HB1280

This amendment substantially NARROWS and WEAKENS the bill by replacing broad drone surveillance prohibitions at military installations with a more limited ban on drone operation over prisons, jails, and military facilities (requiring only authorization rather than prior written consent), and downgrading the penalty from a Class 6 felony to a Class 1 misdemeanor while removing law enforcement's explicit authority to intercept or disable drones through jamming, hacking, or physical capture.

The amendment changed the penalty for operating drones over restricted facilities from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony, significantly strengthening enforcement by imposing much harsher criminal consequences. The substantive policy remains the same—prohibiting unauthorized drone operations and authorizing law enforcement mitigation techniques—but now carries felony-level penalties instead of misdemeanor-level ones.