SPACEPORT AUTHORITY BOARD MEMBERS

HB0203

HOUSE BILL 203

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

Rebecca Dow
and
Gail Armstrong

AN ACT

RELATING TO SPACEPORT DEVELOPMENT; CHANGING THE APPOINTING
AUTHORITY OF MEMBERS OF THE SPACEPORT AUTHORITY; PROVIDING
QUALIFICATIONS FOR SPACEPORT AUTHORITY MEMBERS.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

SECTION 1.
Section 58-31-4 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 2005,
Chapter 128, Section 4) is amended to read:

"58-31-4. SPACEPORT AUTHORITY CREATED--MEMBERSHIP.--

A. The "spaceport authority" is created. The
authority is a state agency and is administratively attached to
the economic development department.

B. The authority shall consist of seven voting and
two nonvoting members. [
six of whom
]
With the consent of the
senate,
two
shall be appointed by the governor [
with the
consent of the senate
]
and one each shall be appointed by the
president pro tempore of the senate, the speaker of the house
of representatives, the minority floor leader of the senate and
the minority floor leader of the house of representatives
;
provided that one of the appointed members shall be a resident
of Sierra county. No more than three appointed members shall
belong to the same political party. The seventh member shall
be the secretary of economic development or the secretary's
designee. The lieutenant governor shall serve as a nonvoting
ex-officio member. The executive director of the authority
shall serve as a nonvoting member. The chair may appoint a
nonvoting advisory committee to provide advice and
recommendations on authority matters.

C. The members appointed by the governor shall be
residents of the state and shall serve for terms of four years,
except for the initial appointees who shall be appointed so
that the terms are staggered after initial appointment.
Initial appointees shall serve terms as follows: two members
for two years, two members for three years and two members for
four years.
A member shall have experience in at least one of
the following: the aerospace or aviation industry; bond
financing, public finance or capital project funding; or
practicing law or academic experience in aerospace, aviation,
public infrastructure, regulatory compliance, public-private
partnerships or a relevant science.

D. Appointed voting members of the authority shall
be reimbursed for per diem and mileage in accordance with the
provisions of the Per Diem and Mileage Act that apply to
nonsalaried public officers, unless a different provision of
that act applies to a specific member, in which case that
member shall be paid under the applicable provision. Members
and advisors shall receive no other compensation, perquisite or
allowance for serving as a member of or advisor to the
authority.

E. The secretary of economic development or the
secretary's designee shall serve as the chair of the authority.
Authority members shall elect any other officers from the
membership that the authority determines appropriate.

F. The chair, four other authority voting members
appointed by the chair and the executive director of the
authority shall constitute the spaceport authority executive
committee. The committee shall have powers and duties as
delegated to it by the authority.

G. If a vacancy occurs among the appointed voting
members of the authority, the [
governor shall appoint a
replacement
]
vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the
original appointment
to serve out the term of the former
member. If an appointed member's term expires, the member
shall continue to serve until the member is reappointed or
another person is appointed and confirmed by the senate to
replace the member.

H. The authority shall meet at the call of the
chair and shall meet in regular session at least once every
three months.

I. The authority shall maintain written minutes of
all meetings of the authority and maintain other appropriate
records, including financial transaction records in compliance
with law and adequate to provide an accurate record for audit
purposes pursuant to the Audit Act."

SECTION 2.
TEMPORARY PROVISION.--Members serving on the
spaceport authority immediately prior to the effective date of
this act shall continue to serve until the members' existing
terms expire. Upon the expiration of each such term, vacancies
shall be filled according to the following schedule:

A. the two seats with four-year initial terms shall
thereafter be appointed one each by the speaker of the house of
representatives and minority floor leader of the house of
representatives;

B. the two seats with three-year initial terms
shall thereafter be appointed one each by the president pro
tempore of the senate and the governor; and

C. the two seats with two-year initial terms shall
thereafter be appointed one each by the minority floor leader
of the senate and the governor.

SECTION 3.
EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the
provisions of this act is July 1, 2026.