Bill > HB1779

This bill creates new criminal offenses related to the use of unmanned aircraft, commonly known as drones, and the images they capture. Specifically, it makes it a crime to use a drone to capture an image of an individual or private property with the intent to conduct surveillance, and also criminalizes the possession, disclosure, display, distribution, or use of such illegally captured images, with penalties ranging from a Class C misdemeanor for possession to a Class B misdemeanor for distribution. The bill defines "image" broadly to include various forms of sensory data and "unmanned aircraft" as any airborne device operated without a person on board. While establishing these prohibitions, the bill outlines numerous exceptions where capturing images with drones is lawful, including for research and development by higher education institutions, military operations, utility maintenance, law enforcement purposes under specific conditions, fire suppression, rescue operations, and for marketing real estate if no individual is identifiable. It also clarifies that images captured in violation of these provisions generally cannot be used as evidence in legal proceedings, except to prove a violation of this new law itself. Additionally, the bill amends existing law to address surreptitious commercial surveillance and aggravated surreptitious commercial surveillance, creating new offenses for employees or individuals conducting covert surveillance of employers' premises and for distributing images obtained under false pretenses.