Senate Bill No. 597 Summary

• Beginning January 1, 2015, the Missouri-St. Louis Metropolitan Airport Authority becomes responsible for operating all international airports in Missouri within fifty miles of St. Louis.

• The authority must honor all existing bonds, debts, contracts, and employee pension plans of affected airports; airport ownership remains unchanged.

• Authority membership is restructured so that the St. Louis mayor, St. Louis County executive, St. Charles County executive, and Jefferson and Franklin county commissions each appoint members based on population (one member per 130,000 residents), with no single appointing authority controlling a majority.

• Authority members receive $25 per day compensation plus travel expenses; members cannot be elected officials or involved in commercial aeronautics.

• The authority cannot increase fees to cover operational transfer costs, and all airport profits continue going to St. Louis; beginning April 1, 2015, the authority must negotiate with St. Louis officials on employee transition, pension plans, and compensation matters (negotiations are non-binding).