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Appropriations panel gives do-pass to House Bill 1038 after briefing on statewide drone program costs
Summary
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to recommend House Bill 1038 after hearing cost estimates for a statewide unmanned aircraft systems program. The Northern Plains UAS Test Site would administer the program; the bill totals $26 million but does not include a recently added $2 million enterprise data-management amendment.
The North Dakota Senate Appropriations Committee voted to give a "do pass" recommendation to House Bill 1038 after committee members heard detailed cost estimates for a proposed statewide unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) program.
Deputy Executive Director Aaron Raessler presented the committee with a multi-part cost breakdown, saying, "In front of you, you have the cost estimates" and walking members through components including program administration, inventory establishment, threat and vulnerability assessment, and training. The committee was told the bill is structured in two sections that together total $26,000,000 in appropriations (roughly $15 million and $11 million by section), while a software amendment added in committee would impose additional recurring costs that are not included in the $26 million appropriation.
Why it matters: HB 1038 would fund replacement and centralized management of state agency drones and related systems, and it would designate the Northern Plains UAS Test Site to administer the program.…
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