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Amend Amendment No. 332 by Chisum to CSHB 1 (page 420,
amendment packet) by striking the text of the amendment and
substituting the following:
Amend CSHB 1 in Article VII of the bill, under the
appropriations to the Texas Aerospace Commission (page VII-2), by
amending Rider 2, Coordination of Spaceport Initiatives, to read as
follows:
2. Coordination of Spaceport Initiatives. It is the intent
of the Legislature that the Texas Aerospace Commission, the Texas
Department of Economic Development, and the Texas Department of
Transportation [Governor], or their successor agencies, coordinate
efforts and spending related to developing a reusable launch
facility or Spaceport. These agencies shall [develop,] maintain[,]
and adhere to a memorandum of understanding that is [was]
established January 1, 2004 [2002], that details the specific
responsibilities of each agency and continues to provide
interagency coordination and support to achieve the objective of
establishing a Spaceport and developing Texas' low cost launch
capabilities.
Should federal economic development block grant funds be
available, $975,000 of such funds shall [should] be used by the
Texas Aerospace Commission or its successor agencies for the
purpose of awarding grants or assisting with other proposal
development costs to selected local Texas communities which may
compete for the location of such a facility. A portion of certain
geographically dedicated funds provided for economic development
under the community development block grant program shall be used
to proportionately reduce the amount of Spaceport funding provided
to any site, if such funds are available and eligible for that
purpose. Expenditure of these [federal] funds is [are] conditioned
upon the participation by the Comptroller of Public Accounts
[Account] in the development of guidelines for the grant
application process and contract awards as a means of assuring that
all applicable state procurement laws and other processes are
followed. The Comptroller shall provide assistance in the final
grant or contract review and recommendation process and shall
recommend other participants as may be required. All such grants or
contracts shall be subject to approval by the Comptroller and
awarded based upon individual site progress toward Spaceport
development as determined by the Texas Aerospace Commission, or its
successor agencies, and the Comptroller.