While many state legislatures adjourned sine die by the end of June, there has still been plenty of activity to keep track of from these past few months. Since the last legislative update at the end of June, two more states – Arizona and California – have adjourned and nine states have held special sessions covering a variety of topics.  

What’s New in the States 

California 

California finished it’s 2023 legislative session last month, with a flurry of legislative activity preceding its adjournment. California SB 800, which establishes the Advanced Air Mobility, Zero-Emission, and Electrification Aviation Advisory Panel, was signed into law by Governor Newsom. The measure, which AUVSI supported, is a forward leaning and positive step that will enable California to integrate AAM aircraft into their transportation structure.  

Governor Newsom also upheld California as the state for technological innovation by vetoing AB 316. AB 316 would have banned automated CMV operations without a “human safety operator” present, which would have had a chilling effect on the autonomous trucking industry. AUVSI urged Governor Newsom’s veto and applauds the Governor for supporting innovation and the adoption of safe and efficient technologies.  

Committee Activity 

New Hampshire and Massachusetts both continued to hold hearings throughout the summer, and both States did work on uncrewed systems. The Massachusetts Joint Transportation Committee heard testimony on HB 3298, HB 3324, and HB 3430 in early October. All three measures would severely limit the growth and adoption of the AV industry, and AUVSI submitted opposition testimony. The New Hampshire House Resources, Recreation, and Development Committee heard HB 434, which would require a daily fee for commercial drone use in state parks. AUVSI submitted opposition testimony for the measure, which will be heard again in a work session on November 1st.  

Alabama Special Session 

Alabama held a special legislative session in July, during which they passed SJR 3, which establishes a Joint Study Commission on Advanced Air Mobility. This is a crucial step forward, that will allow Alabama to set concrete deliverable goals, evaluate regulations, coordinate with multiple jurisdictional authorities, and outline clear pathways for the implementation of AAM.  

What’s New at AUVSI 

Legislator Meetings 

We are continuing to engage lawmakers across the country with Drone Prepared and are using the interim as an opportunity to get more face time with legislators who often find themselves swamped during session. We have had productive meetings with legislators in New Jersey, New Mexico, Washington, and South Dakota on the current landscape for drones in their states and how we can work together to improve it. We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish with these partners. 

On the Road 

AUVSI staff have been across the country in the past few months, speaking on panels and at events to promote our state work and educational campaigns. This includes panels at the Aerospace States Association in Boulder, the Drone and AAM Symposium in Baltimore, NASEO in Arkansas, and the AUVSI New England Summit in Boston. On these panels, we were able to speak to the core goals of Drone Prepared and get connected with legislators and agency officials across all fifty states.   

What’s Coming Next 

In the next few months, we will continue to ramp up work on Drone Prepared 2.0, continuing legislator conversations and staying touch with relevant stakeholders. Stay tuned, as we will also be launching a new educational campaign in early December.  

To stay in the know about all AUVSI campaigns, engagement, and state advocacy, sign up for our Drone Prepared Newsletter here. The newsletter is temporarily on hiatus but will begin again the first week of January.