The proposed legislation, General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6966, mandates the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection to create a comprehensive plan by January 1, 2026, for investigating and managing incidents involving unmanned aircrafts of unknown origin. The plan must encompass various elements, including incident response and investigation procedures, reporting and documentation protocols, data collection and analysis methods, guidelines for witness interaction, and risk mitigation strategies. Additionally, the department is required to conduct an annual review of the plan and make necessary revisions.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that starting January 1, 2027, and continuing annually, the department must submit the developed plan to the relevant joint standing committee of the General Assembly that oversees public safety and security matters. The bill introduces new legal language to establish these requirements while deleting any previous provisions that may conflict with this new mandate.