By Wilson                                             H.B. No. 2522
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to requiring the Texas Department of Transportation to
 1-3     establish and maintain a state airport in Central Texas.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 21, Transportation Code, is
 1-6     amended by adding Section 21.069 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 21.069.  STATE AIRPORT IN CENTRAL TEXAS.  (a)  The Texas
 1-8     Department of Transportation in consultation with the State
 1-9     Aircraft Pooling Board shall establish and maintain in Central
1-10     Texas an airport open to the general public.  The site selection
1-11     shall be conducted by the Aviation Division of the Texas Department
1-12     of Transportation.
1-13           (b)  In determining the appropriate location for a state
1-14     airport in Central Texas, the Aviation Division of the Texas
1-15     Department of Transportation (ADTDT) shall consider:
1-16                 (1)  the convenience, comfort, and accommodation of air
1-17     traffic flying into and departing from the Central Texas region,
1-18     including persons traveling for business and commercial reasons,
1-19     government officials, and tourists; and
1-20                 (2)  the safe operation of aircraft flying into and
1-21     departing from the Central Texas region.
1-22           (c)  The Texas Department of Transportation may acquire
1-23     property by eminent domain that the board considers necessary to
1-24     enable it to meet its responsibilities under this section.
 2-1           (d)  Neither the Texas Department of Transportation nor the
 2-2     ADTDT may consider for the purposes of this section any property in
 2-3     a municipality without the approval of the governing body of the
 2-4     municipality.  The Texas Department of Transportation may not
 2-5     consider for the purposes of this section any property outside of
 2-6     municipalities without the approval of the commissioners court of
 2-7     the county in which the property is located.
 2-8           (e)  The Texas Department of Transportation and the ADTDT may
 2-9     not consider for the purposes of this section the property in
2-10     Austin, Texas, identified as Robert Mueller Airport.
2-11           (f)  The Texas Department of Transportation shall utilize
2-12     only federal matching funds, federal grants, in-kind contributions,
2-13     private sector funds, nonprofit grants, and local government
2-14     funding for the establishment of this facility.
2-15           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-16     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-17     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-18     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-19     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.