--- title: HR 817. House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries; create collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr817 cite_as: HR 817, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr817 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr817.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr817/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71803 date: 2025-04-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr816.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr818.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 249 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr817.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 817 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-27 last_action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted sponsors: - David Clark - Josh Bonner - Todd Jones - Clint Crowe - Eddie Lumsden - Brad Thomas text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR817/2025 upstream_id: 2016154 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - drone regulation - government surveillance - data privacy - national security - legislative study committees --- # HR 817. House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries; create ## Text 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 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A House resolution would create a study committee to examine how Georgia government agencies use drones, including devices made by foreign adversaries, and the security and privacy risks involved. ### Plain-language summary This resolution creates the House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries. The committee would be made up of five members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker, who would also name a chairperson. The committee's job is to study concerns raised in the resolution, such as foreign-made drones operating near sensitive infrastructure, data collection by drone manufacturers based in countries considered adversarial, risks to military installations in Georgia, and gaps in state and federal policy on government drone procurement and use. The committee can hold meetings as needed and would recommend any legislation it thinks is necessary. Members would receive standard legislative allowances for up to five days unless more are approved, funded through the House of Representatives budget. The committee must file a report of its findings before it is abolished on December 1, 2025. ### What it does - Creates the House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries, made up of five House members appointed by the Speaker. - Directs the committee to study security, privacy, and procurement issues tied to government drone use, including drones made by foreign adversaries. - Authorizes the committee to hold meetings and recommend legislation or other action based on its findings. - Sets legislative allowances under O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8 for committee members, capped at five days of meetings unless additional days are approved. - Requires the chairperson to file a report with the Clerk of the House before the committee is abolished, or file meeting minutes if no report is approved. - Abolishes the committee automatically on December 1, 2025. ### Who it affects Members of the House of Representatives appointed to the committee, state and local government agencies that use drones such as law enforcement, and by extension Georgians concerned about privacy, data security, and drone activity near military installations and critical infrastructure in the state. ### Why it matters The study could shape future Georgia laws on how government agencies buy and use drones, particularly those made by foreign manufacturers, potentially affecting data privacy protections, security around military sites and infrastructure, and rules for law enforcement drone surveillance. ### Key provisions - Paragraph (1) creates the House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries. - Paragraph (2) sets the committee's size at five House members appointed by the Speaker, who also designates the chairperson. - Paragraph (3) gives the committee authority to study drone-related security, privacy, and procurement issues and recommend legislation. - Paragraph (5) ties member allowances to O.C.G.A. § 28-1-8, capped at five paid days unless more are authorized, funded through House appropriations. - Paragraph (6) requires a report to the Clerk of the House if findings or recommendations are approved by majority vote, or meeting minutes if no report is approved. - Paragraph (7) abolishes the committee on December 1, 2025. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-27) - Last action: House Withdrawn, Recommitted (2025-04-04) - Sponsors: David Clark, Josh Bonner, Todd Jones, Clint Crowe, Eddie Lumsden, Brad Thomas - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71803 > The history, votes, and amendments (249 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr817.md?full=1