MINUTES 
                                           
                            SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE 
                        Subcommittee on Spaceport Trust Fund 
                              Thursday, March 7, 2002 
                                     1:30 p.m. 
                           Capitol Extension, Room E1.036 
                                           
                                       ***** 
                                           
         Pursuant to a notice posted in accordance with Senate Rule  
         11.18, a public hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance was  
         held on Thursday, March 7, 2002, in the Capitol Extension, Room  
         E1.036, at Austin, Texas. 
          
                                       ***** 
                                           
         MEMBERS PRESENT:                        MEMBERS ABSENT: 
         Senator Mike Jackson                    Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. 
         Senator Troy Fraser                      
                                                  
                                       ***** 
                                           
         Senator Mike Jackson, the acting chair, called the meeting to  
         order at 1:43 p.m.  There being a quorum present the following  
         business was transacted: 
          
         The chair made opening remarks and welcomed Representative Gene  
         Seaman.  The subcommittee will follow the same rules adopted by  
         the Senate Finance Committee as a whole.  Senator Jackson  
         briefly reviewed the Spaceport Trust charge issued by Lt. Gov.  
         Ratliff and Speaker Laney.   
          
         Invited Testimony: 
          
              Bill Looke and Fred Johnson, both representing the Texas  
              Aerospace Commission, answered questions and gave a  
              detailed presentation entitled Spaceport Pursuit.  
          
              Jack Harris, County Commissioner, answered questions and  
              extended an invitation to the committee to hold a hearing  
              in Brazoria County. 
          
              Michael Bomba, representing the Center for Transportation  
              Research at UT-Austin, answered questions from the  
              committee. 
          
              Phil Esquivel, Mayor of Kingsville, answered questions and  
              gave a brief overview on the studies underway in Kennedy  
              and Willacy counties. 
              Dan Van Cleeve, representing the Comptroller of Public  
      
              Accounts, answered questions from the committee and gave a  
              brief overview on how the Comptroller's office had been  
              working with Texas Aerospace Commission to assist them in  
              establishing a grant process. 
          
         Senator Jackson thank all who were present and testified and  
         then announced that the subcommittee would address the interim  
         schedule at the next hearing.   
          
         There being no further business, at 3:00 p.m. Senator Jackson  
         moved that the Committee stand recessed subject to the call of  
         the chair.  Without objection, it was so ordered.   
          
         ______________________ 
         Senator Mike Jackson, Chair 
          
         ______________________ 
         Amber Martin, Clerk