Washington Report

Advocacy Updates from Washington D.C.

NAR Participates in House UAS Panel

On Thursday, July 23, NAR participated in the House Unmanned Systems Caucus panel discussion, "Commercial Applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems."  Representing NAR on the panel was Andrew Barbar, 2015 Flo president of Florida REALTORS® and the 2014 Chairman of NAR's Risk Management Committee, which passed NAR's policy position on use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).  The panel included representatives from the diverse industries interested in using UAVs in their businesses, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the General Contractors of America, the Edison Electric Institute, and the Motion Picture Association of America.  The panel was moderated by Brian Wynne, CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

In his introductory remarks to the panel, Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) spoke about the need to balance the innovation and opportunities that UAVs present with safety and privacy protections, and the huge potential that UAVs have for boosting the U.S. economy.  The discussion focused on the diverse ways that industries are using UAVs, the challenges presented by the FAA's current framework, and the pros and cons of the FAA's proposed rules to integrate commercial UAVs into the National Air Space.  Barbar pointed out in his remarks that real estate professionals are probably the most frequent commercial users of UAVs across the country, with around 40% of the currently-issued Section 333 waivers allowing for commercial use going to our industry.  He also discussed the need for continued education on safety and regualtions surrounding UAVs, which is one of NAR's top priorities.

For more information on UAVs and NAR's educational resources, please visit our page on drones at www.nar.realtor/drones.

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