Interested Party Testimony- House Development Committee — HB 96, FY26-27 State Operating Budget (February 26, 2025)

Summary

Interested party testimony to the House Development Committee on HB 96, the FY26-27 State Operating Budget, dated February 26, 2025, from Dr. Stuart Mendel, Affiliate Professor at Baldwin Wallace University and Project Director for the Northeast Ohio Flight Information Exchange (NEOFIX). The testimony supports Baldwin Wallace University's funding request through the Department of Development's Local Development Projects line to use the NEOFIX program to support drone infrastructure. It states that NEOFIX is fully operational in Cuyahoga County and that the funding would let the program include Richland County, Portage County, Cincinnati, Butler County, and Springfield/Clark County.

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“Interested Party Testimony- House Development Committee — HB 96, FY26-27 State Operating Budget (February 26, 2025).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2025-03-05-development-testimony-testimony-2094-f7c0aa6e3f/, SHA-256 97fdc2357305e6271e3cf6ab4bdb86fbffb930a224a81ad275e681dcd83176d2.

Full text

                   Interested Party Testimony- House Development Committee
                            HB 96 — FY26-27 State Operating Budget
                                        February 26, 2025
Chairman Hoops, Vice Chair Lorenz, Ranking Member Abdullahi and members of the committee.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on House Bill 96 — in support of Baldwin
Wallace University’s funding request of $2.5.M over the biennium through the Department of
Development’s Local Development Projects line — to use the NEOFIX program to support drone
infrastructure for safety and community development to interesting partner communities
throughout Ohio. This infrastructure provides and promotes a safe setting for drone use by law
enforcement, government, and healthcare providers that saves cost and promotes economic growth
and job development. This funding level offers opportunity for the program to prospectively
include Richland County, Portage County, Cincinnati, Butler County, and Springfield/Clark
County.
My name is Dr. Stuart Mendel, Affiliate Professor at Baldwin Wallace University and Project
Director for the Northeast Ohio Flight Information Exchange also known as the NEOFIX. The
University serves as the focal point for this applied research and community engagement
program to fulfill its visioned role as a leading regional comprehensive university impacting
learners, businesses, and communities throughout the Great Lakes region.
As more drones are being used by public agencies, companies, and private citizens, concerns about
flight safety continue to rise. Ohio’s new law, Ohio House Bill 77 sponsored by Representative
Willis last General Assembly, establishes regulations for drones, but law enforcement still faces
challenges in enforcing laws due to limited knowledge of who is flying and where. At the same
time, a drone-friendly state offers high growth potential for economic and job growth. To fully
capitalize on these opportunities and promote safety, we must invest in drone safety and operations
infrastructure. By leveraging the successful NEOFIX drone-safety model from Northeast Ohio to
five other regions of the state we will improve public safety and unlock this economic potential.
Cuyahoga County has successfully demonstrated this infrastructure through the NEOFIX which
is an early stage building block providing data that supports safe, effective, and compliant drone
flight operations. NEOFIX is vital technology infrastructure necessary to promote a friendly
setting for drone use, repair, and manufacturing industry and jobs development. Similar to charts
and maps with hazards and other advisories to inform air operations, NEOFIX provides
information on operating in the community and on other aircraft in the area. NEOFIX supports
HB 77 and the 2022 FlyOhio vision to make Ohio airspace among the first in the nation ready to
fly beyond-line-of-sight AAM.
NEOFIX is fully operational in Cuyahoga County thanks to more than 100 stakeholders
including public safety offices like law enforcement and fire, industry partners, hospital systems,
Metroparks, and more. However, as we roll this out into other counties, we will work with and
support their stakeholders to make this fit their communities.
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You may wonder if this is needed and if it is needed now. The answer to both is yes! Focusing on
drone operations, regulations, and infrastructure as a first step is crucial for Ohio to fully benefit
from Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) while addressing safety concerns and policy issues. Drones
are already commercially available and widely used across various industries, with a well-
established market and clear use cases. By starting with drones, which are generally easier to
integrate into existing airspace due to their smaller size and lower risk profiles, Ohio can take
advantage of current and pending FAA regulations and unlock substantial amounts of private
capital that are waiting for the right place to invest. Building drone infrastructure and regulations
lays the groundwork for safety standards, airspace management, and infrastructure which will be
essential for the future of AAM.
The state’s investment in this project will help us better understand the operating cost of the
project and fully understand the economic value of the system. We can use this as a template for
entire state which will drive private and capital investment from outside the state, as I just
mentioned. The method for developing the infrastructure in the regions of the State arises
from uses proposed by the communities, as they conceive drone operations in their
community and region.
This funding request supports program activities to prepare Ohio communities for drone
integration, publish appropriate rules and regulations for drone operations in Ohio, acquire cost-
effective sensor equipment to give public safety and drone operators an “eye in the sky,” and to
help participating communities seed public and private drone operations that create new services
and opportunities in their community.
I respectfully request your support of our budget request so we can make Ohio a leading state in
AAM.
I will now take any questions you may have.
Dr. Stuart Mendel
Northeast Ohio Flight Information Exchange
Baldwin Wallace University




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