WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

House approves Morris drone bill to strengthen privacy protections

OLYMPIA – Today the House of Representatives passed Rep. Jeff Morris’ (D – Mount Vernon) bill to strengthen Washingtonians’ privacy protections from drone surveillance.

House Bill 1093, which passed 94-3, would prohibit the use of unmanned aircraft (drones) equipped with sensing devices that collect personal information, including images of individuals on private property, without the individual’s consent.

“This bill would address just about every weird drone event you have heard about in the news in the last year,” Morris said. “Hopefully the Senate will pass this bill this year to protect our citizens’ privacy.”

Morris’ bill would exempt any drones with sensing devices that are explicitly permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration.

HB 1093 now goes to the Senate for consideration.