Reference is to the bill as introduced.
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting words and inserting:
/ SECTION 1. Article 3, Chapter 3, Title 56 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 56-3-115.
(A) For the purposes of this section,
'gated community' means any homeowners' community with at least
one access-controlled ingress and egress which includes the
presence of a guard house, a mechanical barrier, or another
method of controlled conveyance.
(B) An individual or
business owner of a vehicle commonly known as a golf cart may
obtain a permit decal and registration from the Department of
Motor Vehicles upon presenting proof of ownership and liability
insurance for the golf cart and upon payment of a five dollar
fee. The Comptroller General shall place a sufficient portion
of this fee into a special restricted account to be used by the
Department of Motor Vehicles to defray the expenses of producing
and administering golf cart permits.
(1)
During daylight hours only, a permitted golf cart may be
operated within four miles of the address on the registration
certificate and only on a secondary highway or street for which
the posted speed limit is thirty-five miles an hour or less.
(2)
During daylight hours only, a permitted golf cart may be
operated within four miles of a point of ingress and egress to a
gated community and only on a secondary highway or street for
which the posted speed limit is thirty-five miles an hour or
less.
(3)
During daylight hours only, within four miles of the
registration holder's address, and while traveling along a
secondary highway or street for which the posted speed limit is
thirty-five miles an hour or less, a permitted golf cart may
cross a highway or street at an intersection where the highway
has a posted speed limit of more than thirty-five miles an hour.
(4)
During daylight hours only, a permitted golf cart may be
operated along a secondary highway or street for which the
posted speed limit is thirty-five miles an hour or less on an
island not accessible by a bridge designed for use by
automobiles.
(C) A person operating
a permitted golf cart must be at least sixteen years of age and
hold a valid driver's license. The operator of a permitted golf
cart being operated on a highway or street must have in his
possession:
(1)
the registration certificate issued by the department;
(2)
proof of liability insurance for the golf cart; and
(3)
his driver's license.
(D)(1) A golf cart
permit must be replaced with a new permit every five years, or
at the time the permit holder changes his address.
(2)
Golf cart owners holding golf cart permits on or before
October 1, 2012, will have until September 30, 2015, to obtain a
replacement permit.
(E) A political
subdivision may:
(1)
on designated streets or roads within
the political subdivision's jurisdiction, reduce the area in
which a permitted golf cart may operate from four miles to no
less than two miles; or
(2)
prohibit the operation of golf carts on any street or
highway within the political subdivision if its governing body
determines that the prohibition is necessary in the interest of
safety.
(F) The provisions of
this section that restrict the use of a golf cart to certain
streets, certain hours, and certain distances shall not apply to
a golf cart used by a public safety agency in connection with
the performance of its duties.
(G) A person who
violates a provision contained in this section is guilty of a
misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not more than
one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days.
(H) The provisions of
this section that restrict the operation of a golf cart to
daylight hours only do not apply to a golf cart that is equipped
with working headlights and rear lights."
SECTION 2. Section 56-2-105 is repealed.
SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.