IMF S.B. 1904 75(R) BILL ANALYSIS STATE AFFAIRS S.B. 1904 By: Sibley (Dunnam) 5-2-97 Committee Report (Amended) BACKGROUND Under current law the State Aircraft Pooling Board (board) owns and operates all state aircraft and can lease or assign state aircraft to various state agencies and state institutions of higher education. However, the responsibility for signing-off on each pilot and each plane ultimately remains in the hands of the board. Currently, the board has assigned several aircraft to Texas State Technical College (TSTC) for their flight training program. These planes have been used by TSTC for this program for about a decade. When a student in Waco needs to use a plane on a training flight, this must be approved by the board in Austin, which can take up to a week. The board received a request from its insurance carrier that the responsibility for approving use of the planes be placed at the location where the flights occur. PURPOSE The purpose of this legislation is to transfer the responsibility over training aircraft from the State Aircraft Pooling Board to Texas State Technical College. This legislation will also allow TSTC to be responsible for signing-off on the instructors and student pilots participating in the flight training program. Having the responsibility of the aircraft at the college will assure the proper sign-off for pilots with fewer delays and less paper work. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 2205, of the Government Code by adding Section 2205.046. Sec. 2205.046. Allows the Aircraft Pooling Board to transfer aircraft to a public technical institution or public post-secondary educational institution for use in a flight training program. The educational institution receiving temporary custody of a state aircraft is solely responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the transferred aircraft. The board will reassert control over the aircraft if the institution terminates the flight training program, uses the plane for another purpose, or fails to properly maintain the aircraft. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage. EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENT Committee Amendment No. 1 clarifies that the Aircraft Pooling Board will still have responsibility over the aircraft used by TSTC institutions, however, the institutions will be responsible for the continued maintenance of the aircraft.