328.12  Duties and powers.
  The director in carrying out the director’s duties relating to aeronautics shall:
  1.  Promotion of aeronautics.  Encourage, foster, and assist in the general development and promotion of aeronautics in this state, and make disbursements from moneys available for such purposes.
  2.  Rules.  Make reasonable rules, consistent with this chapter, as deemed by the director to be necessary and expedient for the administration and enforcement of this chapter, and amend the rules at any time.
  3.  Filing of rules.  Keep on file at the office of the director, for public inspection, a copy of all the department’s aeronautic rules with all amendments, and mail copies to all registered landing areas in this state.
  4.  Technical services available.  So far as reasonably possible, make available the engineering, management consulting, and other technical services of the department, without charge, in connection with aeronautics.
  5.  Intervention.  Participate, at the director’s discretion, as party plaintiff or defendant, or as intervenor, complainant, or movant, on behalf of the state or any governmental subdivision or citizen of the state, in any proceeding having to do with aeronautics.
  6.  Enforcement of aeronautics laws.  Enforce and assist in the enforcement of this chapter and of all rules issued pursuant to this chapter, and of all other laws of this state relating to aeronautics; and, in the aid of enforcement and within the scope of the director’s duties, general powers of peace officers are conferred upon the director, and officers and employees of the department designated by the director to exercise such powers. The director, in the name of this state, may enforce this chapter and the rules issued pursuant to this chapter by injunction in the courts of this state.
  7.  Use of existing facilities.  In the discharge of all functions prescribed by this chapter, to every feasible extent, use the facilities of other agencies of the state; and other state agencies are authorized and directed to make available to the director such facilities and services.
  8.  Investigations and inquiries.  Hold investigations and inquiries.
  a.  The director or the director’s designee when acting for and with the authority of the director, may hold investigations and inquiries concerning matters covered by this chapter and orders and rules of the department. In an investigation or inquiry, the person acting for the director may administer oaths and affirmations, certify to all official acts, issue subpoenas, and compel the attendance and testimony of witnesses, and the production of papers, books, and documents.
  b.  The reports of investigations or inquiries, or any part of them, shall not be admitted in evidence or used for any purpose in a civil suit growing out of a matter referred to in an investigation, inquiry, or report, except in criminal or other proceedings instituted in behalf of the director or this state under this chapter and other laws of this state relating to aeronautics.
  9.  Authority to contract.  Enter into contracts necessary to the execution of the powers granted the director by this chapter.
  10.  No exclusive rights granted.  Grant no exclusive right for the use of an airway, airport, landing area, or other air navigation facility under the director’s jurisdiction.
  11.  Sufficiency reports.  Issue sufficiency reports for all airports in the state, which are owned and operated by a governmental subdivision, based on the functional classification of those airports as set out in the department’s transportation plan.
  12.  Centralized purchasing agency.  Encourage governmental subdivisions to utilize the department’s services as a centralized purchasing agency for items, including but not limited to airport and aeronautics equipment.
  13.  Safety inspections.  Enter into agreements, at the director’s discretion, and otherwise cooperate with federal authorities in the safety inspection of registered landing areas, and adopt safety standards for airports.
  14.  Newsletter.  Have authority to publish and distribute by subscription a state aeronautics newsletter or magazine. The department may charge a reasonable fee for subscriptions to the newsletter or magazine.
  15.  Commuter air carrier demonstration projects.  The department may encourage the development of commuter air carrier service in the state by:
  a.  Recommending routes between cities that may support such service.
  b.  Making available funding for demonstration projects from any federal funds made available to the state or from any state funds appropriated for such purposes.
  c.  Establishing specifications, operational requirements, terms and conditions under which demonstration projects will be participated in by the state.
[C35, §8338-f5, -f6, -f8, -f9, -f10, -f13; C39, §8338.05, 8338.06, 8338.08, 8338.09, 8338.10, 8338.13; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §328.12]
86 Acts, ch 1245, §1967; 94 Acts, ch 1107, §65; 98 Acts, ch 1075, §30