UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 1677
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A RESOLUTION urging the Federal Aviation Administration to update its 1
administrative regulations pertaining to agricultural unmanned aircraft systems. 2
WHEREAS, Kentucky has a rich agricultural background, as it is home to 3
approximately 75,000 farms that span nearly 13 million acres of land, which represents 4
more than half of all land in the Commonwealth; and 5
WHEREAS, the impact of agriculture on Kentucky’s economy is immense, as total 6
cash receipts for the Commonwealth’s commodities are nearly $6 billion, and the total 7
economic impact of agriculture production, processing, and other agriculture-related 8
operations is an estimated $46 billion; and 9
WHEREAS, improvements to agricultural processes have been made possible by 10
technological advancements in recent years like unmanned aircraft systems, more 11
commonly known as drones; and 12
WHEREAS, the earliest agricultural drones were often used for simple monitoring 13
tasks such as crop scouting, which is inspecting fields for signs of pests, weeds, and 14
diseases; and 15
WHEREAS, recent advancements in drone technology now allow those in 16
agriculture to perform many other tasks, including applications of crop inputs such as 17
herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides from agricultural drones; and 18
WHEREAS, administrative regulations promulgated decades ago by the Federal 19
Aviation Administration to regulate aerial crop input applications via airplanes or 20
helicopters have served as the basis for regulations related to agricultural drones to this 21
day; and 22
WHEREAS, federal regulations often evolve slowly and do not keep pace with 23
ever-advancing technologies available for farming operations, and some regulations can 24
be complicated and prohibitive for those who wish to build businesses involving 25
agricultural drones; 26
NOW, THEREFORE, 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 1677
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Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 1
Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. The House of Representatives hereby urges the Federal Aviation 3
Administration to regularly update its administrative regulations pertaining to agricultural 4
unmanned aircraft systems in an expeditious manner so as to keep pace with rapidly 5
changing technological advancements. Regulations for agricultural drones should also be 6
straightforward and sensible, so that all who wish to use such devices may do so with 7
ease. 8
Section 2. The Clerk of the House of Representatives is directed to transmit a 9
copy of this Resolution to the Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence 10
Avenue SW, Washington, District of Columbia 20591. 11