Relating to certain images captured by an unmanned aircraft for purposes of news-gathering.
Summary
SB 3010 amends Texas Government Code Section 423.002 to add a specific lawful use of unmanned aircraft for news-gathering. Under the bill, images captured by drones are permitted when taken for news purposes by a licensed radio or television station, a Texas newspaper of general circulation, or another bona fide news organization, so long as any identifiable person in the image was not in a place where they had a reasonable expectation of privacy. The bill places this news-gathering exception alongside the existing list of permitted drone uses, which already includes academic research, military operations, utility inspections, law enforcement activities, emergency response, surveying, engineering, insurance work, and other public-safety or infrastructure-related purposes.
The measure is framed as a narrow carve-out to Texas’s drone-imaging restrictions, aimed at allowing journalists to use unmanned aircraft in newsgathering without violating state law when privacy expectations are not implicated. It would take effect September 1, 2025, and would expand the statutory list of lawful drone-image captures without broadly changing the state’s general prohibition framework.
Impact
The bill would amend state law governing drone surveillance and image capture by adding a new exception for news organizations and broadcast media. It would affect Section 423.002 of the Government Code, which defines when capturing images with an unmanned aircraft is lawful, and would create a clearer legal path for journalists and media outlets to use drones in reporting, subject to the privacy limitation in the bill. The practical effect is to reduce potential liability or uncertainty for news-gathering drone use while leaving the rest of the drone restrictions in place.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript, votes, or recorded floor debate, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or support in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, the proposal appears to be a targeted, permissive change rather than a controversial overhaul, suggesting a generally neutral-to-supportive posture focused on modernizing media access to aerial reporting while preserving privacy protections.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the balance between press freedom and privacy. Supporters would likely view the bill as a necessary update for modern journalism and aerial reporting, while critics could worry about drone use over private property, surveillance concerns, or inconsistent application of the “reasonable expectation of privacy” standard. Another possible issue is the bill’s limitation to certain types of news organizations, which may raise questions about who qualifies as a bona fide news organization and whether independent or digital-first outlets are treated differently.