Bill Text: VA SB1331 | 2013 | Regular Session | Comm Sub

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Drones; moratorium on use of unmanned aircraft systems by state or local government department, etc.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2013-04-03 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0796) [SB1331 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2013-SB1331-Comm_Sub.html

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13104796D
SENATE BILL NO. 1331 AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE (Proposed by the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice on February 4, 2013) (Patron Prior to Substitute--Senator McEachin) A BILL to regulate public unmanned aircraft.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. §1. A. No state or local agency or organization having jurisdiction over criminal law enforcement or regulatory violations, including but not limited to the Department of State Police, and no department of law enforcement as defined in §15.2-836 of any city, county, or town shall utilize an unmanned aircraft system before July 1, 2015.

B. Notwithstanding the prohibition in subsection A, an unmanned aircraft system may be deployed before July 1, 2015, in an emergency or major disaster as defined in §44-146.16, when an Amber Alert is activated pursuant to §52-34.3, when a Senior Alert is activated pursuant to §52-34.6, when a Blue Alert is activated pursuant to §52-34.9, or during a search and rescue operation if its deployment is necessary to protect life, health, or property. In no case may a weaponized unmanned aircraft system be deployed or its use facilitated by a state or local agency in Virginia.