Rep. Desautels’s bill would require radios and transponders for crop dusters using public airports

House Bill 715, presented to the House Committee on Agriculture, would require aerial applicators that use publicly owned airports to carry radios and transponders when landing and taking off from those fields. Rep. Desautels described the measure as a safety step intended to prevent the “near misses” that prompted the proposal.

The bill’s sponsor, identified in committee materials as Representative Desautels, said the requirement applies only when crop dusters operate from public airports and only during takeoff and landing. “This is, this is a safety bill,” the sponsor said, and described a recent incident in which two crop dusters ended up “laying on top of each other.” He told members that radios are inexpensive but that retrofitting an older aircraft with a transponder could “potentially could be up to about $10,000” depending on the age and equipment of the plane.

Members pressed for practical detail. Representative Amadei asked whether transponders work at low altitudes used by crop dusters; the sponsor replied they do and that towers and ground controllers can see transponder‑equipped aircraft while taxiing or on approach. Committee members also noted that many commercial crop‑dusting outfits already use local strips and would not be affected when they operate from private airstrips.

Representative DeWitt moved the bill favorably. With no objections voiced in committee, HB 715 was reported favorably with the technical amendments offered by the clerk.

The committee record shows no roll‑call vote; sponsors and members described the measure as a targeted safety step and the committee advanced it to the next stage of consideration.