S 694: Relates to prohibiting civilian drone use within 500 feet of a correctional facility except when in use under the Federal Aviation Administration's authorization.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 694 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. GALLIVAN, HELMING, O'MARA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to civilian drone use near a correctional facility The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 608 2 to read as follows: 3 § 608. Drone use around correctional facilities. 1. No person, in a 4 private capacity, shall operate a drone within one thousand feet of a 5 correctional facility or local correctional facility in this state. 6 2. As used in this section: 7 "Drone" means a powered or unpowered aerial vehicle or a balloon float 8 or other device that: 9 (a) does not carry a human operator; 10 (b) uses aerodynamic forces or gases to provide lift; 11 (c) can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely; 12 (d) can be expendable or recoverable; 13 (e) captures images of objects or people on the ground and in the air; 14 (f) intercepts communications on the ground and in the air; and/or 15 (g) can carry a lethal or non-lethal payload. 16 3. A violation of this section shall result in a civil penalty of one 17 thousand dollars for the first offense and a misdemeanor for each subse- 18 quent offense. 19 4. This section shall not apply to the operation of a drone by any 20 person or entity that the federal aviation administration has authorized 21 to operate a drone for a commercial purpose, where the drone is operated 22 in a manner that complies with that authorization. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00243-01-5