State Rep. Jason Spencer’s HB 1, which would “provide for the facilitation of space flight activities in this state,” easily passed the House late last week by a margin of 162-5. The bill looks to be the key piece of legislation to bring commercial space flight to the state as it would clarify the laws related to the industry, bringing Georgia in line with other states which have already taken steps to get their hands on an explosive new industry worth an estimated $330 billion per year nationwide.
HB 1 also limits the ability of a willing participant to sue for damages related to the trip following their written consent. As you might imagine, liability is a big hurdle for companies whose primary goal is to shoot civilians into outer space, so without friendly legislation to support them it’s untenable to even make the attempt.
For the past several years southeast Georgia has expressed desire to become ‘Georgia’s space coast’ and get in on an industry that has taken off in states like California, Texas, and Florida. The industry would bring far more than just tourism dollars as well, with hundreds of (very) high tech jobs up for grabs it would look to attract many of the region’s highest educated and highest paid minds to Camden County.
Said Spencer after the bill passed the House, “The commercial space industry continues to grow from its current base of $330 billion per year, and Georgia and Camden County are becoming well positioned as an attractive hub for the industry’s future business activities and operations, bringing significant economic and inspirational benefits to the citizens of Georgia. With this growth, there is need for additional launch capacity on the East Coast of the United States that is not a government-centric launch site, and Southeast Georgia is probably the last and best place to site such an installation.”
Despite the big margin in the House, there is still reason for concern from supporters of the bill. Last year a similar piece of legislation, also sponsored by Spencer, passed the House with ease before dying in a Senate committee without a vote.
