WASHINGTON—Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Dec. 18 blocked a bill proposed by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) authorizing state and local law enforcement to track unidentified drones recently sighted in New Jersey, New York, and other states on the East Coast.
The bill would have expanded the authority of the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DOJ) and authorized the creation of a state and federal database containing information gathered from “security-related incidents” involving drone surveillance.
“The federal government needs help from local officials detecting these drones. But right now, the locals have neither the authority nor the resources to act. Our bill will fix that,” Schumer said ahead of the bill’s introduction….