WHEREAS, the State of Delaware has excellent resources that can be used to further advance the research, development, and use of technology to benefit and support Delawareans and other Americans with the safe use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS); and

WHEREAS, UAS can be designed for gathering information necessary to protect human life in search and rescue operations; aiding in the management of resources, including marine mammal and fisheries research; providing humanitarian assistance; providing a platform for scientific research; and other private and public sector activities; and

WHEREAS, since the 1970s, the list of potential uses for UAS and on-board technologies has expanded exponentially; and

WHEREAS, the majority of known commercial uses of UAS are for agriculture, public safety, cargo delivery and inspection of facilities or structures; and

WHEREAS, some of the uses of UAS will be disaster response, critical infrastructure, law enforcement, and natural resource monitoring; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restricts the use of UAS by public agencies to conduct routine flights over urban or populated areas, heavily trafficked roads, or open-air assemblies of people, as well as the discharge or dropping of objects while in flight, and the operation of UAS without the capability of pilot intervention; and

WHEREAS, the FAA has set up a roadmap for integration of UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS);

WHEREAS, in order to integrate UAS safety into the NAS, four main components of UAS operation will need to be researched: pilot and crew requirements; control station functionality and certification; data link certification requirements and operability; and unmanned aircraft certification requirements, airworthiness standards, measures of performance, and continued airworthiness standards; and

WHEREAS, Delaware, with the various academic levels of expertise in these areas, is well positioned to help the FAA develop these standards; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that integration of UAS into NAS will have a significant positive impact on the national economy, including the creation of manufacturing jobs and those requiring technical college degrees; and

WHEREAS, in addition to direct jobs created by the manufacturing process, income generated through newly created jobs will be spread to local communities; and

WHEREAS, as new jobs are created, additional money is spent at the local level, creating additional demand for local services and creating more jobs; and

WHEREAS, tax revenue to the states from 2015-2025, according to Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) are estimated to be $482 Million; and

WHEREAS, to address privacy concerns, Delaware will extend principles contained in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States to the application of UAS to protect its citizens' privacy rights from unlawful intrusion; and

WHEREAS, Delaware has a very strong relationship with national UAS industry players already working within the state; and

WHEREAS, Delaware has a strong and established history with defense integration initiatives; and

WHEREAS, the United States has a substantial military presence in Delaware; and

WHEREAS, Delaware has a substantial academic UAS body of expertise among its colleges and universities; and

WHEREAS, Delaware Technical Community College conducts one of the nation’s finest FAA accredited aviation maintenance and repair academic programs; and

WHEREAS, Delaware State University (DSU) has significant institutional expertise in aviation science and has one of the finest aviation programs in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the University of Delaware contributes expertise in computer and visualization technology and is a leading research and development institution supporting data collection, management, and presentation technologies; and

WHEREAS, the FAA has recently set certification requirements for operators in the small Unmanned Aircraft Rule; and

WHEREAS, working in collaboration with the Delaware academic partners, and with its expertise in aviation and public services curriculum and training, Delaware can assist the FAA in establishing its UAS operator certification requirements and program; and

WHEREAS, Delaware's academic partners could collaboratively establish a certification and training center to help the FAA determine a suitable commercial application of UAS into the NAS

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the 148^th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, expresses support for the development of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, technologies, usages, and businesses in Delaware and the increased economic and training opportunities available within the FAA Regulatory framework.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the importance of protecting Delawareans' rights to privacy, as guaranteed in the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, is recognized as Unmanned Aircraft Systems and technologies develop in the State of Delaware.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration and the members of Delaware's congressional delegation.

SPONSOR:	Sen. Lopez
	Sens. Hocker, Pettyjohn, Richardson; Reps. Potter, B. Short, D. Short, M. Smith, Spiegelman, Wilson