Bill Text: CT HB05415 | 2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Air Line State Park Trail.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-03-03 - Public Hearing 03/07 [HB05415 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2014-HB05415-Introduced.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 5415
February Session, 2014		LCO No. 1492
		*01492_______ENV*
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
(ENV)

AN ACT CONCERNING THE AIR LINE STATE PARK TRAIL.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2014) (a) It is declared to be the policy of the state of Connecticut that the Air Line State Park Trail be preserved in its natural character for the purpose of preserving the heritage of such trail as a means of transport between the cities of Boston and New York during the late nineteenth century.

(b) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is hereby authorized by purchase, gift, eminent domain or otherwise to acquire such land, including, but not limited to, rights-of-way and easements for the purpose of protecting or enhancing scenic beauty, as may be deemed necessary to establish, protect and maintain the portion of the Air Line State Park Trail, provided the power of eminent domain shall not be utilized to acquire a strip of land bordering said trail no greater than two hundred feet in overall width.

(c) Any department or agency of the state or of any political subdivision may transfer to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection lands or rights in land for such purposes on such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon, or may enter into an agreement with the commissioner providing for the establishment and protection of said trail.

(d) The Air Line State Park Trail shall be held, developed and administered primarily as a footpath and the natural scenic beauty thereof shall be preserved insofar as it is practicable; provided other uses of the trail and lands acquired hereunder may be permitted, by the owner of adjoining lands or other, in such manner and in such seasons as will not substantially interfere with the primary use of the trail. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the right of the public to pass over existing public roads which are or may become part of the trail, nor prevent the department from performing such work as is necessary for the purpose of forest fire protection, insect, pest and disease control.

(e) The commissioner may enter into cooperative agreements with private organizations to provide for the maintenance of the trail.

(f) No person who has granted a right-of-way for said trail across his or her land, or his or her successor in title, shall be liable to any user of the trail for injuries suffered on said right-of-way unless the injuries are caused by his wilful or wanton misconduct as covered in the provisions of sections 52-557f to 52-557i, inclusive, of the general statutes.

(g) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is hereby authorized to use any department funds which may become available to carry out the provisions of this section.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	October 1, 2014	New section

Statement of Purpose:

To preserve and recognize the importance of the Air Line State Park Trail as an important part of the transportation history of the state.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]