Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB458 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Lucio, et al. S.B. No. 458
2		-	(Bonnen of Galveston, Craddick, Oliveira, Turner of Harris,
3		-	Anderson of McLennan, et al.)
	1	+	S.B. No. 458
4	2
5	3
6		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
7	4		AN ACT
8	5		relating to the aerospace and aviation office of the Texas Economic
9	6		Development and Tourism Office and to the aerospace and aviation
10	7		advisory committee.
11	8		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	9		SECTION 1. Section 481.0066, Government Code, is amended by
13	10		amending Subsections (d) and (e) and adding Subsections (d-1),
14	11		(d-2), (e-1), and (e-2) to read as follows:
15	12		(d) The aerospace and aviation office shall:
16	13		(1) analyze space-related and aviation-related
17	14		research currently conducted in this state and may conduct
18	15		activities designed to further that research;
19	16		(2) analyze the state's economic position in the
20	17		aerospace and aviation industries;
21	18		(3) develop short-term and long-term business
22	19		strategies as part of an industry-specific strategic plan to
23	20		promote the retention, development, and expansion of aerospace and
24	21		aviation industry facilities in the state that is consistent with
25	22		and complementary of the office strategic plan;
26	23		(4) make specific recommendations to the legislature
27	24		and the governor regarding the promotion of those industries;
28	25		(5) as part of and to further the purposes of the
29	26		industry-specific strategic plan described by Subdivision (3),
30	27		develop short-term and long-term policy initiatives or recommend
31	28		reforms the state may undertake or implement to:
32	29		(A) increase investment in aerospace and
33	30		aviation activities;
34	31		(B) support the retention, development, and
35	32		expansion of spaceports in this state;
36	33		(C) identify and encourage educational,
37	34		economic, and defense-related opportunities for aerospace and
38	35		aviation activities;
39	36		(D) determine the appropriate level of funding
40	37		for the spaceport trust fund created under Section 481.0069 and
41	38		support ongoing projects that have been assisted by the fund,
42	39		including recommending to the legislature an appropriate funding
43	40		level for the fund;
44	41		(E) partner with the Texas Higher Education
45	42		Coordinating Board to foster technological advancement and
46	43		economic development for spaceport activities by strengthening
47	44		higher education programs and supporting aerospace activities; and
48	45		(F) partner with the Texas Workforce Commission
49	46		to support initiatives that address the high technology skills and
50	47		staff resources needed to better promote the state's efforts in
51	48		becoming the leading space exploration state in the nation;
52	49		(6) act as a liaison with other state and federal
53	50		entities with related economic, educational, and defense
54	51		responsibilities to support the marketing of the state's aerospace
55	52		and aviation capabilities;
56	53		(7) [(6)] provide technical support and expertise to
57	54		the state and to local spaceport authorities regarding aerospace
58	55		and aviation business matters; and
59	56		(8) [(7)] be responsible for the promotion and
60	57		development of spaceports in this state.
61	58		(d-1) The aerospace and aviation office shall make specific
62	59		short-term and long-term statutory, administrative, and
63	60		budget-related recommendations to the legislature and the governor
64	61		regarding the policy initiatives and reforms described by
65	62		Subsection (d)(5) that may be implemented by the state. The
66	63		short-term recommendations must include a plan for state action for
67	64		implementation beginning not later than September 1, 2017. The
68	65		initiatives and reforms in the short-term plan must be fully
69	66		implemented by September 1, 2020. The long-term recommendations
70	67		must include a plan for state action for implementation beginning
71	68		not later than September 1, 2020. The initiatives and reforms in
72	69		the long-term plan must be fully implemented by September 1, 2025.
73	70		The aerospace and aviation office shall submit these
74	71		recommendations to the legislature and governor with the biennial
75	72		report required by Subsection (d-2) not later than December 1,
76	73		2016. This subsection expires September 1, 2017.
77	74		(d-2) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year,
78	75		the aerospace and aviation office shall submit to the legislature
79	76		and governor, in printed or electronic form, a report detailing the
80	77		actions taken by the aerospace and aviation office in carrying out
81	78		the policy initiatives and reforms under Subsection (d)(5) to
82	79		further the purposes of the industry-specific strategic plan as
83	80		specified in the recommendations required by Subsection (d-1),
84	81		including:
85	82		(1) the status of all projects and activities;
86	83		(2) the funding of expenditures;
87	84		(3) a summary of work performed as part of the
88	85		aerospace and aviation office's partnership with the Texas Higher
89	86		Education Coordinating Board, including a summary prepared by the
90	87		board of the research conducted by public senior colleges or
91	88		universities, as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code;
92	89		(4) a summary of work performed as part of the
93	90		aerospace and aviation office's partnership with the Texas
94	91		Workforce Commission; and
95	92		(5) an explanation of the ways in which the aerospace
96	93		and aviation office has promoted the state's economic development
97	94		goals through increased space exploration activities.
98	95		(e) The governor shall appoint an aerospace and aviation
99	96		advisory committee consisting of:
100	97		(1) seven qualified members to assist in the state's
101	98		economic development efforts to recruit and retain aerospace and
102	99		aviation jobs and investment; and
103	100		(2) one member for each active spaceport development
104	101		corporation in the state who represents the interests of each
105	102		respective spaceport development corporation.
106	103		(e-1) The aerospace and aviation advisory committee shall:
107	104		(1) advise the governor on the recruitment and
108	105		retention of aerospace and aviation jobs and investment;
109	106		(2) assist the office and the aerospace and aviation
110	107		office in meeting the state's economic development efforts to
111	108		recruit and retain aerospace and aviation jobs and investment;
112	109		(3) advise the office, the aerospace and aviation
113	110		office, and the governor on an appropriate funding level for the
114	111		spaceport trust fund;
115	112		(4) advise the office, the aerospace and aviation
116	113		office, and the governor on recruitment, retention, and expansion
117	114		of aerospace and aviation industry activities; and
118	115		(5) collect and disseminate information on federal,
119	116		state, local, and private community economic development programs
120	117		that assist or provide loans, grants, or other funding to aerospace
121	118		and aviation industry activities.
122	119		(e-2) Members of the aerospace and aviation advisory
123	120		committee:
124	121		(1) shall serve staggered four-year terms; and
125	122		(2) may not receive compensation for serving on the
126	123		committee.
127	124		SECTION 2. (a) The terms of the current members of the
128	125		aerospace and aviation advisory committee expire on the effective
129	126		date of this Act. On that date or as soon as possible after that
130	127		date, the governor shall appoint new members to the aerospace and
131	128		aviation advisory committee in accordance with the requirements of
132	129		Section 481.0066(e), Government Code, as amended by this Act.
133	130		(b) A member of the aerospace and aviation advisory
134	131		committee serving immediately before the effective date of this Act
135	132		is eligible for reappointment to the committee if the person has the
136	133		qualifications for a member under Section 481.0066(e), Government
137	134		Code, as amended by this Act.
138	135		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
	136	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	137	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	138	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 458 passed the Senate on
	139	+	April 16, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 27, Nays 4.
	140	+	______________________________
	141	+	Secretary of the Senate
	142	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 458 passed the House on
	143	+	May 8, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 124, Nays 10, two
	144	+	present not voting.
	145	+	______________________________
	146	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	147	+	Approved:
	148	+	______________________________
	149	+	Date
	150	+	______________________________
	151	+	Governor