House panel advances bill to create statewide airport authority

Representative Garrett told the subcommittee that House Bill 2507 "strengthens our state's regional and metropolitan airports and focuses on Tennessee safety and security for our airports," describing a plan to replace existing local authority boards with a statewide nine-member board appointed by statewide leaders and the authority itself. The sponsor said the new structure aims to ensure geographic representation because "these airports are funded by all Tennesseans, not just the counties that each of these airports reside in."

Opponents pressed the sponsor on local control and grant risk. Representative Pearson said the consolidation "feels a lot like government overreach" and warned the changes could affect eligibility for federal FAA grants and remove seats held by pilots and minority appointees. Garrett responded that the bill includes minority representation, gender requirements and professions that should be represented (pilot, lawyer, engineer) and that the authority would work with the FAA to avoid grant consequences. The committee adopted an amendment (draft code 014287) that rewrote the bill and then voted to advance HB2507 to the full Transportation Committee by a recorded tally of 8–2.

The bill’s next procedural step is consideration by the full Transportation Committee. The transcript does not record individual member roll-call votes beyond the tally, and the amendment and debate focused on board composition, appointment sources and potential impacts on local authority and federal funding.