BILL NUMBER: SB 15	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Padilla

                        DECEMBER 3, 2012

   An act relating to aviation.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 15, as introduced, Padilla. Aviation: unmanned aircraft
systems.
   Existing federal law, the Federal Aviation Administration
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, provides for the integration of
civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system by
September 30, 2015. Existing federal law requires the Administrator
of the Federal Aviation Administration to develop and implement
operational and certification requirements for the operation of
public unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace system by
December 31, 2015.
   This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact
legislation that would establish appropriate standards for the use of
unmanned aircraft systems.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) Recent developments and innovations have allowed computer
technology to advance to the point where vehicles, including
aircraft, can operate without the need of an on-board operator.
   (b) On February 14, 2012, President Obama signed into law the
Federal Aviation Administration Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,
which, among other things, requires the Federal Aviation
Administration to fully integrate government, commercial, and
recreational unmanned aircraft systems, commonly known as "drones,"
into United States airspace before October 2015.
   (c) While privately and publically operated unmanned aircraft
systems can have a legitimate role in areas such as agriculture,
scientific research, and public safety, these systems present new
challenges to the privacy and due process rights of Californians.
   (d) Both public and private operators of unmanned aircraft systems
have a responsibility to not infringe on the rights, property, or
privacy of the citizens of California, and any data, information,
photographs, video, or recordings of individuals, both public and
private, should be minimized and retained in a manner consistent with
current privacy standards.
   (e) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that
would establish appropriate standards for the use of unmanned
aircraft systems in California.