SB 231 — AN ACT ESTABLISHING A GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT UNITS AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

231138 February Session, 2024 LCOSenate Bill No.

1493231 ReferredSenate, toMarch 27, 2024 The Committee on PUBLICPublic SAFETYSafety ANDand SECURITYSecurity Introducedreported by:through SEN.

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AN ACT ESTABLISHING A GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT UNITS AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

(c) Not later than October 1, 2024, the department shall develop eligibility criteria to be used in selecting among applicants for such grants, develop application forms and deadlines and post in a conspicuouslocationonthedepartment'sInternet websiteadescription ofSB231 the/ grantFile program that includes, but is not limited to, such criteria, LCO 1493 \\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00231-R01 of 2 SB.docx Bill No.

231138 forms1 andSB231 deadlines.File No.

138 of the grant program that includes, but is not limited to, such criteria, forms and deadlines.

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138 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Department of Emergency GF - Potential 87,954 87,954 Services and Public Protection Cost State Comptroller - Fringe GF - Potential 34,219 34,219 Benefits1 Cost Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential See Below See Below Cost Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

Municipalities Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Various Municipal and Volunteer Potential See Below See Below Fire Departments Savings Various Municipal Police Potential See Below See Below Departments Savings Explanation The bill, which requires the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) to administer a grant program for law enforcement units and fire departments to buy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), results in a potential cost to the state of at least $122,173 and potential savings to various municipal police departments and various fire departments in FY 25 and FY 26.

The potential cost is 1The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts administered by the Comptroller.

The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost associated with most personnel changes is 41.25% of payroll in FY 25.

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138 contingent upon funding being made available for the grant program.

2 Depending ontherequirementsoftheprogram,thecomplexity ofthe applications, andthenumber ofapplicationsreceived,DESPPmay need to hire one emergency management program specialist, resulting in a potential cost to DESPP of $87,954 for salary and other expenses and a potential cost to the Office of the State Comptroller of $34,219 for fringe benefits in FY 25 and FY 26.

The cost of UAVs used by first responders varies widely and depend onthecapabilitiesrequiredandtheUAVmanufacturer.SuchUAVscost approximately $10,000 each but may range in price from $5,000 to over $50,000.There may also beadditionaltraining,software, andequipment expenses that are incidental to purchasing a UAV.

There are over 400 organizations in the state eligible to receive grants under this program.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to funding being made available for the grant program and employee wage increases.

2The bill does not allocate funds from any source.

Historically, DESPP has received funds for similar programs from a variety of sources including appropriations, bond authorizations, and federal funds (including ARPA).

If DESPP receives state funding, it is assumed to be a general fund appropriation or bond authorization.

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138 OLR Bill Analysis SB 231 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A GRANT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT UNITS AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

SUMMARY This bill requires the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) to administer a grant program for law enforcement units and municipal and volunteer fire departments to buy unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e., drones).

The department must do this within available appropriations, starting in FY 25 and each fiscal year after.

Under the bill, DESPP must develop the program’s eligibility criteria, application forms, and deadlines by October 1, 2024, and post them along with a description of the program on the department’s website.

DESPP must also annually report, starting by January 1, 2026, to the Public Safety and Security Committee on the program.

The report must include information for the previous calendar year on (1) the number of grant applications that were received and awarded and (2) a list of law enforcement units and municipal and volunteer fire departments that got grants.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Upon passage BACKGROUND Law Enforcement Unit By law, a “law enforcement unit” is any state or municipal agency or department (or tribal agency or department created and governed under a memorandum of agreement) whose primary functions include enforcing criminal or traffic laws;

preserving public order;