1-1     By:  Wilson (Senate Sponsor - Armbrister)             H.B. No. 2522
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 10, 2001;
 1-3     May 10, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on State
 1-4     Affairs; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to requiring the Texas Department of Transportation to
 1-9     establish and maintain a state airport in Central Texas.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 21, Transportation Code, is
1-12     amended by adding Section 21.069 to read as follows:
1-13           Sec. 21.069.  STATE AIRPORT IN CENTRAL TEXAS.  (a)  The Texas
1-14     Department of Transportation in consultation with the State
1-15     Aircraft Pooling Board shall establish and maintain in Central
1-16     Texas an airport open to the general public.  The site selection
1-17     shall be conducted by the Aviation Division of the Texas Department
1-18     of Transportation.
1-19           (b)  In determining the appropriate location for a state
1-20     airport in Central Texas, the Aviation Division of the Texas
1-21     Department of Transportation (ADTDT) shall consider:
1-22                 (1)  the convenience, comfort, and accommodation of air
1-23     traffic flying into and departing from the Central Texas region,
1-24     including persons traveling for business and commercial reasons,
1-25     government officials, and tourists; and
1-26                 (2)  the safe operation of aircraft flying into and
1-27     departing from the Central Texas region.
1-28           (c)  The Texas Department of Transportation may acquire
1-29     property by eminent domain that the board considers necessary to
1-30     enable it to meet its responsibilities under this section.
1-31           (d)  Neither the Texas Department of Transportation nor the
1-32     ADTDT may consider for the purposes of this section any property in
1-33     a municipality without the approval of the governing body of the
1-34     municipality.  The Texas Department of Transportation may not
1-35     consider for the purposes of this section any property outside of
1-36     municipalities without the approval of the commissioners court of
1-37     the county in which the property is located.
1-38           (e)  The Texas Department of Transportation and the ADTDT may
1-39     not consider for the purposes of this section the property in
1-40     Austin, Texas, identified as Robert Mueller Airport.
1-41           (f)  The Texas Department of Transportation shall utilize
1-42     only federal matching funds, federal grants, in-kind contributions,
1-43     private sector funds, nonprofit grants, and local government
1-44     funding for the establishment of this facility.
1-45           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
1-46     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
1-47     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
1-48     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
1-49     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
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