HB 2507

ON APRIL 13, 2026, THE SENATE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2473, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 rewrites the bill to, instead, vacate the present board of commissioners of each existing authority for metropolitan and regional airports, and reconstitute a new governing body. METROPOLITAN AIRPORT AUTHORITIES The amendment provides that the new governing body, a board of commissioners, will consist of nine persons appointed as follows: (1) Two persons to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, one of whom is a resident of the county in which the airport is located and one of whom is a resident of a county in the region surrounding the airport. (2) Two persons to be appointed by the speaker of the senate, one of whom is a resident of the county in which the airport is located and one of whom is a resident of a county in the region surrounding the airport. (3) Two persons to be appointed by the governor, both of whom are residents of a county in the region surrounding the airport. (4) Except as provided below, three persons appointed by the executive officer of the creating municipality and approved by its governing body, all of whom are residents of the creating municipality. The amendment provides that if there is one participating municipality, then one person appointed pursuant to (4) must be from a list of qualified nominees submitted by the executive officer of that participating municipality. If there are two or more p articipating municipalities, then up to two persons appointed pursuant to (4) must be from lists of qualified nominees submitted by each of the executive officers of the participating municipalities. This amendment requires that persons appointed to the board must meet the following criteria:  Have no financial interest in an airport or its concessions at the time of the commissioner's appointment and during the commissioner's tenure on the board.  Not be an officer or employee of the creating municipality or participating municipality. This amendment provides that in order to stagger the terms of the newly appointed board, initial appointments are made as follows:  Commissioners appointed under (3) serve initial two-year terms.  Commissioners appointed under (1) serve initial three-year terms.  Commissioners appointed under (2) serve initial four-year terms.  Commissioners appointed under (4) serve initial five-year terms. The amendment provides that following the expiration of a commissioner's initial term, all terms are four years, to begin on July 1 and terminate on June 30, four years thereafter. The beginning of an initial term is deemed to be July 1 of the calendar year in which the appointment occurs, regardless of whether the actual appointment date occurs before or after July 1 of that year. This amendment requires in making the appointments to the board, the appointing authorities to strive to ensure that the membership is representative of the geographic and demographic composition of this state or the creating municipality and at least on e commissioner is a female. In addition, in making the appointments to the board, the appointing authorities must ensure that each commissioner is generally a person of excellent character and reputation and a person in good standing and reputation in an y one of the following fields:  Engineering or architecture, with a license to practice in the state and an active practice in such profession for the preceding five years.  Law, with a license to practice before the highest court in this state for a period of not less than five years.  Industry, business, or commerce.  Public safety.  Aviation.  Finance. This amendment authorizes a commissioner to:  Serve in such capacity until the expiration of the term to which the commissioner was appointed and until the commissioner's successor is duly appointed and qualified.  Be removed by the commissioner's appointing authority with or without cause. A vacancy created by the removal of a commissioner is filled by the appointing authority in the same manner as the original appointment. This amendment requires that in addition to the reporting requirements under present law, the authority is to submit quarterly reports or briefings of the activities, plans, and conditions of the authority, and any proposals for capital expansion or impr ovements to members of the governing body of the creating municipality, the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the speaker of the senate prior to the expansion or improvements. The authority must maintain its books and prepare its f inancial statements in a timely manner satisfactory to the state and pay the state for all costs the state incurs in reviewing and auditing the authority's finances. This amendment requires the board to elect from among its members a chair, vice chair, and secretary, each of whom must continue to be voting members, and adopt its own bylaws and rules of procedure. A majority of the commissioners constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. Except as expressly otherwise specified, all powers granted to an authority must be exercised by the board. This amendment provides that commissioners do not receive a salary but must be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties. REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITIES This amendment removes present law that provides that in addition to the procedures set forth in present law, when three or more municipalities and counties and at least one political subdivision of another state jointly create and participate in a regio nal airport commission, then all such municipalities, counties, and the political subdivisions of another state who have participated in such regional airport commission, may, by resolution of each, create a public body, corporate and politic, to be known a s a regional airport authority, which must be authorized to exercise its functions upon the issuance by the secretary of state of a certificate of incorporation. The governing body of each participating municipality and the governing body of each partici pating county and the governing body of each political subdivision of another state must, pursuant to its resolution, appoint the same number of persons as commissioners of the authority as existed in the regional airport commission. Such number of commis si oners must be specified in the certificate of incorporation. This amendment provides that notwithstanding to the contrary, the governing body of an existing regional airport authority created pursuant the present law described above is vacated and reconstituted as described below. This amendment creates the