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Committee adopts substitute reducing local match for airport grants in economically disadvantaged counties
Summary
A committee substitute to House Bill 4520 would lower state airport grant local match from 10% to 5% for airports located in counties that meet the bill's economically disadvantaged definition; the substitute clarifies that projects already appropriated by the legislature still must meet the appropriate match requirement.
Chairman Nichols presented a committee substitute to House Bill 4520 to the Senate Committee on Transportation that would lower the local match requirement for certain state airport grants from 10% to 5% for airports located in an economically disadvantaged county.
The committee substitute clarifies that if a project is specifically appropriated by the legislature, the project still must provide the 5% local match if it qualifies as economically disadvantaged or the 10% match if it does not. "Some of these counties just do not have the funds to do that," Chairman Nichols said, describing the policy as a targeted relief similar to a previous highway program change.
Dan Hartman of TxDOT was present as a resource witness. The committee adopted the substitute and voted to report the bill favorably; the committee recorded a favorable report and recommended the bill to the local uncontested calendar.
Why it matters: supporters said lowering the match would help smaller, economically disadvantaged counties access state grants for airport projects; the substitute kept the legislative appropriation condition intact to preserve appropriations oversight.
What remains: the bill moves to the Senate calendar for additional consideration and any fiscal implications or eligibility definitions may be further debated.
