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This bill would prohibit drone pilots from flying over private property

A bill that would make it illegal for drone pilots to capture images or information on private property got its first hearing Tuesday at the House Technology and Economic committee.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced regulations for drones in June 2016 that are now in effect. In response, the state House underwent a briefing that informed the proposed legislation. Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, sponsor of the bill, said the legislation focuses on property rights, as opposed to aeronautic space, which would fall under the FAA’s jurisdiction.

Morris said the legislation was drafted primarily to protect individuals from stalking or harassment. The bill restricts drone pilots from flying their aircraft onto private property, but it is more flexible with public property.

James McMahan, policy director for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, testified at the bill hearing and asked lawmakers to include certain public facilities into the bill language. McMahan said even just last week a drone flew “a little too close to a correctional facility.

“You might imagine the concerns that raises from our perspective,” he said. “It would be nice to have a very clear prohibition in state law that says ‘Let’s keep these things away from our jails.’”

Candice Bock, government relations advocate for the Association of Washington Cities, echoed that caution to legislators. Under the current language, she said, it could be construed as legal for pilots to send drones near correctional facilities.

She added that language should be included allowing for the regulation of drones near event spaces.

“We don’t have the ability to create rules around use especially at special event venues,” she said. “There are places where we might want to restrict the use of privately operated drones for safety reasons.”

The FAA’s new rules presented some uphill battles for companies that want to use drones for delivery, like Amazon. Pilots are required to be within eyesight of their aircraft, so long-range flights are off the table for now.

Amazon is in the beta stages of drone delivery, but did already send its first commercial delivery using a drone in the U.K.

Under the new rules, Drone pilots are required to register their aircraft with the federal agency, but, as Morris pointed out, the agency isn’t sharing that registration information with the state.

Erin Fenner: erin@washingtonstatewire.com, @erinfenner


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