HR817: HR817 House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries; create

25 LC 59 0179S The House Committee on Technology and Infrastructure Innovation offers the following substitute to HR 817: A RESOLUTION Creating the House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drone s and Unmanned1 Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries; and for other purposes.2 WHEREAS, drones and unmanned aircraft, including from foreign a dversaries, pose a3 potential security threat by enabling espionage, data collectio n, and cyber intrusions that4 could compromise sensitive government and infrastructure systems; and5 WHEREAS, foreign-made drones have been found operating near soft critical infrastructure,6 raising concerns about unauthorized surveillance and potential sabotage; and7 WHEREAS, many drones collect and transmit data back to their ma nufacturers, some of8 which are based in countries with adversarial interests; and9 WHEREAS, government agencies, including law enforcement, often use drones for10 surveillance, disaster response, and public safety operations; and11 WHEREAS, the reliance on foreign adversary manufactured drones and chip sets limits12 domestic production and innovation; and13 H. R. 817 (SUB) - 1 - 25 LC 59 0179S WHEREAS, the State of Georgia and the United States federal government currently lack14 comprehensive state and federal level policies governing the procurement and use of drones15 by government agencies; and16 WHEREAS, many military installations in Georgia face increased risks from unauthorized17 drone activity; and18 WHEREAS, citizens deserve to know how government agencies are using drone technology19 and whether their data is protected; and20 WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to study the possible privacy and security impacts of the21 state's drone usage policies, as well as the potential coordination of federal, state, and local22 governments in developing procedures to ensure that interdictio ns take into account the23 safety and protection of local communities.24 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:25 (1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee26 on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries.27 (2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the28 House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of29 Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson30 of the committee.31 (3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs,32 issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or33 legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.34 (4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee35 may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or36 H. R. 817 (SUB) - 2 - 25 LC 59 0179S convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and37 accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.38 (5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive39 the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Offic ial Code of Georgia40 Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any41 member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized.42 Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds43 appropriated to the House of Representatives.44 (6) Report.45 (A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that46 include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the47 same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolut ion, subject to48 subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.49 (B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not i nclude suggestions for50 proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C)51 of this paragraph.52 (C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of53 abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee.54 A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with55 the Clerk of the House of Representatives.56 (D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the57 House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu58 thereof.59 (7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.60 H. R. 817 (SUB) - 3 -