Michael Robbins, Chief Advocacy Officer for the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), praised H.R. 3593, the Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act of 2023.
“Drones are being relied on as indispensable tools for critical operations, including infrastructure inspections — and that role will only continue to grow as the technology advances further. The future of aviation leadership is in autonomy, and the United States must invest in supporting the drone industry and growing workforce,” said Robbins. “The DIIG act accomplishes both goals by providing states with grants to funding to acquire and utilize secure drones for infrastructure inspection and to train the workforce to conduct these critical missions.”
H.R. 3593 was introduced by Representatives Greg Stanton (D-AZ) and Garret Graves (R-LA) on May 22, 2023. Graves is a co-chair of the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus. In the 117th Congress, the bill was introduced in the House as H.R. 5315, where it passed by a vote of 308 – 110, and in the Senate as S. 4744.
“The U.S. cannot afford to fall behind in the drone industry’s ability to attract capital, investment, and workforce,” said Robbins. “Congress should pass this commonsense legislation to help level the playing field for the U.S. drone industry and to encourage the infrastructure and workforce benefits the DIIG ACT would bring to communities nationwide.”
