House Government Operations committee advances package of bills; debates drone use for deer recovery and a conservatorship task force

The House Government Operations Committee advanced a package of bills April 16, sending measures to finance, calendar and other committees while debating privacy and oversight provisions for a drone-for-deer-recovery proposal and a proposed conservatorship management task force.

Representative Hill, sponsor of House Bill 1280, told the committee the bill would "create the medical expense relief fund" to help families of TennCare enrollees avoid postmortem recoupment actions: "it's to keep TennCare from going after these families 1 last time." The committee approved the bill by voice vote, 9 ayes, 0 nos, and referred it to Finance, Ways and Means.

Why it matters: the committee moved dozens of measures that, if approved by the full House, would change how state agencies write rules (including licenses and permits), how some state grants are distributed, and how certain consumer and patient protections are implemented. Two items drew extended questions: a bill allowing limited drone use to recover wounded deer on private land, and a task force to review conservatorship oversight.

Top items and discussion

Drones to recover wounded deer (House Bill 175): Representative Darby said the bill would allow the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission to promulgate rules or issue proclamations authorizing an individual or business to use a drone on private land "solely to recover deer that has been wounded while a person was lawfully engaged in hunting." The sponsor and several members discussed who would operate drones, data retention and commercial reuse of footage. Representative Renau asked if drones would be operated by hunters, state agents or contractors; Darby said they would be operated by private individuals or businesses and that "the TWRA will not be in the business of using drones." When asked whether recorded video or data could be retained or used later, Darby said states that have adopted similar programs "will promulgate the rules, and they will the data that will be used for that, I'm sure, will not be used for the next time that they fly the drones." The…