Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB4660 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R17099 KRM-F
2	2	By: Lopez of Cameron H.B. No. 4660
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to space flight activities.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 482, Government Code, is
12	12	amended by adding Section 482.002 to read as follows:
13	13	Sec. 482.002. JURISDICTION OVER SPACE FLIGHT ACTIVITIES.
14	14	(a) In this section, "space flight activities" has the meaning
15	15	assigned by Section 100A.001, Civil Practice and Remedies Code.
16	16	(b) Space flight activities are subject to the exclusive
17	17	jurisdiction of the federal government and this state. Except as
18	18	provided by Section 61.132, Natural Resources Code, a county,
19	19	municipality, or other political subdivision may not enact or
20	20	enforce any measure that bans, limits, or otherwise regulates space
21	21	flight activities.
22	22	SECTION 2. Section 61.132, Natural Resources Code, is
23	23	amended to read as follows:
24	24	Sec. 61.132. CLOSING OF BEACHES FOR SPACE FLIGHT
25	25	ACTIVITIES. (a) In this section, "spaceport" has the meaning
26	26	assigned by Section 507.001, Local Government Code.
27	27	(a-1) This section applies only to:
28	28	(1) a county that:
29	29	(A) borders [bordering on] the Gulf of Mexico or
30	30	its tidewater limits; and
31	31	(B) [that] contains a launch site the
32	32	construction and operation of which have been approved in a record
33	33	of decision or finding of no significant impact issued by the
34	34	Federal Aviation Administration following the preparation of an
35	35	environmental assessment or environmental impact statement by that
36	36	administration; and
37	37	(2) a municipality with a population of less than
38	38	150,000 that:
39	39	(A) is located in a county described by
40	40	Subdivision (1);
41	41	(B) contains a spaceport; and
42	42	(C) has a beach access and use plan adopted and
43	43	certified under Section 61.015.
44	44	(b) A person planning to conduct space flight activities
45	45	between Monday at 8 a.m. and Friday at 12 noon [a launch] in a county
46	46	to which this section applies must submit [to the commissioners
47	47	court] proposed primary and backup [launch] dates for the space
48	48	flight activities to:
49	49	(1) the governing body of a municipality to which this
50	50	section applies; or
51	51	(2) if Subdivision (1) is not applicable, the
52	52	commissioners court [the launch].
53	53	(b-1) A person planning to conduct space flight activities
54	54	between Friday at 12 noon and Monday at 8 a.m. in a county to which
55	55	this section applies must submit to the commissioners court
56	56	proposed primary and backup dates for the space flight activities.
57	57	(c) To protect the public health, safety, and welfare, the
58	58	governing body of a municipality or the commissioners court, as
59	59	applicable, under Subsection (b) or the commissioners court under
60	60	Subsection (b-1) by ordinance or order may temporarily close a
61	61	beach in reasonable proximity to the [launch] site of space flight
62	62	activities or access points to the beach in the county on a primary
63	63	or backup [launch] date for space flight activities, subject to
64	64	Subsections [Subsection] (d), (e), and (h).
65	65	(d) The governing body of a municipality or the
66	66	commissioners court may not close a beach or access points to the
67	67	beach for space flight activities on a [primary launch] date
68	68	consisting of any of the following days without the approval of the
69	69	land office:
70	70	(1) the Saturday or Sunday preceding Memorial Day;
71	71	(2) Memorial Day;
72	72	(3) July 4;
73	73	(4) Labor Day; or
74	74	(5) a Saturday or Sunday that is after Memorial Day but
75	75	before Labor Day.
76	76	(e) When closing a beach or access point under this section,
77	77	the governing body of a municipality and the [The] commissioners
78	78	court must comply with:
79	79	(1) the beach closure restrictions described in the
80	80	Federal Aviation Administration's environmental evaluation of the
81	81	site;
82	82	(2) the municipality's and county's beach access and
83	83	use plans [plan] adopted and certified under Section 61.015; and
84	84	(3) any applicable dune protection plan adopted and
85	85	certified under Chapter 63 [when closing a beach or access point
86	86	under this section].
87	87	(f) The land office may:
88	88	(1) approve or deny a beach or access point closure
89	89	request under Subsection (d);
90	90	(2) enter into a memorandum of agreement with the
91	91	governing body of a municipality or the commissioners court of a
92	92	county to which this section applies to govern beach and access
93	93	point closures made under this section; and
94	94	(3) adopt rules to govern beach and access point
95	95	closures made under this section.
96	96	(g) A person planning to conduct space flight activities
97	97	shall provide notice to the public of any closure of a beach or
98	98	access points to the beach not less than 48 hours before the
99	99	closure.
100	100	(h) If an ordinance adopted by the governing body of a
101	101	municipality under Subsection (c) conflicts with an order adopted
102	102	by the commissioners court under that subsection, the municipal
103	103	ordinance prevails.
104	104	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
105	105	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
106	106	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
107	107	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
108	108	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.