BILL NUMBER: AB 1662	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 3, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Chau

                        JANUARY 13, 2016

    An act to add Section 20019 to the Vehicle Code, relating
to unmanned aircraft systems.   An act to add Part 6.5
(commencing with Section 24455) to Division 9 of the Public Utilities
Code, relating to aviation. 


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1662, as amended, Chau. Unmanned aircraft systems: accident
reporting.
   Existing federal law, the Federal Aviation Administration
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, provides for the integration of
unmanned aircraft systems, commonly known as drones, into the
national airspace system. Existing federal law requires the operator
of an unmanned aircraft system to immediately, and by the most
expeditious means available, notify the nearest National
Transportation Safety Board office when, among other things, an
aircraft accident, as defined, or certain serious incidents occur.
Those notifications are required to include, among other things, the
name of the owner of the unmanned aircraft system, the name of the
operator of the unmanned aircraft system, the date and time of the
accident, and the nature of the accident.
   Existing state law requires the driver of a vehicle involved in an
accident resulting in injury to any person, other than himself or
herself, or in the death of any person, to immediately stop the
vehicle at the scene of the accident and provide certain information
and render assistance, as necessary, to the driver and occupants of
the other vehicle and provide the specified information to any
traffic or police officer at the scene of the accident. A person who
violates this requirement is guilty of a misdemeanor or a felony.
Existing law requires the driver of a vehicle involved in an accident
resulting only in damage to any property, including vehicles, to
immediately stop the vehicle at the nearest location that will not
impede traffic or otherwise jeopardize the safety of other motorists
and provide certain information to the owner or person in charge of
the damaged property or place that information in a conspicuous place
on the damaged property. A person who violates this requirement is
guilty of a misdemeanor.
   This bill would require the operator of any unmanned aircraft
system involved in an accident resulting in injury to an individual
or damage to property to immediately land the unmanned aircraft at
the nearest location that will not jeopardize the safety of others
and provide certain information to the injured individual or the
owner or person in charge of the damaged property or place that
information in a conspicuous place on the damaged property. The bill
would make a person who violates these provisions guilty of a
misdemeanor. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a
state-mandated local program.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this
act for a specified reason.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
   
  SECTION 1.    Section 20019 is added to the
Vehicle Code, to read:
   20019.   
  SECTION 1.    Part 6.5 (commencing with Section 24455) is
added to Division 9 of the Public Utilities Code, to read: 

      PART 6.5.   Unmanned Aircraft Systems


    24455.  (a) The operator of any unmanned aircraft system
involved in an accident resulting in injury to an individual or
damage to property shall immediately land the unmanned aircraft at
the nearest location that will not jeopardize the safety of others.
Moving the unmanned aircraft in accordance with this subdivision does
not affect the question of fault. The operator shall also
immediately do one of the following:
   (1) Present his or her valid identification, if he or she has that
identification, and his or her name and current residence address to
the injured individual. For purposes of this section, "valid
identification" includes, but is not limited to, a driver's license,
a state-issued identification card, or a passport.
   (2) Locate and notify the owner or person in charge of that
property of the name and address of the operator of the unmanned
aircraft system involved and, upon locating the owner or person in
charge of the damaged property and being requested to do so, present
his or her valid identification, if he or she has that
identification, and his or her name and current residence address to
the other property owner or person in charge of the damaged property.

   (3) Leave in a conspicuous place on the damaged property a written
notice giving the name and address of the operator of the unmanned
aircraft system involved and a statement of the circumstances of the
accident and, without unnecessary delay, notify the police department
of the city where the damage occurred or, if the damage occurred in
unincorporated territory, the local headquarters of the sheriff's
department of the county where the damage occurred.
   (b) Except as provided in subdivision (c), a person who fails to
comply with the requirements of this section is guilty of a
misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not
exceeding six months, or by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars
($1,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.
   (c) This section does not apply to either of the following:
   (1) A law enforcement officer, or an employee of a police 
department   department, fire department, fire
protection district,  or other law enforcement agency, operating
an unmanned aircraft system within the scope of his or her
employment.
   (2) A person operating an unmanned aircraft system pursuant to the
specific authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration if the
person operates the unmanned aircraft system in accordance with the
terms and conditions of that authorization.
   (d) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

   (1) "Unmanned aircraft" means an aircraft that is operated without
the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the
aircraft.
   (2) "Unmanned aircraft system" means an unmanned aircraft and
associated elements, including, but not limited to, communication
links and the components that control the unmanned aircraft that are
required for the pilot in command to operate safely and efficiently
in the national airspace system.
  SEC. 2.  No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to
Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because
the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school
district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or
infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty
for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the
Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the
meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California
Constitution.