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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4911 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4911

   To impose criminal penalties for the unsafe operation of unmanned 
                               aircraft.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 12, 2016

 Mr. Langevin introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
    Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To impose criminal penalties for the unsafe operation of unmanned 
                               aircraft.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Drone Operator Safety Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDING; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Finding.--Congress finds that educating operators of unmanned 
aircraft about the laws and regulations that govern such aircraft helps 
to ensure their safe operation.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration should continue to 
prioritize the education of operators of unmanned aircraft through 
public outreach efforts like the ``Know Before You Fly'' campaign.

SEC. 3. UNSAFE OPERATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 2 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in section 31--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) by redesignating paragraph (10) as 
                        paragraph (11); and
                            (ii) by inserting after paragraph (9) the 
                        following:
            ``(10) Unmanned aircraft.--The term `unmanned aircraft' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 44801 of title 49.''; 
        and
                    (B) in subsection (b), by inserting ```airport','' 
                before ```appliance'''; and
            (2) by inserting after section 39A the following:
``Sec. 39B. Unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft
    ``(a) Offense.--Any person who operates an unmanned aircraft and, 
in so doing, knowingly or recklessly interferes with, or disrupts the 
operation of, an aircraft carrying 1 or more occupants operating in the 
special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, in a manner that 
poses an imminent safety hazard to such occupants, shall be punished as 
provided in subsection (b).
    ``(b) Penalty.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
        punishment for an offense under subsection (a) shall be a fine 
        under this title, imprisonment for not more than 1 year, or 
        both.
            ``(2) Serious bodily injury or death.--Any person who 
        attempts to cause, or knowingly or recklessly causes, serious 
        bodily injury or death during the commission of an offense 
        under subsection (a) shall be fined under this title, 
        imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both.
    ``(c) Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to 
Airports.--
            ``(1) In general.--The operation of an unmanned aircraft 
        within a runway exclusion zone shall be considered a violation 
        of subsection (a) unless such operation is approved by the 
        airport's air traffic control facility or is the result of a 
        circumstance, such as a malfunction, that could not have been 
        reasonably foreseen or prevented by the operator.
            ``(2) Runway exclusion zone defined.--In this subsection, 
        the term `runway exclusion zone' means a rectangular area--
                    ``(A) centered on the centerline of an active 
                runway of an airport immediately around which the 
                airspace is designated as class B, class C, or class D 
                airspace at the surface under part 71 of title 14, Code 
                of Federal Regulations; and
                    ``(B) the length of which extends parallel to the 
                runway's centerline to points that are 1 statute mile 
                from each end of the runway and the width of which is 
                \1/2\ statute mile.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 2 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 39A the following:

``39B. Unsafe operation of unmanned aircraft.''.
                                 <all>
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