By: Hinojosa of Nueces S.C.R. No. 12
(In the Senate - Filed February 4, 2025; February 7, 2025,
read first time and referred to Committee on Economic Development;
March 18, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5,
Nays 0; March 18, 2025, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Since the "space race" of the 1960s, Texas has been
at the forefront of space exploration, discovery, and innovation,
and the state is sure to play an instrumental role in defining the
next phase of American involvement in space; and
WHEREAS, Texas is home to NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space
Center as well as more than 2,000 aerospace establishments; during
the 88th Session of the Texas Legislature, the Texas Space
Commission was established to strengthen the state's leadership in
aerospace activity, and the Texas Aerospace Research and Space
Economy Consortium was launched to serve as a forum for higher
education and industry experts seeking to advance the state's role
in space operations; and
WHEREAS, In 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the
Texas Economic Development Corporation recognized Texas as a
powerhouse in the rapidly expanding private space sector;
commercial investment in space transportation has driven the need
for spaceport sites, operating environments, and infrastructure,
and Texas ranks second in the nation in the number of spaceport
locations; and
WHEREAS, Tax-exempt private activity bonds currently finance
a wide range of facilities, including airports, docks, and wharves,
which, like spaceports, serve as hubs for the transportation of
people and freight; the qualification of spaceports for tax-exempt
private activity bonds would encourage more investment in aerospace
infrastructure, benefiting both Texas and the nation as a whole;
and
WHEREAS, The United States cannot afford to fall behind in
the highly competitive field of space operations, and making
spaceports eligible for tax-exempt private activity bonds would
help to ensure that the nation maintains its leadership in space
commerce; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to amend the
Internal Revenue Code to make spaceports eligible for tax-exempt
private activity bonds; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.
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