Proposed Legislation in Missouri

[ol'fido]

We have had a lot of threads on here about UAVs for SAR and other uses as well as "surrogate Predator" type operations. Plus, we do SAR and CD missions with manned aircraft. The Missouri legislature has passed a bill regarding the use of "government aerial surveillance". FYI.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeth-crisp/missouri-house-passes-bill-targeting-drones/article_933c3659-2f10-54a9-b826-cbcf2c389a46.html

[lordmonar]

I wonder if they realise that they just grounded most police helos and almost all news helos.

[DrDave]

Missouri Wing has been involved directly with this bill and have let the appropriate legislative members and committees know of our issues with it, including having several MOWG members testify against it (including the Wing ES Officer).

To correct the original post, this bill is NOT law, it has only passed the Missouri House of Representatives.  It is currently sitting in the Missouri Senate.  It was heard in committee and testimony done at a committee hearing with the majority of entities testifying AGAINST it (including Sheriff's Association, law enforcement, Missouri National Guard, and Boeing). 

A recommendation from the Laws Committee to remove the words "manned flight" addressed most of the issues Missouri Wing has concerns about.  However, with only 3 more days in the current legislature, we doubt this bill will move out of Senate committee and is most likely dead this session.  It will remain on our radar as we anticipate it being sponsored again next year.  We will be working on the original House sponsor. 

[ZigZag911]

I'm not sure it would apply to CAP even if, someday, we get drones for SAR/DR (unlikely as that seems)...at least on AF assigned missions, we are an instrument of the federal government, which would seem to supersede local regulations (which is why we have a Federal Aviation Agency, for instance!)

[Eclipse]

One of a pile of knee-jerk, misinformed attempts at looking like you're doing something but just wasting everyone's time and our tax money.

If half this time was spent actually doing something where someone in the room really understood the conversation, this country would be a utopia.

People want to ban surveillance drones and cameras, until they are useful in something like, oh, I don't know, a bombing?  Then someone realizes that
those camera are also watching them eat lunch and scratch their behinds, and the circle of love starts all over again.

As stated, we're a federal asset, so barring another Civil War, that trumps anything the state says, or doesn't, whatever. 

[DrDave]

While referred to by all as the "drone" bill, it also included language affected "manned flight" over private property -- directly affecting CAP missions.

Today is the last day of the Missouri Legislature (ends at 6 PM central time), and the bill is still stuck in its Senate Committee. 

[Johnny Yuma]

Even if it did pass, I doubt the FAA are going to sit around and let states get into their regulations.