One Industry. One Voice. Every day, members of Congress work on legislation that can either boost or hinder the advancement and deployment of unmanned and autonomous systems. The annual AUVSI Hill Day is an opportunity for the entire industry to come together and declare, with one unified voice, how unmanned technology is making a positive impact on local communities and economies across the country. Join us at Hill Day and take advantage of the opportunity to educate your lawmakers and advocate for your business. Amplify our voice and help advance all things unmanned! These Decisions Affect You and Your Business: Whether your operations or technology work in the air, on the ground or in the water, your perspective is important at AUVSI Hill Day. This year, we will actively educate lawmakers on these issues: Air Priorities Remote ID - Remote ID will increase safety, security, and accountability by removing anonymous operators from the National Airspace System (NAS), which will also help address privacy and nuisance concerns. Establishing remote ID and tracking standards will help alleviate safety concerns about UAS and their increasing use, as well as facilitate the enforcement of existing policy. Position: The rulemaking process for remote ID is not expected to start until September 2019, and a final rule is still in the distant future. Congress should urge the FAA to prioritize and expedite the creation of remote identification rules to help ensure the safe integration of UAS into the NAS. Maritime Priorities Coast Guard Reauthorization Act - The Coast Guard’s release of the Arctic Strategic Outlook recognizes the importance of unmanned systems to fill capability gaps of the current fleet for high-latitude operations. Commercially available, off-the-shelf technologies will help the Coast Guard alleviate some of the manning and funding concerns of their 11 missions. Position: AUVSI urges Congress to include language in the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act to conduct a low-cost maritime domain awareness pilot to determine the efficacy of UMS to support expanded Arctic operations. Ground Priorities Next Gen Innovation - Thought leaders in the Army recognize the utility of unmanned vehicles to support an array of mobility operations. From logistics to combat, the Army is issuing RFPs to build next generation vehicles that are optionally manned. Position: To ensure the success of these ambitious unmanned systems prototypes, we urge congressional appropriators to adequately fund programs to support the future of Army combat and logistics. Why Attend? AUVSI Hill Day provides you with an extraordinary opportunity to: Gain a better understanding of current industry issues, how they directly affect the way you do business, and how the industry is being regulated Interact with your industry peers facing the same challenges and issues Educate members of Congress about issues they are voting on. As a constituent, your voice matters. They want to hear from people like you – people who work hard each day with these technologies — so that they can do their jobs better for the people who elected them. Be a part of the conversation and help protect unmanned systems across the country. What Can You Expect? AUVSI makes it extremely easy to have your voice heard. On your behalf, we: Schedule your congressional meetings Place you on a team with other unmanned systems pros and experienced advocates Prepare you with pre-reads and on-site briefing materials so you know exactly how to participate in a successful congressional meeting Provide you with all the information you need to share with elected officials Arm you with knowledge and skills you can apply to effectively speak about the unmanned systems industry and its importance to the economy on Hill Day and when you return to your hometown Don’t Be Afraid to Participate - AUVSI Makes It Easy Before you go on Capitol Hill to speak directly with lawmakers, AUVSI provides you with briefing materials so you are ready to address each issue. The materials are specially designed to give you a rich background, so you can be a strong advocate at both meetings with officials on the Hill and those back home. Get Involved Click here to register. Hill Day is open to all AUVSI Organizational Members. Not a member? Contact membership@auvsi.org to learn more. Check out some of the photos from AUVSI Hill Day. (L-R) Michael Wilbur (AUVSI), Amber McDonald (Indemnis, Inc.), Dan Fenerty (Nav Mar Applied Sciences Corp), Thomas Fenerty (Nav Mar Applied Sciences Corp), Chad Lawrence (NY UAS Test Site), Phil Kenul (Trivector), Alan Erickson (Indemnis, Inc.) (L-R) Brian Wynne (AUVSI), Houston Mills (UPS), Brendan Schulman (DJI), Heather Lee (AUVSI), Jay Greenberg (Boeing) Brian Wynne, AUVSI President & CEO, at RoboNation’s Booth during the Science and Technology Fair.