Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced the Drone Integration and Zoning Act (DIZA), a bill to establish a regulatory framework for drones based on the principles of local governance and cooperative federalism. “The FAA cannot feasibly or efficiently oversee millions of drones in every locality throughout the country,” Sen. Lee said. “Further, its current legal position claiming regulatory authority over every cubic inch of air in the United States – including air just inches above Americans’ private property – is both unsustainable and unlawful. In our constitutional system, the states have sovereign police powers to govern over inherently local issues, including the protection of property, land use, privacy, trespass, and law enforcement. The best way to ensure public safety, protect property rights, and unleash drone innovation is to empower the people closest to the ground to make local decisions in real time, which is exactly what the Drone Integration and Zoning Act does.”

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) today joined Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Todd Young (R-Ind.) to send a letter to President Biden urging his administration to reject an upcoming proposal at the World Trade Organization that would strip American companies of their intellectual property rights for any innovation related to COVID-19.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) today announced his committee assignments for the 117th Congress. “I am proud to once again serve the people of Utah on committees with such a wide range of responsibilities. With the First Amendment under attack, a new immigration crisis threatening stability along our border, and monopolistic technology corporations dominating the economy and even our politics, the work of the Senate Judiciary Committee has never been more important."

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) today joined Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), along with several of their colleagues, to introduce legislation to permanently ban earmarks. This follows a partisan agreement between Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro to bring the practice back to Congress. “Banning earmarks in 2011 was the first step in reforming Congress’s dysfunctional budget process. Much more work needs to be done, but backsliding into the corrupt and corrupting earmarks racket should not be an option,” Sen. Lee said.