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Louisiana produces two bills against aerial drones, but one is already grounded

Louisiana politicians are attempting to enact new law that would ban the use of camera drones for photography and videography, like this aerial photo of New Orleans. One has already been rejected, but another is being reviewed. (Image via Rande Archer) Image used with permission by copyright holder

Louisiana’s State Senate passed two bills this week imposing heavy restrictions on aerial drone photography – hours later, one of those bills was thrown out.

The House Criminal Justice Committee grounded Senate Bill 356 with a vote of 7-4. The bill intended to ban the use of unmanned aircraft “flying over anything termed critical infrastructure,” according to an article in New Orleans City Business.

Senate Bill 356 required drone users to obtain explicit permission to photograph or video-record various types of highways, mass transportation systems, water treatment facilities, and other structures that are within public view.

The second bill, the Deterrence of Reconnaissance Over Noncriminal Entities (DRONE) Act, remains in consideration by the House. Also known as Senate Bill 330, the DRONE Act was written by Louisiana Senator Dan Claitor and it specifically criminalizes those using unmanned aircraft to “capture an image of an individual or privately owned immovable property with the intent to conduct surveillance.”

However, the DRONE Act has many provisions in its text that includes allowing law enforcement, farm laborers, and energy industry workers to use aerial drones to assist them with their jobs. An earlier version of the bill had been thrown out and later revived; if this bill passes, photographers and videographers using drones in the state of Louisiana could face expensive fines and possible jail time.

(Via Imaging Resource, Motherboard; image via Rande Archer/Flickr)

Chase Melvin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chase Melvin is a writer and native New Yorker. He graduated from LIU Brooklyn where he spent 3 years as the News and Photo…
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