BILL NUMBER: AJR 6 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT
ADOPTED IN SENATE JULY 8, 2013
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 29, 2013
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Fox
JANUARY 28, 2013
Relative to unmanned aircraft systems.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AJR 6, Fox. Unmanned aircraft systems.
Existing federal law, the Federal Aviation Administration
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, provides for the integration of
civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system by
September 30, 2015. Existing federal law requires the Administrator
of the Federal Aviation Administration to develop and implement
operational and certification requirements for the operation of
public unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace system by
December 31, 2015.
This measure would request the Federal Aviation Administration to
consider California as one of the 6 planned test sites for unmanned
aircraft systems and integration of those systems into the next
generation air transportation system.
WHEREAS, For more than five decades, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) has compiled a proven track record of safely
introducing new technology and aircraft into the national airspace
system; and
WHEREAS, Most recently, the FAA has been working to ensure the
safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems, commonly known as
drones, into the national airspace system, with the focus being on
safety for the nation's communities; and
WHEREAS, On February 14, 2012, President Obama signed into law the
Federal Aviation Administration Modernization and Reform Act of
2012, which, among other things, requires the FAA to designate six
sites throughout the United States as unmanned aircraft system test
sites in order to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the
national airspace system; and
WHEREAS, Unmanned aircraft systems are not currently authorized in
Class B airspace, which is airspace over most major urban areas, and
which contains the highest density of manned aircraft in the
national airspace system; and
WHEREAS, Unmanned aircraft systems perform port surveillance for
the United States Department of Homeland Security, assist with
scientific research and environmental monitoring for the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, and perform valuable roles in
conducting research, firefighting efforts, disaster relief,
humanitarian efforts, search and rescue, law enforcement, military
training, testing, and evaluation, and in other areas; and
WHEREAS, Unmanned aircraft represent one of the fastest growing
segments of the aerospace industry, which is a vital part of
California's economy; and
WHEREAS, A study conducted by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle
Systems International indicates that the industry has the potential
to create 100,000 manufacturing jobs in the provision of unmanned
aircraft in the top two largest markets, namely agriculture and
public safety; and
WHEREAS, The designation and operation of test sites will be a
tool for testing all aspects of unmanned aircraft systems and will
allow for the integration into the next generation air transportation
system; and
WHEREAS, Test sites will determine the safe designation of
airspace for integrated manned and unmanned flight operation in the
national airspace system, coordinate and leverage the resources of
NASA and the Department of Defense, address civil and public unmanned
aircraft systems, ensure the safety of unmanned aircraft systems and
related navigation procedures before those systems are integrated
into the national airspace system, and create certification standards
and air traffic requirements for unmanned flight operations; and
WHEREAS, Once enabled, commercial unmanned aircraft system markets
will develop new markets and more efficient applications, with a
prediction by the FAA of roughly 10,000 active commercial unmanned
aircraft systems to be developed in five years; and
WHEREAS, California has a long and successful history with the
aerospace community, from the development of the space shuttle to the
Mars rover, with hundreds of small-, medium-, and larger-sized
companies, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman,
Raytheon, and General Atomics, involved with the technology that
millions of individuals benefit from daily, while fostering a rich
environment of technology and hardware for the aerospace industry;
and
WHEREAS, California has the infrastructure already in place as an
appropriate unmanned aircraft vehicle test site, including the
airspace necessary for testing, using existing and proven test
ranges, world class educational institutions, a highly educated
workforce, and associated technology; and
WHEREAS, California is also home to the largest expected release
of deployed military personnel who could seamlessly transition from
their military deployment into many of the civilian and
defense-related jobs created by the unmanned aircraft test industry;
now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of
California, jointly, That the FAA is urged to consider California as
one of the six test sites for unmanned aircraft systems and
integration of those systems into the next generation air
transportation system; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly submit copies of
this resolution to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration, the United States Secretary of Transportation, each
member of the United States Senate and House of Representatives from
California, and the author for appropriate distribution.