On the recordJune 9, 2016
As a former State legislator, I very much agree with what my colleague from California has said. In North Carolina, we worked hard to get the regulatory and legislative framework right for this new technology. In fact, we commissioned a legislative research committee to propose legislation and obtained input from stakeholders prior to the bill's passage. You see, not all wisdom resides at the Federal Government. Our system is designed to let States and localities weigh factors that bureaucrats in Washington might not consider, such as potential privacy concerns, law enforcement operations, search and rescue, natural disaster mitigation, infrastructure monitoring--the list goes on. I would add that it was my understanding as well that Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson had graciously agreed to accept this amendment and that it had been cleared as part of a group of noncontroversial amendments. I was disappointed to see that package held up over a disagreement on unrelated matters between other Members. I am encouraged, however, by the chairman's and ranking members' commitment to continue addressing our concerns in conference committee.
