State Rep. Lomax introduces bill to block drones made in China

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Alabama State Representative James Lomax introduced legislation that would ban agencies in Alabama from buying Chinese-made drones and unmanned aircraft if the manufacturer is on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

If this bill passes, state, city or county agencies would have to consult with the Office of Foreign Assets Control before purchasing drone technology.

“With the relationship between China and the U.S. becoming increasingly hostile, we must ensure that Chinese-made technology is not being inadvertently used to map and forward sensitive information,” Lomax said in a statement. “If the Madison County tax assessor used a drone to survey land near Redstone Arsenal, for example, technology embedded inside could easily forward that sensitive information to unfriendly governments without anyone being aware.”

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