103a
<PRE>[DOCID: f:s959is.txt]






107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 959

 To amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
 Transportation to consider the impact of severe weather conditions on 
    Montana's aviation public and establish regulatory distinctions 
         consistent with those applied to the State of Alaska.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2001

  Mr. Baucus introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
 Transportation to consider the impact of severe weather conditions on 
    Montana's aviation public and establish regulatory distinctions 
         consistent with those applied to the State of Alaska.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Montana Rural Aviation Improvement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. MONTANA RURAL AVIATION IMPROVEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 40113 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Application of Certain Regulations to Montana.--In amending 
title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, in a manner affecting intrastate 
aviation in Montana, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall consider the impact of severe weather conditions 
on Montana's aviation public and shall, on the basis of such 
considerations, establish regulatory distinctions consistent with those 
applied to the State of Alaska for mike-in-hand weather observation.''.
    (b) Improved Availability of Information on Weather Observations.--
            (1) Finding.--Congress finds that the on-site certified 
        weather observation programs at Service Level D sites in 
        Montana are part of the essential air services in Montana and 
        are frequently used by pilots of aircraft under emergency 
        circumstances.
            (2) Mike-in-hand weather observation.--
                    (A) Requirement.--On-site weather observers at 
                sites referred to in paragraph (1) shall use a mike-in-
                hand weather observation and reporting technique to 
                correct and supplement weather information derived from 
                Automated Surface Observation Sensors (ASOS) at the 
                sites.
                    (B) Mike-in-hand technique.--For the purposes of 
                this paragraph, a mike-in-hand weather observation and 
                reporting technique is a routine practice by which a 
                weather observer uses radio communication to report 
                information on weather observations directly to a pilot 
                requesting the information, thereby ensuring that the 
                pilot has nearly real-time access to the information.
                    (C) Personnel to which applicable.--This paragraph 
                applies to--
                            (i) on-site weather observers who are 
                        Federal Aviation Administration employees, 
                        National Weather Service employees, other 
                        Federal Government employees, or State 
                        employees; and
                            (ii) persons providing on-site weather 
                        observation services on a full-time or part-
                        time basis under a contract for such services 
                        entered into by an official of the Federal 
                        Government, an official of the Government of 
                        Montana, or an official of a political 
                        subdivision of Montana.
                                 &lt;all&gt;

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