Home » House Judiciary Committee, senators to discuss drones, animal abuse

House Judiciary Committee, senators to discuss drones, animal abuse

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 20, 2013) — With many of its Senate counterparts expected to attend, the House Judiciary Committee will conduct a meeting at noon Wednesday to discuss two issues garnering attention across the state and the nation: drones or unmanned vehicles and animal abuse.

The Capitol Annex Building in Frankfort, Ky.
The Capitol Annex Building in Frankfort, Ky.

“With all of our members up this week for the special session on redistricting, my fellow committee co-chair – Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville – and I thought it would be the ideal time to host a meeting like this,” said Rep. John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville.  “Both of these issues are important matters, and this will give us more insight on what steps Kentucky should take next in these two areas.”

The meeting will be in Room 171 of the Capitol Annex, and will feature several speakers.

On the issues of drones and unmanned vehicles, those include:

  • ♦ Mario Mairena, the government affairs manager for the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International;
  • ♦ Captain Don Roby of the Baltimore County Police Department;
  • ♦ David Thompson (COL, RET), the executive director for the Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs;
  • ♦ Dr. Suzanne Weaver Smith of the University of Kentucky, who is director of the Kentucky Space Grant Consortium and NASA EPSCoR;
  • ♦ Joel Embry and Bruce Dawson, the respective president and vice president of Drone Systems LLC out of New Albany, Ind.; and
  • ♦ Kate Miller, the program director with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky.

On the issue of animal abuse, those scheduled to speak include:

  • ♦ Dee Robinson, the administrator of Kentucky Citizens Against Animal Abuse; and
  • ♦ Mark Nethery, president of the League of Kentucky Sportsmen.

The meeting is open to the public.