governing body of a regional airport authority, a board of commissioners, which consists of 12 persons appointed as follows: (1) Two persons to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, one of whom is a resident of a participating political subdivision of another state, and one of whom is a resident of the participating county in which the airport is located. (2) Two persons to be appointed by the speaker of the senate, one of whom is a resident of a participating municipality located in the county in which the airport is located and that does not border the participating political subdivision of another sta te, and one of whom is a resident of the participating municipality located in the county in which the airport is not located. (3) Three persons to be appointed by the governor, two of whom are residents of a participating county in which the airport is not located, and one of whom is a resident of a participating municipality located in a county in which the airport is not loc ated. (4) One person appointed by the executive officer of the participating county in which the airport is located and approved by its governing body. (5) One person appointed by the executive officer of the participating municipality located in the county in which the airport is located and that does not border a participating political subdivision of another state and approved by its governing body. (6) One person appointed by the executive officer of a participating municipality located in the county in which the airport is located and that borders a participating political subdivision of another state and approved by its governing body. (7) One person appointed by the executive officer of a participating county in which the airport is not located and approved by its governing body. (8) One person appointed by the executive officer of a participating municipality located in the county in which the airport is not located and approved by its governing body. This amendment requires persons appointed to the board to have no financial interest in an airport or its concessions at the time of the commissioner's appointment and during the commissioner's tenure on the board. This amendment provides that in order to stagger the terms of the newly appointed board, initial appointments are made as follows:  Commissioners appointed under (3) serve initial two-year terms.  Commissioners appointed under (1) serve initial three-year terms.  Commissioners appointed under (2) serve initial four-year terms.  Commissioners appointed under (4)-(8) serve initial five-year terms. This amendment provides that following the expiration of a commissioner's initial term, all terms are four years, to begin on July 1 and terminate on June 30, four years thereafter. The beginning of an initial term is deemed to be July 1 of the calendar year in which the appointment occurs, regardless of whether the actual appointment date occurs before or after July 1 of that year. This amendment requires in making the appointments to the board, the appointing authorities to strive to ensure that the membership is representative of the geographic and demographic composition of this state, the participating municipalities and counti es of this state, or the political subdivisions of another state, and that at least one commissioner is a female. In addition, in making the appointments to the board, the appointing authorities must ensure that each commissioner is generally a person of e xcellent character and reputation. It is the legislative intent that each commissioner be a person in good standing and reputation in any one of the following fields:  Engineering or architecture, with a license to practice in the state and an active practice in such profession for the preceding five years.  Law, with a license to practice before the highest court in this state for a period of not less than five years.  Industry, business, or commerce.  Public safety.  Aviation.  Finance. This amendment authorizes a commissioner to:  Serve in such capacity until the expiration of the term to which the commissioner was appointed and until the commissioner's successor is duly appointed and qualified.  Be removed by the commissioner's appointing authority with or without cause. A vacancy created by the removal of a commissioner is filled by the appointing authority in the same manner as the original appointment. This amendment requires the authority to submit quarterly reports or briefings of the activities, plans, and conditions of the authority, and any proposals for capital expansion or improvements to members of the legislative body of each participating mun icipality and county of this state and political subdivision of another state, the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the speaker of the senate prior to the expansion or improvements. The authority must maintain its books and prep ar e its financial statements in a timely manner satisfactory to the state and pay the state for all costs the state incurs in reviewing and auditing the authority's finances. This amendment subjects the authority to all other provisions of present law to the extent otherwise applicable, except as provided by this bill. This amendment clarifies within the present law pertaining to the airport authority's general power for motor vehicle traffic regulations that any authority that is operated by a board of commissioners whose membership includes five or more local governm ents has the power to promulgate, adopt, and enforce such motor vehicle traffic regulations for airport authority property as may be necessary to provide for the public safety. This amendment provides that for purposes of appointing commissioners to the new airport authority boards, this bill takes effect upon becoming a law. For all other purposes, including the vacation and reconstitution of any board, this bill takes effect July 1, 2026. ON APRIL 20, 2026, THE HOUSE SUBSTITUTED SENATE BILL 2473, ADOPTED AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2473, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #2 revises the provisions that require, in making the appointments to the boards described in the bill, the appointing authorities to ensure that each commissioner is a person in good standing and reputation in one of certain fields by requirin g one such field to be engineering, instead of engineering or architecture, and requiring another such field to be industry or commerce, instead of industry, business, or commerce. ON APRIL 22, 2026, THE SENATE NON-CONCURRED IN HOUSE AMENDMENT #2. ON APRIL 23, 2026, THE HOUSE RECONSIDERED ITS PREVIOUS ACTIONS, WITHDREW HOUSE AMENDMENT #2, AND PASSED SENATE BILL 2473.