Texas legislative session nearing completion

Session ends June 1

Steve Hawley, May 22, 09.

The Texas legislative session ends on June 1, and some deadlines have already passed.

The Safe Passing Act (SB 488) has passed both houses in similar form. The House version added a provision protecting vulnerable road users from taunting and harassment, as well making drivers responsible for opening their doors next to traffic lanes. Both versions prohibit the so-called “right hook,” in which a motorist makes a right-hand turn in front of a vulnerable road user. Vulnerable road users include bicyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, road construction workers, and stranded motorists. The House and Senate must agree on the bill’s language by Saturday, May 31.

The local-option transportation funding bill (SB 855) passed the Senate in April before being amended considerably in the House. The bill would allow voters in certain counties to approve local taxes to fund transportation projects. The Senate version applied to many of the state’s most populous counties but excluded the Houston region, while the House version would apply to any county located within a Metropolitan Planning Organization. This would include the Houston region, which is part of the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). Dallas/Fort Worth officials estimate that with a 10-cent gasoline tax, they could generate $370 million per year for a commuter rail system and highway improvements.

The bill was scheduled for a vote on Thursday, although its sponsor is not optimistic. However, Sen. John Carona of Dallas, who chairs the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee, added the language to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) restructuring bill. According to the Austin American-Statesman, Carona’s amendment would not apply to the Houston region.

The TxDOT restructuring bill (HB 300) passed the House in May with almost 200 amendments, including one that would phase out the use of red-light cameras across the state. The bill would change TxDOT’s governing body from a five-person commission appointed by the governor to a 15-member elected board. The chair would be elected at-large, while the other fourteen commissioners would represent geographic districts. However, according to H-GAC, the Senate is expected to revert to a five-member appointed commission while shortening term lengths from six years to two.

The TxDOT bill will almost certainly pass - if it does not, TxDOT ceases to exist on September 1 - so the only question is its final form. The two houses have until May 31 to hammer out a compromise bill.

In May, the Senate passed a bill (SB 1570) authorizing the creation of a Texas high-speed rail corporation to plan and develop a 200 mile per hour high-speed rail system linking Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The House Transportation Committee reported favorably on the bill Thursday. The provision was also included as one of the House TxDOT amendments.

A bill that would expedite the environmental review process for transportation projects passed the Senate in April and is on Friday’s calendar. SB 502 would allow TxDOT, counties, and certain toll entities to pay state and federal agencies to hire extra staffers to speed the process. The language was also included in the House TxDOT amendments. Texans United for Reform and Freedom is concerned that the bill could jeopardize the federal environmental process and bias review agencies in favor of those projects. Others say giving the agencies some extra money will produce better quality reports and decisions.

Finally, a bill that would have mandated affordable housing within transit-oriented developments stalled in the House Ways and Means Committee. The deadline has passed for the House to consider the bill (HB 1271), so it cannot be brought up again until the next legislative session.

Once the current session is over, Gov. Rick Perry has until Sunday, June 21 to sign or veto legislation. Most new laws take effect on September 1.