The Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah lawmakers are sending mixed signals this year with pushes to attract the unmanned aerial-systems industry to the state while also working to protect privacy as more police agencies use drones.
A Senate committee is scheduled to hear a bill Tuesday morning that would require law enforcement to get a warrant to use the devices and limit what data can be collected. Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, is sponsoring the bill and says drone technology is so new that there are no privacy protections in place.
But Stephenson's bill comes on the heels of a legislative resolution expressing support for the development of drone technology and the jobs it will generate in Utah. Lawmakers earlier this month only signed off on the message once it included a nod to preserving privacy.
The push-pull on drones is playing out in many states hoping to land the burgeoning industry while satisfying citizens' concerns that it opens the door to Big Brother surveillance. In 2013, at least nine states passed laws restricting the use of drones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Five of those nine states also submitted bids to serve as drone-testing sites for the Federal Aviation Administration, which local officials have said they hope will be a financial boon for their states. Idaho also passed a resolution recognizing drone technology as a flourishing industry that would benefit the state.
This year, more than 130 measures dealing with the devices are pending in 35 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
While unmanned aircraft have mainly been used by the military, governments, businesses and hobbyists are itching to use the devices for everything from mapping out new roads and surveying agricultural fields to monitoring wildfires.
The devices often look like radio-controlled aircraft and helicopters. They can be as small as the remote-controlled toys or as large as a small to mid-size jet airliner.
The FAA does not allow the commercial use of drones, but it's working to set up guidelines by the end of 2015.
Utah applied to serve as an FAA commercial-drone test site last year, but it was not one of the six sites selected.
Officials with the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development said late last year that they would still like to see the industry develop in the state.
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Online:
SB 167: http://1.usa.gov/1fIMWay
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