Legislature Addresses Drones, Abortion As Deadline Nears

Legislation that would limit the use of drones is moving forward in the California Legislature. The Assembly today gave its final approval to two drone-related measures.

Democrat Mike Gatto says the first concerns prisons.

“We’ve seen in recent months that a lot of people have flown drones over jails and prisons with attempts to drop contraband,” he says. “Believe it or not, current law does not make the practice illegal. SB 170 remedies that.”

The bill would make the practice a misdemeanor. The second measure would make flying a drone over a public school without the school’s permission an infraction. Both measures now head back to the Senate for a final vote.

The Assembly also approved a bill that would provide guidelines for police departments on using body-cameras. That now moves to the governor.  

The chamber also passed a measure to make it easier for undocumented immigrants who are the victims of crime to receive a visa if they are helpful in their investigations. That bill now goes to the governor.

The Senate approved a pilot program that would allow online reporting of child abuse and neglect.

Senators intensely debated a bill that would require unlicensed pregnancy crisis centers to let customers know they are not licensed medical facilities. Much of the debate focused on abortion. But Democratic Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson says the bill is about more than that. 

“This bill is to protect women’s health so that women know what their choices are and are able to exercise their choices at the earliest possible moments so that they can protect their health and make a decision that is right for them,” she says.

The Senate also passed a bill that would allow for felony charges against people caught with "date rape" drugs. The passage of Proposition 47 last fall reclassified some drug offenses as misdemeanors.

All three bills now go to the governor's desk.