Researcher: HP Page 1 4/5/23
OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 993
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
CONNECTICUT AIRPORT AUTHORITY.
SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes in laws concerning airports, aircraft,
and the Connecticut Airport Authority (CAA). Among other things, the
bill:
1. requires owners and operators of aircraft based or hangered in
the state to maintain liability insurance meeting specified
coverage criteria (§ 15);
2. generally eliminates the CAA’s role in aircraft registration, which
is currently primarily handled by municipalities (§§ 1-4 & 7);
3. specifies documentation that must be given to CAA when
seeking a certificate of approval or license for an air navigation
facility (§ 6, also see BACKGROUND);
4. eliminates requirements that a taxi certificate holder be active for
at least two years before it may provide taxi service at Bradley
Airport (§ 14);
5. requires publicly owned airport owners or operators, rather than
CAA, to develop and revise the approach plans for their airports
after considering specified criteria (§ 11).
The bill also makes the following minor changes:
1. eliminates obsolete references to (a) federal airport grants being
deposited in the state treasury before distribution, which is
federally preempted, and (b) general fund appropriations for
grants to municipal airports (§ 5); 2023SB-00993-R000439-BA.DOCX
Researcher: HP Page 2 4/5/23
2. allows, rather than requires, the state to fund capital
improvements at private airports up to 90% of eligible costs (§ 8);
3. adds CAA special police to the list of officials who may enforce
laws related to aeronautics (§ 9);
4. repeals obsolete language on budgeting and revenue at Bradley
Airport originally adopted as part of a since completed project (§
12);
5. eliminates the specific deadline for CAA to approve Bradley
Airport’s annual operating budget, which under current law is
30 days before the beginning of the fiscal year (§ 13); and
6. repeals statutes that are obsolete or federally preempted (§§ 16 &
17).
It also makes numerous technical and conforming changes, including
in § 10.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2023, except that the aircraft liability
insurance and approach plan provisions are effective October 1, 2023.
§§ 1-4 & 7 — AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION
Under existing law and the bill, owners must annually register their
aircraft with the municipality in which it is based or primarily used. But
under current law, CAA is responsible for establishing the aircraft
registration program and certain related tasks.
The bill generally eliminates CAA’s role in administering the
registration program, specifically repealing requirements that CAA (1)
establish the aircraft registration program and (2) adopt any necessary
rules and procedures for implementing it. It retains requirements that
CAA prepare and distribute registration decals and forms to
municipalities, but it eliminates the specific information the forms must
contain.
Fees
Existing law sets out registration fees and allows municipalities to 2023SB-00993-R000439-BA.DOCX
Researcher: HP Page 3 4/5/23
keep the fees for their own use and purposes as a grant in lieu of
property taxes. The bill eliminates a provision allowing CAA to set a
uniform schedule for aircraft registration expiration and renewal and
prorate the statutory fees accordingly.
Current law requires municipalities to annually report to CAA the
amount of aircraft registration fees they collected, the number of
registrations issued, registrants’ names, and descriptions of registered
aircraft. The bill eliminates the requirement that they report the amount
of fees collected and sets a specific deadline (February 1) for annually
reporting the remaining information from the last calendar year.
Information Reporting
The bill also (1) expands the type of information that owners and
operators of air navigation facilities must report to CAA on aircraft
based at their facilities and (2) requires that they additionally report this
information directly to the municipality where the aircraft is based,
rather than requiring the CAA executive director to forward the
information to municipalities, as under current law.
Under existing law, these facilities must report the owner’s name and
address, the type of aircraft, and the Federal Aviation Aircraft
Registration number. The bill also requires that they report information
currently required on registration forms, namely (1) the form of
ownership, including whether the owner is an individual, partnership,
corporation, or other entity and (2) the aircraft’s year of manufacture,
the manufacturer, the model, and the certified gross weight. The bill
eliminates current law’s requirement that this information be in aircraft
registration forms, but specifically requires municipalities to use the
information reported to them to register aircraft.
§ 6 — CAA CERTIFICATES OF APPR OVAL AND LICENSES
Under existing law, the CAA executive director is responsible for
approving and licensing airports, heliports, restricted landing areas,
and other air navigation facilities (CGS § 13b-46). The law establishes
various factors that the executive director must consider when deciding
whether to issue a certificate of approval or license (e.g., its proposed 2023SB-00993-R000439-BA.DOCX
Researcher: HP Page 4 4/5/23
size, location, and layout; the nature of the terrain; and planned uses of
the proposed facility).
