

unmanned aircraft, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 3, 2017 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit unsafe 

operation of unmanned aircraft, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Drone Operator Safety 

5 Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. UNSAFE OPERATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 2 of title 18, United 

8 States Code, is amended— 

9 (1) in section 31— 

10 (A) in subsection (a)— 

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1 (i) by redesignating paragraph (10) as 

2 paragraph (11); and 

3 (ii) by inserting after paragraph (9) 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(10) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT.—The term ‘un6 manned aircraft’ has the meaning given that term in 

7 section 331 of the FAA Modernization and Reform 

8 Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–95; 49 U.S.C. 40101 

9 note).’’; and 

10 (B) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘ ‘air11 port’,’’ before ‘‘ ‘appliance’,’’; and 

12 (2) by inserting after section 39A the following: 

13 ‘‘§ 39B. Unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft 

14 ‘‘(a) OFFENSE.—It shall be unlawful to operate an 

15 unmanned aircraft and, in so doing, knowingly or reck16 lessly interfering with, or disrupting the operation of, an 

17 aircraft or other airborne vehicle carrying 1 or more occu18 pants operating in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the 

19 United States, in a manner that poses an imminent safety 

20 hazard to such occupants. 

21 ‘‘(b) PENALTY.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para23 graph (2), a person who violates subsection (a) shall 

24 be fined under this title, imprisoned for not more 

25 than 1 year, or both. 

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1 ‘‘(2) SERIOUS BODILY INJURY OR DEATH.—Any 

2 person who attempts to cause, or knowingly or reck3 lessly causes, serious bodily injury or death while 

4 violating subsection (a) shall be fined under this 

5 title, imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or 

6 both. 

7 ‘‘(c) OPERATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT IN CLOSE

8 PROXIMITY TO AIRPORTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The operation of an un10 manned aircraft, including an operation covered by 

11 section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform 

12 Act of 2012 (Public Law 112–95; 49 U.S.C. 40101 

13 note), within a runway exclusion zone shall be con14 sidered a violation of subsection (a) unless— 

15 ‘‘(A) the operator of the unmanned air16 craft received prior authorization for the oper17 ation from the air traffic control tower at the 

18 airport; or 

19 ‘‘(B) the operation is the result of a cir20 cumstance, such as a malfunction, that could 

21 not have been reasonably foreseen or prevented 

22 by the operator. 

23 ‘‘(2) RUNWAY EXCLUSION ZONE DEFINED.—In 

24 this subsection, the term ‘runway exclusion zone’ 

25 means a rectangular area— 

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1 ‘‘(A) centered on the centerline of a run2 way of an airport; and 

3 ‘‘(B) the length of which extends parallel 

4 to the runway’s centerline to points that are 1 

5 statute mile from each end of the runway and 

the width of which is 1 6 ⁄2 statute mile.’’. 

7 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

8 for chapter 2 of title 18, United States Code, is amended 

9 by inserting after the item relating to section 39A the fol10 lowing: 

‘‘39B. Unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft.’’. 

Æ 

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