[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2156 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2156

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide a criminal penalty 
   for launching drones that interfere with fighting fires affecting 
  Federal property or responding to disasters affecting interstate or 
               foreign commerce, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 7, 2015

 Mrs. Shaheen 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 provide a criminal penalty 
   for launching drones that interfere with fighting fires affecting 
  Federal property or responding to disasters affecting interstate or 
               foreign commerce, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Wildfire and Emergency Airspace 
Protection Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. LAUNCHING DRONES THAT INTERFERE WITH FIGHTING FIRES AFFECTING 
              FEDERAL PROPERTY OR RESPONDING TO DISASTERS AFFECTING 
              INTERSTATE OR FOREIGN COMMERCE.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 65 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 1370. Launching drones that interfere with fighting fires 
              affecting Federal property or responding to disasters 
              affecting interstate or foreign commerce
    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `covered disaster' means a disaster that 
        affects interstate or foreign commerce; and
            ``(2) the term `covered fire' means a fire that threatens 
        the real or personal property of the United States, or of any 
        department or agency thereof.
    ``(b) Offense.--Whoever knowingly launches a drone for recreational 
purposes in a place near a covered fire or covered disaster, and is 
reckless as to whether that drone will interfere with fighting the fire 
or responding to the disaster, if the drone does interfere with that 
firefighting or disaster response, shall be fined under this title, 
imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both.
    ``(c) Agricultural Use of Drones Not Affected.--For purposes of 
subsection (b), the term `recreational purposes' does not include 
agricultural purposes.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 65 of 
title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``1370. Launching drones that interfere with fighting fires affecting 
                            Federal property or responding to disasters 
                            affecting interstate or foreign 
                            commerce.''.
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