Senate Judiciary Committee
Brendan Bunnell 271-4063
HB 1444-FN, relative to the purchase or acquisition of certain unmanned aircraft systems.
Hearing Date: March 10, 2026
Time Opened: 1:52 p.m. Time Closed: 1:56 p.m.
Members of the Committee Present: Senators Gannon, Abbas, Altschiller and Reardon
Members of the Committee Absent: Senator Carson
Bill Analysis: This bill prohibits the state or local governments from acquiring certain drones or unmanned aircraft systems after January 1, 2028.
Sponsors:
Rep. Moffett | Rep. Cambrils | Rep. Freeman |
Rep. Litchfield | Rep. Mandelbaum | Rep. Notter |
Rep. Creighton | Sen. Pearl | Sen. Sullivan |
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Who supports the bill: Senator Howard Pearl, Representative Daniel Propovici-Muller, Daniel Richardson Tami Lanzillo Zeimetz, and Periklis Karoutas (State Shield).
Who opposes the bill: Cory Stone and Jennifer Favreau.
Who is neutral on the bill: Adam Ciardelli and Tricia Lambert (NHSP).
Summary of the testimony presented:
Representative Terry Roy spoke in support of the bill. He expressed that it touched on issues including personal privacy, civil liberties, and security.
Mr. Adam Ciardelli, a counterterrorism consultant with the New Hampshire Information Analysis Center and the State Police Terrorism and Intelligence Unit speaking on behalf of Lieutenant Chris Storm, and Ms. Tricia Lambert of the Department of Transportation Bureau of Aeronautics testified in support of the bill.
- Mr. Ciardelli explained that there had been some issues raised with a prior version of the bill, but that they had been addressed sufficiently with this revised version.
- Mr. Ciardelli stated that this would address some concerns around espionage and foreign aircraft.
- Senator Gannon asked if the primary concern at hand was foreign espionage efforts, and whether this bill would limit such activities to the US and authorized governments.
BMB
Date Hearing Report completed: March 13, 2026