Pennsylvania Act 2012-26 — TRANSPORTATION (74 PA.C.S.) - AUTHORITY OF DEPARTMENT AND LOGGING OF CERTAIN AIRCRAFT FLIGHTS

Act text

Session of 2012

No. 2012-26

SB 110

AN ACT

Amending Title 74 (Transportation) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for the authority of the department; and providing for logging of certain aircraft flights.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Sections 5301(b) and 5302 of Title 74 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended to read:

§ 5301. Authority of department.

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(b) Specific powers.--The department is authorized to:

(1) Provide for the examination, rating and licensing of airports.

(2) Operate and maintain airports which are owned or leased by the Commonwealth and encourage and assist in the establishment and construction of other airports.

(3) Expend moneys appropriated to it for the purposes of the administration of this part, including proceeds from aviation fuel excise taxes and fines arising from violations of Chapter 57 (relating to obstructions to aircraft operation) from time to time in the Aviation Restricted Account.

(4) Accept and expend money, property or other things of value received from the Federal Government or from any other source for the making of surveys and plans and the purchase of lands for and the construction of airports.

(5) Expend Commonwealth funds for search and rescue operations and organ transport by the civil air patrol, and educational materials and equipment related thereto.

(6) Encourage and assist in the establishment and construction of airports.

(7) Provide for the licensing of commercial operators. If the department should fail to exercise this power, or if it should discontinue its use, it shall publish notice thereof in the Pennsylvania Bulletin at least 60 days prior to its discontinuance.

(8) Provide for education and training in crash fire rescue operations.

(9) Provide for placement of appropriate runway markings, hazard markings and highway directional signing.

(10) Oversee flight operations of all aircraft purchased or leased and maintained by the department under section 5302(a) (relating to aircraft for official use) for use by Commonwealth agencies and the General Assembly.

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§ 5302. Aircraft for official use.

(a) General rule.-- The department may purchase or lease and maintain aircraft required for the proper conduct of the business of the Commonwealth agencies and the General Assembly. The total cost, including all ordinary and necessary expenses for the use of such aircraft, shall be charged by the department to the using agency or the General Assembly. The amount of such charge shall be paid into the Aviation Restricted Account and be credited to the amounts appropriated therefrom for the use of the department. All amounts so credited are hereby appropriated to the department for the same purposes as other appropriations out of the Aviation Restricted Account for the use of the department.

(b) Flight log required.--The department shall establish and maintain a log of flights using aircraft authorized under this section. This log shall be publicly accessible on the department's Internet website and shall be updated monthly. At minimum, the information made available on the department's Internet website shall include:

(1) Flight date.

(2) Flight identification number.

(3) Agency name.

(4) Aircraft.

(5) Originating city.

(6) Departure time.

(7) Destination city. If a flight includes more than one destination city, all destination cities shall be identified for such flight.

(8) Arrival time at and departure time from the destination city.

(9) All passengers, with the exception of Pennsylvania State Police security personnel, including first and last names, job titles, State agency, organization, business or other entity to which the passenger is affiliated or represents.

(10) Public purpose of the trip.

(11) Total hours.

(12) Invoice amount.

(c) Manner of posting.--All flight information required by subsection (b) shall be in plain and easily understandable language and posted in a way that allows the public to search the information by the categories enumerated in subsection (b)(1) through (12).

Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

APPROVED--The 12th day of April, A.D. 2012.

TOM CORBETT