when the final decisions were being made to distribute the shuttles 15 years ago, the Houston community dragged its feet on putting together a competitive proposal.
You snooze, you lose.
Space Center Houston, which would be responsible for hosting the shuttle, was not even told before the legislation was filed.
That seems an important detail to ignore.
The short answer is that it is all political, and the timing is due to the reelection campaign for Cornyn, who faces a stiff runoff against Ken Paxton. The goal in Cornyn's campaign is to use the bill as a way to show Texans that he is fighting for them in Washington, DC, against the evils there.
Ugh.