The bill specifically requires that public and private air navigation
facilities, when seeking a certificate of approval, license, or license
renewal, give CAA documentation, in a form the executive director
prescribes, showing that these factors demonstrate that the facility will
provide or currently provides for safe aircraft operations.
The bill also changes a reference to “commercial use” air navigation
facility to a “public use” one, which conforms to the scope of CAA
oversight authority under existing law.
§ 14 — TAXI SERVICE AT BRADLEY AIRPORT
Current law requires that taxi certificate holders, before they may
provide service at Bradley Airport, prove that they have been active,
adequate within their specified territory, and in compliance with all
relevant laws and regulations for at least two years. The bill eliminates
the requirement that they be adequate within their specified territory
and the two-year minimum time period.
The bill also (1) eliminates a requirement that the agreement under
which taxis provide service at Bradley may not take precedence over the
taxi’s obligation to provide service within their specified territory and
(2) makes a conforming change to remove reference to the
transportation commissioner.
§ 15 — AIRCRAFT LIABILITY INSURANCE
Beginning October 1, 2023, the bill prohibits people from operating,
or owners from allowing someone to operate, aircraft based or hangered
in the state without liability insurance coverage. Specifically, the policy
must cover the owner and pilot for claims by passengers or other people
for bodily injuries, death, or property damage that may arise from the
aircraft’s operation in the amount of at least (1) $500,000 per accident
and (2) $100,000 per passenger seat.
Under the bill, these aircraft owners and operators must provide
proof of insurance satisfying the bill’s requirements when requested by 2023SB-00993-R000439-BA.DOCX
Researcher: HP Page 5 4/5/23
CAA’s executive director, authority officials, or a law enforcement
officer.
The bill requires in-state air navigation facility owners and operators
to keep a list of aircraft based or hangered at the facility. The list must
include the following information for each aircraft:
1. its registration number, type, and model;
2. its owner or operator’s name and address;
3. how long it has been based or hangered at the facility;
4. the liability insurance policy or binder number;
5. the insurance company’s name, as shown on the policy; and
6. the name of the liability insurance agent or broker.
The bill’s requirements do not apply to aircraft subject to federal
liability insurance requirements.
§§ 16 & 17 — REPEALERS
The bill repeals the following provisions:
1. a requirement that a copy of plans of development and other
documents be filed with the State Properties Review Board
(under CGS § 4b-3(f), CAA airports or airport sites are not subject
to the board’s review) (CGS § 13b-44a);
2. a program setting aside a portion of contracts for federally
funded noise mitigation projects at airports for veterans (federal
law requires that airports follow federal contracting rules when
using federal funding) (CGS § 13b-50b); and
3. requirements related to a Bradley Airport terminal project that is
already complete (CGS § 15-101t).
It also repeals statutes establishing two Bradley Airport advisory
groups, which are not active. It repeals the Bradley International 2023SB-00993-R000439-BA.DOCX
Researcher: HP Page 6 4/5/23
Community Advisory Board, which consists of the chief elected officials
of Windsor, Windsor Locks, East Granby, and Suffield and whose
purpose is to communicate between the airport and the surrounding
towns and advise on various airport issues (CGS § 15-101pp). It also
repeals the six-member Bradley Advisory Committee, which consists of
residents and businesses located in the Bradley Airport Development
Zone and is charged with consulting on business related to the airport
(§ 16, CGS § 15-120bb(n)). In practice, CAA regularly meets with the
non-statutory Bradley Development League, which consists of the chief
executive officers of the municipalities surrounding the airport, the
MetroHartford Alliance, and local business representatives.
BACKGROUND
Air Navigation Facility
By law, an air navigation facility is any facility, other than one owned
or controlled by the federal government, used in, available for, or
designed for use in, aid of air navigation. They include airports,
heliports, restricted landing areas, and any structures, mechanisms,
lights, beacons, marks, communicating systems, or other
instrumentalities or devices used or useful as an aid to the (1) safe
taking-off, navigation, and landing of aircraft or (2) safe and efficient
operation or maintenance of an airport, heliport, or restricted landing
area, and any combination of these facilities (CGS § 15-34).
COMMITTEE ACTION
Transportation Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 34 Nay 2 (03/17/2023)