House Bill 304

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 61-3-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT AN AIRPORT AUTHORITY SHALL HAVE THE POWER TO REQUIRE NETWORK COMPANIES TO OBTAIN A PASS OR AUTHORIZATION FROM A MILITARY FACILITY IN ORDER TO TRANSPORT PASSENGERS FROM THE AIRPORT TO SUCH MILITARY FACILITY; TO AMEND SECTION 77-8-37, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CLARIFY THAT ANY LOCAL ENTITY OPERATING AN AIRPORT SHALL HAVE THE SAME POWER; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 61-3-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

61-3-15. An authority shall have all the powers necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this chapter (excluding the power to levy and collect taxes or special assessments) including, but not limited to, the power:

(a) To sue and be sued, to have a seal and to have perpetual succession.

(b) To purchase general liability insurance coverage, including errors and omissions insurance, for its officials and employees.

(c) To employ an executive director, secretary, technical experts, and such other officers, agents and employees, permanent and temporary, as it may require, and to determine their qualifications and duties, and to establish compensation and other employment benefits as may be advisable to attract and retain proficient personnel. For regional airport authorities organized under Section 61-3-7, such employment benefits may include payment for all or part of dependent health insurance coverage.

(d) To execute such contracts and other instruments and take such other action as may be necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

(e) To plan, establish, develop, construct, enlarge, improve, maintain, equip, operate, regulate and protect airports and air navigation facilities within this state and within any adjoining state, including the acquisition, lease, lease-purchase, construction, installation, equipment, maintenance and operation of such airports or buildings, equipment and other facilities or other property for the servicing of aircraft or for the comfort and accommodation of air travelers or for any other purpose deemed by the authority to be necessary to carry out its duties; to develop, operate, manage or own and maintain intermodal facilities to serve air and surface cargo and multimodal facilities to serve highway and rail passenger transportation needs to ensure interface and interaction between modes for cargo and passengers; to construct, improve, and maintain means of ingress and egress to airport properties from and over off-airport sites with approval of the city or county in which the off-airport site is located; to market, promote and advertise airport properties, goods and services; and to directly purchase and sell supplies, goods and commodities incident to the operation of its airport properties without having to make purchases thereof through the municipal governing authorities, and with the authority to utilize design-build and construction manager at-risk methods of construction in accordance with Sections 31-7-13.1 and 31-7-13.2. For all the previously stated purposes, an authority may, by purchase, gift, devise, lease, eminent domain proceedings or otherwise, acquire property, real or personal, or any interest therein, including easements in airport hazards or land outside the boundaries of an airport or airport site, as are necessary to permit the removal, elimination, obstruction-marking or obstruction-lighting of airport hazards, to prevent the establishment of airport hazards or to carry out its duties.

(f) To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, lease, lease-purchase, eminent domain proceedings or otherwise, existing airports and air navigation facilities. However, an authority shall not acquire or take over any airport or air navigation facility owned or controlled by another authority, a municipality or public agency of this or any other state without the consent of such authority, municipality or public agency.

(g) To establish or acquire and maintain airports in, over and upon any public waters of this state, and any submerged lands under such public waters, and to construct and maintain terminal buildings, landing floats, causeways, roadways and bridges for approaches to or connecting with any such airport, and landing floats and breakwaters for the protection thereof.

(h) To establish, enact and enforce ordinances, rules, regulations and standards for public safety, aviation safety, airport operations and the preservation of good order and peace of the authority; to prevent injury to, destruction of or interference with public or private property; to protect property, health and lives and to enhance the general welfare of the authority by restricting the movements of citizens or any group thereof on the property of the authority when there is imminent danger to the public safety because of freedom of movement thereof; to regulate the entrances to property and buildings of the authority and the way of ingress and egress to and from the same; to establish fire limits and to hire firemen, including aircraft fire and rescue and similar personnel, and to establish and equip a fire department to provide fire and other emergency services on any property of the authority; to regulate, restrain or prohibit construction failing to meet standards established by the authority; to appoint and discharge police officers with jurisdiction limited to property of the airport authority and authorization to enforce the ordinances, rules and regulations of the authority, as well as the laws of the State of Mississippi, and to issue citations for infractions of all of such ordinances, rules, regulations, standards and laws of the State of Mississippi returnable to the court of appropriate jurisdiction.

(i) To develop and operate an industrial park or parks and exercise all authority provided for under Chapter 7, Title 57, Mississippi Code of 1972.

(j) To attach, pursuant to the power and procedure set forth in Chapter 33, Title 11, Mississippi Code of 1972, the equipment of debtors of the authority.

(k) To enter into agreements with local governments pursuant to Section 17-13-1 et seq.

(l) To render emergency assistance to other airports within the United States at an aggregate cost of less than Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00) per emergency. The assistance authorized in this paragraph must be rendered within ninety (90) days after a state of emergency has been declared by the federal government, or by the local or state government that has jurisdiction over the area where the airport needing assistance is located.

(m) To enter into joint use or similar agreements with any department or agency of the United States of America or the State of Mississippi, including any military department of the United States of America or the State of Mississippi, with respect to the use and operation of, or services provided at, any airport or other property of the authority on the terms and conditions as the authority may deem appropriate, including provisions limiting the liability of the United States of America or the State of Mississippi for loss or damage to the authority if the authority determines that the limitation of liability is reasonable, necessary and appropriate under the circumstances.

(n) To enter into mutual aid agreements with counties and municipalities for reciprocal emergency aid and assistance in case of emergencies too extensive to be dealt with unassisted; to participate in the Statewide Mutual Aid Compact (SMAC) in accordance with Section 33-15-19.

(o) To require transportation network companies to obtain a pass or authorization from a military facility in order to transport passengers from the airport to such military facility.

SECTION 2. Section 77-8-37, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

77-8-37. (1) Transportation network companies and transportation network company drivers are governed exclusively by this chapter and any rules promulgated by the commissioner consistent with this chapter. A county, municipality or other local entity may not:

(a) Impose a tax on, or require a license for, a transportation network company, a transportation network company driver or a vehicle used by a transportation network company driver where the tax or licenses relate to providing prearranged rides;

(b) Require a transportation network company or a transportation network company driver to obtain a business license or any other type of similar authorization to operate within the jurisdiction; or

(c) Subject a transportation network company or a transportation network company driver to any type of rate, entry, operational or other requirements.

(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, a county, municipality or other local entity that owns or operates an airport, may adopt reasonable regulations relating to the duties and responsibilities on airport property of a transportation network company or transportation network company driver, including its ability to impose reasonable fees and vehicle tracking requirements on a transportation network company or its affiliated transportation network company drivers, but excluding its ability to impose other fees, taxes, registration, licensing or special insurance requirements on transportation network company drivers, and excluding its ability to impose requirements with respect to special markings or identification other than that provided for in Section 77-8-11, and excluding its ability to impose requirements for equipment.

(3) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit a local entity operating an airport from requiring a transportation network company to obtain a pass or authorization from a military facility in order to transport passengers from the airport to such military facility.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.