A bipartisan pair of Kentucky representatives has pre-filed a bill that would require warrants for any information gathered by drones.
Democratic Representative Brent Yonts and Republican Diane St. Onge are referring to their drone bill as the ‘Citizens’ Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act.’
Yonts says the bill, which was briefly discussed in a House judiciary committee over the summer, is meant to protect Kentuckians from warrantless eyes in the sky.
"I think it’s a natural progression of reality as we know it in the 21st century," Yonts said. "I think it’ll get worse. That’s we need to be on guard to make sure the government doesn’t abuse people’s rights. It’s historic that the government will exceed the bounds of law until they’re stopped by the legal process. This is an effort in the beginning to say what the rules of the road are so we don’t have to go that far."
Yonts says federal laws prohibit the use of drones in Kentucky, but he expects that to change in the near future. When it does, he says he hopes legislation like this will keep their use within the parameters of the Constitution.
