BILL NUMBER: SB 15INTRODUCED 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.