Illinois SB1587, Freedom from Drone Surveillance Act, is up for a hearing and possible vote in the State Senate Committee on Criminal Law. Your help is needed right now to move this bill forward!
The hearing is on March 6th, 2013 at 9am. Help nullify drone spying in Illinois by contacting the committee and telling them to vote in favor for SB1587. Attend the hearing as well. The link to the bill can be found here.
ACTION ITEMS
1. Contact the Committee Chair. Thank him for scheduling the hearing and urge him to vote YES on SB1587
Michael Noland (217) 782-7746
2. Contact the other members of the committee. Strongly, but respectfully, urge them to vote YES on SB1587. Tell them to vote on principle, not party.
Kwame Raoul (217) 782-5338
Bill Cunningham (217) 782-5145
William R. Haine (217) 782-5247
Dan Kotowski (217) 782-3875
John G. Mulroe (217) 782-1035
Patricia Van Pelt (217) 782-6252
Dale A. Righter (217) 782-6674
Tim Bivins (217) 782-0180
Michael Connelly (217) 782-8192
3. Attend the hearing.
The Criminal Law Hearing will start March 6 2013 9:00AM in the Capitol room 409 in Springfield, Illinois.
Arrive EARLY!
4. 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/legislation/privacy-protection-act/
5. 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.
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 uncosntitutional 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,’” he said. “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.
