HR 817: House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries; create

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 Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, drones and unmanned aircraft, including from foreign adversaries, pose a potential security threat by enabling espionage, data collection, and cyber intrusions that could compromise sensitive government and infrastructure systems; and

WHEREAS, foreign-made drones have been found operating near soft critical infrastructure, raising concerns about unauthorized surveillance and potential sabotage; and

WHEREAS, many drones collect and transmit data back to their manufacturers, some of which are based in countries with adversarial interests; and

WHEREAS, government agencies, including law enforcement, often use drones for surveillance, disaster response, and public safety operations; and

WHEREAS, the reliance on foreign adversary manufactured drones and chip sets limits domestic production and innovation; and

WHEREAS, the State of Georgia and the United States federal government currently lack comprehensive state and federal level policies governing the procurement and use of drones by government agencies; and

WHEREAS, many military installations in Georgia face increased risks from unauthorized drone activity; and

WHEREAS, citizens deserve to know how government agencies are using drone technology and whether their data is protected; and

WHEREAS, it would be beneficial to study the possible privacy and security impacts of the state's drone usage policies, as well as the potential coordination of federal, state, and local governments in developing procedures to ensure that interdictions take into account the safety and protection of local communities.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:

(1) Creation of House study committee. There is created the House Study Committee on Governmental Use of Drones and Unmanned Aircraft from Foreign Adversaries.

(2) Members and officers. The committee shall be composed of five members of the House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker shall designate a member of the committee as chairperson of the committee.

(3) Powers and duties. The committee shall undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and recommend any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or appropriate.

(4) Meetings. The chairperson shall call all meetings of the committee. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this resolution.

(5) Allowances and funding. The legislative members of the committee shall receive the allowances provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The allowances authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. Funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives.

(6) Report.

(A) In the event the committee adopts any specific findings or recommendations that include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file a report of the same prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(B) In the event the committee adopts a report that does not include suggestions for proposed legislation, the chairperson shall file the report, subject to subparagraph (C) of this paragraph.

(C) No report shall be filed unless the same has been approved prior to the date of abolishment specified in this resolution by majority vote of a quorum of the committee. A report so approved shall be signed by the chairperson of the committee and filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

(D) In the absence of an approved report, the chairperson may file with the Clerk of the House of Representatives a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the committee in lieu thereof.

(7) Abolishment. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1, 2025.