DROVES OF DRONES: 

The House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday unanimously voted to advance two bills related to drones, blocking purchases of them from certain countries and creating a position at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to counter associated threats.

The “Drone Origin Security Enhancement Act” prohibits the DHS secretary from “operat[ing], provid[ing] financial assistance for, or enter[ing] into or renew[ing] a contract for the procurement” of unmanned aircraft systems from countries labeled as strategic competitors by the Department of Defense.

If approved, the bill would block DHS purchases from China’s DJI Technologies, the world’s largest manufacturer of drones.

“Numerous reports over the last few years suggest Chinese-made drones could potentially be used to send sensitive flight information to China-based companies where it could be easily accessed by the Chinese government,” Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said during a committee vote on Wednesday.

Although the U.S. military has banned DJI drone purchases over security concerns, several other government agencies have made big purchases from the Chinese firm.

The House panel also advanced a bill Wednesday that would create a role in the DHS for a “Countering Unmanned Aircraft Systems Coordinator.”