INTRODUCED
BY B. Beard
By Request of the Department of Transportation
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT PERMITTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO PROVIDE GRANTS FOR COURTESY CARS AT MUNICIPAL AND STATE-OWNED AIRPORTS TO APPROPRIATE THIRD PARTIES; AMENDING SECTIONS 67-10-901, 67-10-902, 67-10-903, AND 67-10-904, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE."
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
Section 1. Section 67-10-901, MCA, is amended to read:
"67-10-901. Purpose. (1) The purpose of this part is to provide grants to municipalities and third parties for courtesy cars at certain Montana airports where rental cars or taxicabs are not available for service at all times.
(2) The purpose of the program is to provide the airport users with ground transportation for short-term use between the airport and the local trading or recreation area."
Section 2. Section 67-10-902, MCA, is amended to read:
"67-10-902. Definitions. As used in this part, the following definitions apply:
(1) "Airport" means an airport, as defined in 67-1-101, that does not have commercial automobile rental services available. The term includes a regional airport authority or municipal airport authority as defined in 67-1-101.
(2) "Courtesy car" means a motor vehicle provided by, and titled in the name of, a municipality or third party for the purposes of and pursuant to the conditions set out in this part.
(3) (a) "User" means an airplane pilot or an airplane passenger or an airplane passenger who flies into an airport.
(b) The term does not include local residents or airport personnel."
Section 3. Section 67-10-903, MCA, is amended to read:
"67-10-903. Use of courtesy cars at airports -- department responsibilities. (1) Upon the request of a municipality or third party, the department may provide grant money from the department's special revenue account for courtesy cars for use at qualified airports, as provided in this part.
(2) A courtesy car grant may not be given to a municipality awarded if commercial rental cars or taxicabs are available that provide service to local airports are available for service at all times.
(3) The department shall provide preference for the purchase of vehicles that are accessible to persons with disabilities when awarding grants from the courtesy car program.
(3) (4) The department may adopt necessary rules, pursuant to its authority in 67-2-102, to provide courtesy car grants, including rules regarding the receipt and review of grant applications."
Section 4. Section 67-10-904, MCA, is amended to read:
"67-10-904. Responsibilities and obligations of municipality and third party. (1) A municipality may apply to the department for a grant to provide courtesy car services at a qualified airport. The municipality may procure a sponsor third party and assign the sponsor third party to a qualified airport to manage the municipality's courtesy car program. A sponsor third party may be a fixed base operator, an airport manager, a nonprofit organization exempt from taxation under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3), or other responsible party. The municipality shall ensure that the local sponsor third party is familiar with and complies with all conditions of the courtesy car program.
(2) A municipality or third party may not provide a courtesy car for use by local residents or airport personnel except to facilitate incidental maintenance of the courtesy car.
(3) A courtesy car may be used only between the awarded airport and the local trading or recreation area. Travel in a courtesy car across the state line or beyond the local trading or recreation area is prohibited.
(4) A courtesy car must be kept at the awarded airport when not in use and must be available for users who fly into the airport.
(4)(5) (a) The municipality recipient of the courtesy car grant shall procure liability insurance to protect itself and the department from risk of loss. Liability insurance limits must be a minimum of $750,000 for each claim and $1.5 million for each occurrence, as provided in 2-9-108. The department must be named as an additional insured.
(b) Claims and actions against the sponsor courtesy car owner are subject to and are governed by Title 2, chapter 9, part 3.
(5)(6) A courtesy car may not be used unless the municipality or the sponsor third party has obtained certification that the user has personal motor vehicle liability insurance coverage as required in 61-6-301.
(7) For airports owned, maintained, or operated by the state, the department may distribute grant money to a third party to purchase a courtesy car for use to and from the state airport as long as the department ensures the third party is familiar with and complies with all conditions of the courtesy car program.
Section 5. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.