The Honorable Diane Feinstein
United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Michael Lee
United States Senate
361A Russel Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Tom Cotton
United State Senate
124 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Richard Blumenthal
United States Senate
706 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Feinstein, Senator Lee, Senator Cotton, and Senator Blumenthal:
On behalf of the nation’s governors, legislators and chief state aviation officials, we commend you for introducing the Drone Federalism Act, which would affirm state regulatory authority regarding the operation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones.
States have been at the forefront of responsible drone regulation related to their traditional police powers.
As Congress continues its work on a 2017 FAA reauthorization, we support bipartisan efforts to preserve state, local, and tribal rights regarding drone operations. As written, the Drone Federalism Act of 2017 would both protect the FAA’s authority to ensure safety of the airspace, while also maintaining state and local authority to protect public safety and security, personal privacy, property rights, and manage land use regarding the operation of drones.
We look forward to working with you, as well as Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson, to ensure a successful 2017 FAA Reauthorization that preserves state authority and regulation over drones.
Sincerely,
Scott D. Pattison
Executive Director and CEO
National Governors Association
William T. Pound
Executive Director
National Conference of State Legislatures
Mark Kimberling
Chief Executive Officer
National Association of State Aviation Officials
Cc:
Chairman Thune, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
Ranking Member Nelson, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation
