Aviation Research

2015 Texas Legislature

AOPA’S Report: New Texas Laws Benefit General Aviation

By Yasmina Platt,
AOPA’s Central Southwest Regional Manager

We had a very busy, but productive, legislative session in Texas in 2015 and AOPA members, pilots and aircraft owners among others will reap the benefits.

New Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a number of general aviation friendly bills into law after the 84th Texas Legislature adjourned June 1st. In addition to working with state legislators, we met and talked with staff in Abbott’s offices in both Austin and Washington D.C. to ensure GA pilots’ voices were heard.

Thanks to advocacy efforts from AOPA and other aviation stakeholders who tracked 54 bills throughout session, pilots can enjoy many of the benefits being afforded to GA. The bills that Abbott signed into law provide:

  • $84 million (state, federal and local dollars) to support and promote GA services and airports for each of the fiscal years ending Aug. 31, 2016 and 2017;
  • Free Texas Department of Transportation Airport Directories (the directory previously cost $6);
  • A requirement to mark and register meteorological evaluation towers (better known as MET towers) to mitigate safety-of-flight hazards for pilots;
  • Clarification of how GA aircraft leasing and business practices operate so that sales and use tax changes don’t affect the industry’s positive contribution to the state’s economy.
  • The ability for repossession agents to file a petition in a justice court for a writ of assistance to receive help from law enforcement officials when repossessing an aircraft.

Yasmina Platt said leadership and support from Reps. Paul Workman (47th District), Armando Martinez (39th District), Chris Paddie (9th District), Rick Miller (26th District), and John Otto (18th District), and Sens. Charles Perry (28th District), Van Taylor (8th District), Royce West (23rd District), and Jane Nelson (12th District) helped push the positive legislation through session.

You can get more information about these and other developments in our region, and specifically in Texas, by visiting http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Airports-and-State-Advocacy.aspx or following me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/AOPACentralSW or @AOPACentralSW).

AOPA’s Report: General Aviation Initiatives in 2015’s Texas Legislative Session

By Yasmina Platt,
AOPA’s Central Southwest Regional Manager

The 84th Texas Legislature is in full swing and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Accociation (AOPA), along with other aviation stakeholders, is working on several initiatives to promote and protect general aviation in the state. We are tracking about 50 bills in Texas. Below are some of the ones we are most interested in, including the bill numbers and a brief summary. If you are interested in seeing the progress of a specific bill search http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/.

  • HB 946 / SB 505 – Marking/Registration of Meteorological Evaluation Towers (MET Towers): MET towers are temporary structures used to measure wind speed and direction to identify locations for future wind turbines. They pose a continuing hazard to low-altitude aviation operations, such as agricultural, helicopter flights, and search and rescue. These towers are below the 200-foot Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) threshold for evaluation, are very difficult to see from the air, and are usually erected overnight and without notice. Both the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA have published documentation encouraging the states to mark and register these towers. These bills follow the research and recommendations of both of those agencies.
  • HB 1458 / SB 798 – Tax Exemption on the Maintenance of General Aviation Aircraft: Tax exemptions for general aviation maintenance help to increase aviation activity, generate jobs and raise revenue for maintenance businesses. Only operators using aircraft as a certificated carrier of persons/cargo, for flight training, or for agricultural use are currently exempt from the sales and use tax (including both parts and labor) when repairing, remodeling, or maintaining aircraft. This bill would include all general aviation aircraft and activities. Texas aircraft are often flown to other states which do not apply sales taxes to obtain cheaper maintenance. This means local companies are losing business.
  • HB 1605 – TxDOT Airport Directories: TxDOT-Aviation prints the Texas Airport Directory every few years for use by the public and the aviation community. The directories include information about all public use airports (approximately 400) in the state. By state law TxDOT charges $6 per airport directory but, as a state resource, it should be available to the public for free from public facilities, the Texas highway maps. This bill would offer the directories for free. TxDOT-Aviation will be printing an aeronautical chart this year and they could be distributing both resources for free at the same time.
  • HB 3287 / SB 1396 – Texas Sales/Use Tax: In 2014, the Texas Comptroller attempted to change the tax rules and standards that impact the ownership and operation of aircraft in Texas. The proposed rule tried to change when operators could qualify for the “sale for resale” exemption through aircraft leasing. This legislation would recognize the leasing of aircraft as a legitimate transaction eligible for resale exemption, allowing aircraft to be brought into the state for completions without being subject to tax. The bills also would address out of state use and related party transactions and exempt fractional programs from sales/use tax.
  • HB 3077 / SB 1493 – Emergency Medical Air Transportation Account: These bills would create the above mentioned account and the commissioner of State Health Services could use the appropriated funding to fund and reimburse emergency medical air transportation.
  • HB 3901 / SB 1133 – Repossession of Aircraft: A repossession agent may file a petition for a writ of assistance for the repossession of aircraft in a justice court.

You can get more updates about these and other developments in our region, by visiting http://www.aopa.org/Advocacy/Airports-and-State-Advocacy.aspx or following me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/AOPACentralSW or @AOPACentralSW).