As April ends, several state legislatures have adjourned for the remainder of the session. Due to elections, sessions in even-numbered years are often shorter than those in odd-numbered ones. Eight states adjourned this month, bringing the total to nineteen states already adjourned for their 2024 regular sessions.  

What We’re Seeing 

With the legislative sessions winding down, we saw fewer new bills introduced and began to see more bills enacted into law. This includes forward leaning enabling legislation for both air and ground vehicles: 

These pieces of legislation assign regulatory authorities and allow for the development of necessary infrastructure to enable the integration and implementation of advanced air mobility (AAM) and autonomous ground vehicles, preparing these states for the future of transportation technology.  

What We’re Working On 

Drone Prepared: Drone Prepared is our industry-backed fifty-state educational campaign consisting of educational materials and model legislation. Drone Prepared aims to create a secure and cohesive regulatory environment for drone operations, encourage commercial operations, and increase economic investment and job creation.  Last month, Drone Prepared was signed into law in South Dakota. This month, we continued to advocate with state legislators and utilize the recommended considerations for policymaking to ensure positive drone regulations at the state level.  

AAM Prepared: Our fifty-state educational campaign AAM prepared was launched at the start of this legislative session and focuses on ensuring states and localities are prepared for the future of aviation. This month, important bills were worked on in Alabama to secure the funding that would make AAM Prepared a reality within the state. The model legislation remains under consideration as HB 176, and now with funding to accompany it.  

Stay Connected 

AUVSI will be actively engaged in Drone Prepared and AAM Prepared through the end of June, when most legislative sessions will have wrapped up. We still expect to see new trends emerge and new issues take precedence. To get weekly updates on all new/active legislation and AUVSI’s state advocacy efforts, sign up for our newsletter here.