Commercial air carriers: hot air balloons.

(1) Existing law requires the Public Utilities Commission to require every commercial air operator, as defined, to procure, and continue in effect, adequate protection against liability for personal bodily injuries and property damage as a result of an accident, that may be imposed by law upon the operator and upon any person using, operating, or renting an aircraft, as defined, with the permission of the operator. Existing law, until January 1, 2013, excludes from the definition of commercial air operator a person furnishing or providing transportation by hot air balloon for hire and excludes from the definition of aircraft a hot air balloon, as provided. Existing law, until January 1, 2013, imposes specific liability insurance and passenger notice requirements on a person providing hot air balloon transportation, as provided. Existing law, until January 1, 2013, requires that any person providing such transportation for hire comply with any requirement of a city, county, or city and county (local government) that the person obtain a business license as a condition for operating in the jurisdiction of the local government and to prominently display the license as required, and provide to the local government certain evidence of insurance coverage. Existing law imposes a state-mandated local program by requiring local governments, until January 1, 2013, to give reasonable notice of the evidence of insurance coverage requirement with any business license renewal notification and to maintain as a public record every business license issued by the local government to a person providing transportation by hot air balloon for hire. A local government, until January 1, 2013, is authorized to charge a reasonable fee for purposes of carrying out these provisions. Existing law also imposes a state-mandated local program by making it a misdemeanor to fail to obtain and maintain a current valid local business license as required or to fail to maintain insurance as required. This bill would extend these provisions set to expire on January 1, 2013, indefinitely. The bill, in extending those dates indefinitely, would thereby impose state-mandated local programs for the purposes described above. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.