By:  Shelley                                           S.B. No. 891
       73R6649 GCH-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to the creation of airport authorities by political
    1-3  subdivisions; authorizing taxes and granting the power of eminent
    1-4  domain.
    1-5        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-6        SECTION 1.  (a)  The governing body of a municipality that is
    1-7  located partly in a county having a population of more than 2.2
    1-8  million, according to the most recent federal census, and that is
    1-9  not the municipality of greatest population in the most populous
   1-10  county in which it is located, may create an airport authority for
   1-11  the construction, acquisition, or operation of an airport and
   1-12  appropriate appurtenant facilities.  The governing body may act
   1-13  alone in creating an authority or jointly with the governing bodies
   1-14  of other municipalities or counties.
   1-15        (b)  The governing body of the municipality shall appoint a
   1-16  board of directors to govern and maintain the authority.
   1-17        (c)  An authority has all powers regarding airport facilities
   1-18  as a metropolitan transit authority created under Chapter 141, Acts
   1-19  of the 63rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article 1118x,
   1-20  Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), has regarding mass transit
   1-21  facilities and has the power to levy and collect taxes, issue
   1-22  bonds, and exercise the power of eminent domain.
   1-23        SECTION 2.  The importance of this legislation and the
   1-24  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
    2-1  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
    2-2  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
    2-3  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
    2-4  and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
    2-5  passage, and it is so enacted.