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S 1755 115th Congress Senate Crime and Law Enforcement Aviation and airports Transportation safety and security

Drone Operator Safety Act of 2017

Introduced: August 3, 2017 Introduced by: Whitehouse, Sheldon Democratic · Rhode Island See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 3, 2017
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Aug 3, 2017
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Drone Operator Safety Act of 2017

This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to knowingly or recklessly operate an unmanned aircraft that interferes with or disrupts an aircraft or airborne vehicle carrying at least one occupant in U.S. airspace.

It imposes criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term, or both—on a violator.

The prohibition includes the unauthorized operation of an unmanned aircraft within an airport's runway exclusion zone (i.e., defined area of controlled airspace around an active runway) unless the operation is the result of an unforeseeable circumstance (e.g., a malfunction).

What's happening now August 3, 2017

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Related & companion bills 2
  • S 1405 Related bill Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2017
  • HR 3644 Identical bill Drone Operator Safety Act of 2017
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1755: Drone Operator Safety Act of 2017. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1755/
MLA
"S. 1755: Drone Operator Safety Act of 2017." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1755/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1755, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1755/.
Markdown link
[S. 1755: Drone Operator Safety Act of 2017](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-S-1755/)
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