The bill amends the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act to establish specific conditions under which state departments, agencies, boards, or commissions, as well as their contractors, may use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for surveillance, inspection, or information gathering related to facilities governed by permits or licenses. The new provisions stipulate that UAS usage is prohibited unless there is express consent from the facility owner, a valid search warrant, an imminent threat to public health or safety, or if the UAS is being used for inspections of certain infrastructure such as roadways or telecommunications towers. Additionally, the bill allows for UAS use during emergency response efforts, provided that the operation is clearly marked as state-owned.

The bill also introduces requirements for the consent process, stating that if the facility owner conditions their consent on the use of their own UAS, the state must allow this under supervision. Furthermore, any data collected by UAS operations must be promptly shared with the facility owner and is presumed to be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Notably, the bill clarifies that these regulations do not apply to law enforcement agencies conducting investigations with UAS.

Statutes affected:
Substitute (S-1): 259.307
Senate Introduced Bill: 259.307
As Passed by the Senate: 259.307