AMA in Action-2013/04

Working together, we can ensure that model
aviation will remain safe from possibly wellintentioned,
but poorly written, legislation.
Rich Hanson
provides answers
to your questions
on the governmentrelations
section of
our website: www.
modelaircraft.
org/gov. Visit this
regularly for updates.
Rich’s blog contains frequent updates
on timely topics and news items. Check
out the AMA government relations blog
at http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/
amagov. This complex issue affects the
entire aeromodeling community.
Advocating on your behalf
T he list of proposed state
legislation, aimed at governing the
use of unmanned aircraft systems
(UAS or drones), continues to grow.
As I write this, as many as a dozen US
states have begun considering state laws
aimed at regulating the use of drones.
These states include California,
Florida, Idaho, Maine, Missouri,
Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, and
Virginia, but the list is likely to grow.
The FAA has been tasked with
submitting to Congress and making
publicly available a fi ve-year road
map for the introduction of civil UAS
into the national airspace system. As
the deadline for the FAA to submit
its comprehensive plan to Congress
approaches, many states are taking
the initiative to draft privacy and
civil liberties protections from drone
surveillance through state level
legislation.
The 12 aforementioned states have
legislative initiatives in progress, most
of them primarily addressing the
use of UAS by law enforcement and
government entities for persistent
surveillance, however some of the
legislation has troubling language that
could have unintended consequences
for
aeromodeling
enthusiasts.
The
attention
given this
issue and
the media’s
excessive
use of the
term “drone”
is fueling
a growing
apprehension
regarding
potential
abuse of UAS
technology,
and
politicians
are reacting
to the public’s concern. This was
illustrated by the actions of the
Charlottesville, Virginia, City Council
declaring the city to be a “No Drone
Zone” and associating the domestic
use of unmanned aircraft to military
drones.
AMA’s Government Relations
Team is working to evaluate each
piece of legislation as it is introduced
and AMA is taking steps to address
its concerns with the sponsors of the
bill(s) and the legislative bodies.
AMA asks that its members remain
vigilant about any potential legislation
they may become aware of and report
it to the Government Relations Team.
To react as quickly as possible, we
need your help in making us aware
and keeping us informed.
Working together, we can ensure
that model aviation will remain
safe from possibly well-intentioned,
but poorly written, legislation. Any
information that you believe would
be helpful should be emailed to the
AMA Government Relations Team at
[email protected].
Publication of the sUAS Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
remains on the horizon and the call
for public comment is projected for
summer 2013. Please ensure that
everyone you know is aware of the
impending regulation. It’s important
that those who share our love for
this hobby are well informed and
participate in the response to the
proposed sUAS rule when the NPRM
is published.
Timely updates regarding these
issues can be found at www.
modelaircraft.org/gov, on Facebook by
“Liking” AMAGov, and on Twitter at
Twitter.com/AMAGov.
—Rich Hanson
Government and Regulatory Affairs
The list of new laws governing UAS
operations grows