S.Amdt. 3516

SA 3516. Mr. GARDNER (for himself and Mr. Bennet) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 6147, making
appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and
related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ____. PROHIBITION.

(a) Amendment.--Chapter 2 of title 18, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following:

``Sec. 40A. Operation of unauthorized unmanned aircraft over
wildfires

``(a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), an
individual who operates an unmanned aircraft and in so doing
knowingly or recklessly interferes with a wildfire
suppression, or law enforcement or emergency response efforts
related to a wildfire suppression, shall be fined under this
title, imprisoned for not less than 1 year, or both.
``(b) Exceptions.--This section does not apply to the
operation of an unmanned aircraft conducted by a unit or
agency of the United States Government or of a State, tribal,
or local government (including any individual conducting such
operation pursuant to a contract or other agreement entered
into with the unit or agency) for the purpose of protecting
the public safety and welfare, including firefighting, law
enforcement, or emergency response.
``(c) Definitions.--In this section, the following
definitions shall apply:
``(1) Unmanned aircraft.--The term `unmanned aircraft' has
the meaning given the term in section 331 of the FAA
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note).
``(2) Wildfire.--The term `wildfire' has the meaning given
that term in section 2 of the Emergency Wildfire Suppression
Act (42 U.S.C. 1856m).
``(3) Wildfire suppression.--The term `wildfire
suppression' means an effort to contain, extinguish, or
suppress a wildfire.''.
(b) Table of Sections Amendment.--The table of sections for
chapter 2 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by
inserting after the item relating to section 40 the
following:

``40A. Operation of unauthorized unmanned aircraft over wildfires.''.
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