Spaceport Camden advocates came out to the Georgia Capitol in droves last week to demonstrate their support for the Georgia Spaceflight bill, HB 734.

On the recent hearing, Senator Bruce Thompson, Chairman of the Georgia State Senate Science & Technology Committee said, “this is the single most attention given to a bill in my tenure in the Senate. In fact, more than 2,300 emails and letters have been sent in this past week alone.”

Supporters of the bill who attended the hearing included students and professors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, which offers the largest aerospace engineering program in the country; K-12 educators who want to see a STEM pipeline created in the state; construction, tourism and supply chain workers who want the thousands of jobs Spaceport Camden will create and Georgia residents who want to see the $300 billion commercial space industry brought to the state. Advocates for Spaceport Camden are also showing their support on Facebook and through online petitions.

The Georgia House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 734 by a vote of 164-8 and it now resides in the state Senate.

“I applaud the House and Senate for all the attention and consideration they are giving HB 734,” said Steve Howard, Camden County administrator and project leader for Spaceport Camden. “This bill signifies Georgia’s ability to compete on a global scale for a piece of the more than $300 billion commercial space marketplace. We are closer to bringing countless supply chain jobs and new high-paying jobs to the Coast and keeping Georgia’s top aerospace talent within our state’s borders.”

The bill defines procedures for spaceflight activity in Georgia and is modeled after the Texas law, Limited Liability for Space Flight Activities, and defines procedures for spaceflight activity, which is an industry standard that is used in all other “space friendly” states.

The Senate Committee Chairman said the bill will go under review for more study before a vote is called.