Action Alert: Drone Nullification Bill up for vote in Washington State

Washington State HB1771, the Privacy Protection Act, passed out of committee, 9-1 and now the Rules committee has allowed the bill to come up for a vote in the full State House.  A vote could come any day now, so your action is needed right away to move the bill forward!

This bill is an act “relating to protecting Washington citizens from warrantless surveillance, reducing liability, and establishing clear standards under which agencies may utilize unmanned aerial vehicles.”

ACTION ITEMS

1. Contact your State Representative.  Strongly, but respectfully, let them know that you will not accept anything less than a YES vote on HB1771.

Contact information here:
http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/representatives/Pages/default.aspx  

2.  Encourage your local community to take action as well. Using model legislation from the Tenth Amendment Center, you can introduce legislation to nullify Drones in your city, town, and county with the Privacy Protection Act .

Model legislation here: http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/nullifydrones/

3.  Share this information widely.  Please pass this along to your friends and family.  Also share it with any and all grassroots groups you’re in contact with around the state.  Please encourage them to email this information to their members and supporters.

4. Please like the Washington Tenth Amendment Center Facebook Page to keep up to date with what is happening in the state. Information added here on bills, rallies, and dates for hearings about what is the best way to keep informed about what is happening in Washington.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

While the bill only limits drone use by state and local government, it will have some serious impact on intended results being pushed by the federal government. At this stage in the ‘drone game,’ the feds are working hard behind the scenes to get states to operate the drones for them.

In fact, the primary engine behind the expansion of drone surveillance being carried out by states and local communities is the Federal government itself. Department of Homeland Security issues large grants to local governments so that those agencies can purchase drones. Those grants, in and of themselves, are an unconstitutional expansion of power.

The goal? Fund a network of drones around the country and put the operational burden on the states. Once the create a web over the whole country, DHS steps in with requests for ‘information sharing.’ “Bills like these put a dent in this kind of long-term strategy. Without the states and local communities operating the drones today, it’s going to be nearly impossible for DHS plans to – take off.”