Posted: | January 3, 2019 01:53 PM |
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From: | Representative Angel Cruz |
To: | All House members |
Subject: | Unmanned Aircraft Surveillance |
Under authorization given by the Federal Aviation Administration, unmanned aircraft, commonly referred to as drones, are currently being used by hundreds of police and other government agencies throughout the United States. The FAA has been sued due to its refusal to disclose which agencies have been granted authorization to use these drones and what their purposes are. Last session, we passed into law legislation banning certain uses of drones, including to conduct surveillance of someone in a private place. This legislation however provided exceptions for certain groups of individuals, including law enforcement officials, who are using drones in their official duties. My legislation is modeled after current law that requires law enforcement officials to obtain authorization orders from judges before intercepting wire, electronic, or oral communications. This would ensure that drones cannot be used for surveillance in Pennsylvania without reasonable cause for their use and proper approval from the court system. Please join me in protecting Pennsylvanians from invasions of privacy by supporting my legislation. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact my Harrisburg office at 717-705-1925. |
Introduced as HB199