Alaska House Bill 209 HB 209 sponsored by Rep. Higgins, was introduced. The legislation prohibits the use of evidence obtained by unmanned aerial vehicles, called drones, without a warrant to be used in a criminal investigation. It further prohibits the equipping of drones with “explosives” or a “dangerous instrument” (learn more here).

STATUS – referred to the House Judiciary committee where it will need to pass by majority vote before moving on to the next committee.

YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED NOW.  It doesn’t matter where in Alaska you live, take these actions today.

1. Call the Committee Chair, Wes Keller at 907-465-2186.  Strongly, but respectfully urge him to move this important bill forward to a vote in his committee.  A phone call has 10x the impact of an email.

2.  Call all the other committee members.  Again, be strong, but respectful. Urge each of them to take action to move the bill forward and vote YES on HB 209.  If they do not commit to a YES vote, ask them why.  If they’re undecided, let them know you’ll call back in a few days.

Representative Neal Foster 907-465-3789
Representative Gabrielle LaDoux 907-465-4998
Representative Charisse Millett 907-465-3879
Representative Lance Pruitt 907-465-3438
Representative Max Gruenberg 907-465-4940

3.  Call Back – any NO or UNDECIDED – in 3-4 days.  Ask if they’ve had a chance to review the legislation and what their opposition might be.   Comment below or contact us with any information you get.

4.  on Twitter?  Retweet 

5.  Write a letter to the editor Look up your local newspaper and submit a letter to the editor voicing your support for HB209. Following strong legal principles, it’s essential that Alaska not carry out unconstitutional drone surveillance. Passing HB209 will be a big step forward in that process.

6. Report Back. Tell us how your actions went. Click the button below

Francisco Rodriguez