BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 2569

By: Flores

Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In 2013, the 83rd Texas Legislature enacted legislation that sought to regulate the use of unmanned aircrafts, such as drones, and included reporting requirements for certain law enforcement agencies regarding their use or operation of unmanned aircrafts. The bill sponsor has informed the committee that both the technological capabilities and use of unmanned aircrafts have increased since 2013 and that DPS went from 35 reports in 2017 to nearly 50,000 per year currently, resulting in the report being so large that computers used around the legislature have a difficult time opening the file and the physical copy being financially burdensome and time-consuming. S.B. 2569 seeks to modernize the reporting requirements.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 2569 amends the Government Code to remove the requirement for each state law enforcement agency and each county or municipal law enforcement agency located in a county or municipality, as applicable, with a population greater than 150,000, that used or operated an unmanned aircraft during the preceding 24 months to do the following not earlier than January 1 and not later than January 15 of each odd-numbered year:

· issue a written report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and each member of the legislature;

· retain the report for public viewing; and

· post the report on the law enforcement agency's publicly accessible website, if one exists.

The bill instead requires an applicable law enforcement agency, during that period, to post a report regarding the agency's use or operation of unmanned aircraft on the agency's publicly accessible website or, if the agency does not have a publicly accessible website, otherwise make the report available to the public.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.