Congressional subcommittee to host forum on domestic drone surveillance Thursday at Rice University

Rice University
Office of Public Affairs / News & Media Relations

MEDIA ADVISORY

B.J. Almond
713-348-6770
balmond@rice.edu

Congressional subcommittee to host forum on domestic drone surveillance Thursday at Rice 

HOUSTON — (Oct. 24, 2012) — The U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security will hold a public forum on domestic drones Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Rice University’s McNair Hall.

Who: Reps. Ted Poe, R-Texas; Hank Johnson, D-Georgia; Michael McCaul, R-Texas; and Sandy Adams, R-Florida, of the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security will host the policy forum. The forum will include testimony from:

* David Leebron, president of Rice University and former dean of Columbia Law School.
* Adrian Garcia, Harris County sheriff.
* Amie Stepanovich, counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center.
* Chris Calabrese, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union.
* Todd E. Humphreys, assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Texas at Austin
* Gretchen West, executive vice president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.
* Cmdr. Duane Steen from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
* David Crump, professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center.

What: Policy forum titled “Domestic Drones: What Are the Limits?”

When: Thursday, Oct. 25, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Where: Shell Auditorium in McNair Hall on the Rice University campus, 6100 Main St.

The forum is being held so that experts in the field can educate members of Congress and the community on how the increased use of drone technology in the United States impacts the privacy and constitutional rights of Americans.

“It is estimated, by 2010, 30,000 drones will be flying in American skies,” Poe said. “Congress has the legal obligation to proactively ensure that the Fourth Amendment rights of private citizens are protected in this new ‘drone world’ by establishing guidelines about when and for what purposes law enforcement agencies, private citizens and businesses can use drones. I look forward to hearing from experts in the field on this issue.”

News media who want to attend should RSVP to B.J. Almond at balmond@rice.edu or 713-348-6770.

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Office of News and Media Relations – MS 300, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005