AOPA warned the board of supervisors in San Mateo County, California, that the association is prepared to fight a new county ordinance requiring prospective student pilots to undergo a police identity check conducted by the local sheriff.
In a letter to board President Jerry Hill, AOPA Vice President for Airports Anne Esposito said AOPA has already gone to federal court to stop a very similar Michigan state law, claiming it unconstitutionally usurps federal authority. "Now, in San Mateo County, we have a local sheriff deciding who is and is not a fit candidate for flight training," said Esposito. "It is important to stop this kind of knee-jerk reactionary lawmaking and to recognize the longstanding federal laws and regulations already in place."
In the Michigan case, the judge plans a late-October hearing to consider AOPA's call for a preliminary injunction preventing the state from enforcing its police identity check law until after the constitutionality of the law is determined.
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