Lomax bill would ban Chinese-made drones

HUNTSVILLE — With Redstone Arsenal in his House district, State Rep. James Lomax has a special interest in keeping Chinese-made drones out of the state.

Lomax (R-Huntsville) has introduced House Bill 321 which would ban state agencies and governmental bodies from buying Chinese-made drones and unmanned aircraft if the producer of the technology is registered on the Control Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

“This is of utmost importance to me, as many people living in my district are employed on Redstone Arsenal,” he said. “Redstone is home to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, the Missile & Space Intelligence Center, and over 80 commands and agencies key to protecting the United States from enemies abroad.

“As an example, the Madison County tax assessor could purchase a drone from China and inadvertently be surveying land near the Arsenal that could relay important information about the United States to Chinese operators.”

Under Lomax’s legislation any county, city, or state agency that wants to purchase drone -related technology must ensure that the manufacturer is not listed by the OFAC as being “owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of” certain authoritarian regimes and countries of concern.

“It is no secret that China is actively trying to conduct surveillance on our country, as witnessed by the recent downing of a Chinese spy balloon over U.S. soil,” he said. “The seemingly innocent purchase of a drone manufactured in China could result in Communist China having access to surveillance taken by said drone.

“Currently, China is the world’s largest manufacturer of drones, with the United States being second. This bill will promote American products while protecting national security.

He said his legislation will not shut down programs that are already functioning in the state.

“This legislation will not shut down any existing drone programs in our state, but will create a new procurement process for state, local, and county governments when purchasing drones to ensure that they are buying from manufacturers that are not sanctioned by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control,” Lomax said. “With that, we can protect our future and our government can be mindful of the risks for state and national security when purchasing drones.”

Lomax’s bill is similar to legislation that has already been introduced in other states and Congress. His legislation will now go to the House State Government Committee for consideration.

In 2021, Florida passed legislation banning the purchase of Chinese-made drones.