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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Mar 10, 2016
Micro Drone Safety and Innovation Act of 2016
This bill amends the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to make a special rule for any micro unmanned aircraft system whose aircraft component, including payload, weighs at most 4.4 pounds (micro drone).
A micro drone and its operator shall qualify for exemptions from certain airman certification, airworthiness, and operational regulations if the system is operated:
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
at an altitude under 400 feet above ground level,
at an airspeed under 40 knots,
within the operator's visual line of sight,
between sunrise and sunset, and
at least five statute miles from the geographic center of an airport that either has an operational air traffic control tower or is denoted on a current aeronautical chart published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
A micro drone may also be operated within five statute miles of such an airport if, beforehand, the operator notifies the airport operator and receives approval from the air traffic control tower, if the airport has one.
Under the exemptions of this bill, any person may operate a micro drone without being required to:
pass any aeronautical knowledge test,
meet any age or experience requirement, or
obtain an airman certificate or medical certificate.
In an alternative to the requirements of this bill, a micro drone may be operated pursuant to any form of FAA-prescribed authorization, operational rules, or exemptions pertaining to unmanned aircraft systems; but both the aircraft and its operator shall remain exempt from any requirement for an airman certificate or medical certificate.
People & committees
Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA] · R–LA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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