Rep. Brock seeks state public‑drone registry under broader 'shield' package (HB 5332)

Representative Will Brock (30th District) testified to the House Rules Committee on House Bill 53 32, a provision in a 15‑bill package described as the "shield" package that would require the Michigan Department of Transportation to establish a registry for publicly owned unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

Brock said the registry would be similar to the federal registry but would be maintained at the state level to give public entities information about which types of UAS systems they own and to help ensure public purchases comply with federal prohibited‑entity lists. "MDOT will set up the rules and ... set up the site for this," Brock said, and estimated MDOT had requested additional FTEs; he mentioned an estimate of about two FTEs to build and run the system.

Brock told the committee the bill would adopt federal lists as guardrails — including a federal list of prohibited entities — and would not require MDOT to invent new lists but to transpose existing federal lists for state users. He said MDOT may need additional funding to operate the system but that a lot of the information would come from federally maintained sources.

Committee members asked whether MDOT had capacity to update the lists and promulgate rules; Brock said the department had discussed the issue and appeared capable, though it might seek funding or staff support. No vote on HB 5332 was taken at the hearing.