A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday to protect state and local government authority to regulate drones, an effort to ensure that the Federal Aviation Administration could not overrule local authorities if they create their own ordinances regarding the unmanned aerial vehicles.

“As drone use has exploded across America, neighbors, communities and local governments are all still trying to figure out the best way to balance the property rights of drone users, land owners, and public safety,” said Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. “These disputes need to be decided at the local level, not with top-down proclamations from Washington. This bill allows for those solutions to be discovered while still protecting interstate air travel.”