The House has passed a bill saying law enforcement will need a search warrant before it can use drone aircraft to collect evidence against an individual.
Rep. Rick Becker (R-Bismarck) introduced the bill. He says it’s to protect individual privacy.
"This is not a knee-jerk, technophobic reaction," Becker told his House colleagues. "This is new technology. It's advancing rapidly. And it's going to be deployed rapidly."
Becker noted that the platform of the national Republican party calls for restrictions on drones.
But opponents say the measure is premature.
"This is a solution looking for a problem," said Rep. Mike Nathe (R-Bismarck). "I think this appeals to the black helicopter crowd. Let's study this some more and look at it again next session."
Grand Forks lawmakers said a law like this could hurt the University of North Dakota's chances to become a UAV research site.
The measure passed 60-31 -- and will now be considered in the Senate.
