1. (a) No later than June 30, 2025, the department of land and natural resources shall establish an unmanned aircraft systems program, which shall be compliant with all applicable federal and state laws, to assist the conservation and resources enforcement program in carrying out its duties under this chapter.
2. (b) Conservation and resources enforcement officers may use unmanned aircraft systems to monitor, investigate, and obtain evidence of natural and cultural resource violations to carry out the purposes of this chapter.
3. (c) The department of land and natural resources shall maintain detailed records of the use of unmanned aircraft systems and the effectiveness of the unmanned aircraft systems program.

4. (d) The department of land and natural resources shall submit an annual report to the legislature no later than January 1, 2026, and every year thereafter, on the unmanned aircraft systems program for the preceding annual period. The report shall be available to the public on the department's website and include:

   1. (1) A log of each use of an unmanned aircraft system, including the date, time, location, and types of incidents and justification for use;
   2. (2) A log of the civil or criminal investigations aided by the use of an unmanned aircraft system;
   3. (3) A log of any other uses of an unmanned aircraft system; and
   4. (4) A description of the program costs for the reporting period.
5. (e) The department of land and natural resources may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to carry out the purposes of this section.

6. (f) The department of land and natural resources shall not purchase, operate, or otherwise acquire or use unmanned aircraft systems manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity; provided that the chairperson of the board of land and natural resources may waive this prohibition on a case-by-case basis to the extent necessary for counter-unmanned aircraft systems activities, criminal investigative purposes, or exigent circumstances; provided further that the chairperson notifies the governor within fifteen calendar days after the chairperson grants each waiver. Unless waived, no state funds, including funds awarded through a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement or otherwise made available, shall be used by the department of land and natural resources in connection with unmanned aircraft systems manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity.

   For the purposes of this section, "covered foreign entity" means:

   1. (1) An entity included on the Consolidated Screening List or Entity List as designated by the United States Secretary of Commerce;
   2. (2) An entity domiciled in the People's Republic of China or the Russian Federation;
   3. (3) An entity subject to influence or control by the government of the People's Republic of China or by the Russian Federation;
   4. (4) Da-Jiang Innovations; or
   5. (5) A subsidiary or affiliate of an entity enumerated in paragraphs (1) through (4).

[L 2023, c 237, §2]