Revision: Dec. 24, 2015, midnight
\t \t\tHB 1654-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2016 SESSION
\t16-2420
\t04/03
HOUSE BILL\t1654-FN
AN ACT\trelative to flying drones near correctional facilities.
SPONSORS:\tRep. Cushing, Rock. 21; Rep. Fields, Belk. 4; Rep. Welch, Rock. 13; Rep. DiSesa, Straf. 16; Rep. Pantelakos, Rock. 25; Rep. Martin, Merr. 23; Rep. Berube, Straf. 18; Rep. O'Hearne, Sull. 3; Rep. Mangipudi, Hills. 35; Rep. Hirsch, Merr. 6; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Daniels, Dist 11
COMMITTEE:\tCriminal Justice and Public Safety
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ANALYSIS
\tThis bill prohibits a person from flying a drone above or near a state or county correctional facility or a municipal jail.
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Explanation:\tMatter added to current law appears in bold italics.
\t\tMatter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
\t\tMatter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
\t16-2420
\t04/03
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Sixteen
AN ACT\trelative to flying drones near correctional facilities.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
\t1 New Section; Breaches of the Peace; Flying a Drone Above or Near a Correctional Facility Prohibited. Amend RSA 644 by inserting after section 21 the following new section:
\t644:22 Flying a Drone Above or Near a Correctional Facility Prohibited.
\t\tI. No person shall fly a drone in the airspace above a state or county correctional facility or municipal jail, or within 100 yards from the boundaries of a state or county correctional facility or municipal jail. Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
\t\tII. In this section:
\t\t\t(a) "Airspace" means the space above the ground on which a state or county correctional facility or municipal jail is sited.
\t\t\t(b) "Drone" means a powered, aerial vehicle, excluding a geosynchronous satellite, that:
\t\t\t\t(1) Does not carry a human operator;
\t\t\t\t(2) Uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift;
\t\t\t\t(3) Can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely; and
\t\t\t\t(4) May be expendable or recoverable.
\t\t\t(c) "Person" means an individual, corporation, organization, and for-profit or not-for-profit entities.
\t2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2017.
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16-2420
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t12/21/15
HB 1654-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT\trelative to flying drones near correctional facilities.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant states this bill, as introduced, may increase state and county expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2017 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on local expenditures or state, county, and local revenue.
METHODOLOGY:
The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant states this bill contains a penalty that may have an impact on the New Hampshire judicial and correctional systems, specifically establishing a class A misdemeanor for flying a drone in the airspace above or within 100 yards from the boundaries of a state or county correctional facility or municipal jail. There is no method to determine how many charges would be brought as a result of the changes contained in this bill to determine the fiscal impact on expenditures. However, the Judicial Branch, Judicial Council and New Hampshire Association of Counties have provided the Office with potential costs associated with the penalties contained in this bill. See table below for average cost information:
| FY 2017 | FY 2018 |
Judicial Branch |
|
|
Class A Misdemeanor | $70 | $74 |
Appeals | Varies | Varies |
It should be noted average case cost estimates for FY 2017 and FY 2018 are based on data that is more than ten years old and does not reflect changes to the courts over that same period of time or the impact these changes may have on processing the various case types. | ||
Judicial Council |
|
|
Public Defender Program | Has contract with State to provide services. | Has contract with State to provide services. |
Contract Attorney – Misdemeanor | $275/Case | $275/Case |
Assigned Counsel – Misdemeanor | $60/Hour up to $1,400 | $60/Hour up to $1,400 |
It should be noted that a person needs to be found indigent and have the potential of being incarcerated to be eligible for indigent defense services. The majority of indigent cases (approximately 85%) are handled by the public defender program, with the remaining cases going to contract attorneys (14%) or assigned counsel (1%). | ||
NH Association of Counties |
|
|
County Prosecution Costs | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
Estimated Average Daily Cost of Incarcerating an Individual | $85 to $110 | $85 to $110 |
The Department of Justice and Department of Corrections does not anticipate this bill to have any impact on their respective budgets.