As Introduced

136th General Assembly

Regular Session H. C. R. No. 15

2025-2026

Representatives King, Mathews, T.

Cosponsors: Representatives Daniels, Miller, M., Workman, Fischer, Gross, Williams, Newman, Ritter, Deeter, Lear

A c o n c u r r e n t R E S O L U T I O N

To urge the Congress of the United States to pass H.R. 1907, known as the Defense Against Drones Act of 2025.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO (THE SENATE CONCURRING):

WHEREAS, The use of unmanned aerial vehicles, otherwise known as drones, for private, recreational, commercial, and military purposes, has increased exponentially in recent years; and

WHEREAS, Technology advancements have enabled drone cameras to capture clear and detailed images, and the size of drones enable them to enter spaces that are more private and intrusive than other types of aircraft; and

WHEREAS, Many drones or their component parts are created by foreign manufacturers, particularly those based in China, which raises serious concerns over our national security, data cybersecurity, and the further protection of privacy interests; and

WHEREAS, Numerous recent incidents of suspicious and unidentified drone activity over individuals' personal property in Ohio have caused alarm over the safety of individual property owners, their animals, and their agricultural products; and

WHEREAS, Homeowners have a reasonable expectation of privacy and safety within their residences and on their properties, so that a low-flying drone's trespass into the airspace above that residence and property without warning is not only a nuisance, but a blatant violation of that expectation of privacy and safety; and

WHEREAS, Property rights are the foundation of a free society, and under the Ohio Constitution, Article I, Section 19, private property rights are held inviolate. Thus, intrusions within that sacred sphere disrupt the natural order of our society; and

WHEREAS, Ohio's Castle Doctrine otherwise allows homeowners to use reasonable force, including deadly force, if they reasonably believe they or another person is in imminent danger of death or serious physical harm while defending their home from an intruder; and

WHEREAS, Current federal law prohibits willful damage, destruction, or wreckage of aircraft, including drones, with serious penalties of up to twenty years in prison and up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars in fines, deterring homeowners from exercising their rights to protect their property and sense of security; and

WHEREAS, The Defense Against Drones Act of 2025 was recently introduced in the United States House of Representatives and allows a property owner to shoot a drone flying up to two hundred feet above that owner's property with a legally obtained shotgun, thus, preserving the privacy and property rights of that homeowner; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 136th Ohio General Assembly, urge the Congress of the United States to pass H.R. 1907, otherwise known as the Defense Against Drones Act of 2025, to ensure the rights and safety of homeowners in Ohio and across the United States; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the President of the United States, the Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, and the news media of Ohio.