Transportation focus of special legislative session beginning July 1

Transportation focus of special legislative session beginning July 1

By Patrick Brendel Tuesday, 30 June 2009

AUSTIN — Texas House and Senate members will convene at 10 a.m. July 1 to kick off a special session of the State Legislature, called by Gov. Rick Perry to address a narrow set of topics, including five state agencies under sunset review, transportation bonds and comprehensive development agreements (private toll roads).

During the 81st Regular Session, state lawmakers failed to reauthorize five state agencies after scheduled audits, meaning they would have had to close within a year. Perry—who has the power to call special sessions of the Legislature on topics of his choosing—ordered lawmakers back to Austin to save the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Insurance, Texas Racing Commission, Office of Public Insurance Counsel and Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation.

Special sessions can last up to 30 days, but leaders like Perry and House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, have expressed hopes that this session will be finished by the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Legislators have filed House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 2 that would simply extend the lives of the five agencies until the 2011 legislative session.

Lawmakers will also consider approving $2 billion in Proposition 12 bonds for TxDOT for road projects and creating the Texas Transportation Revolving Fund to leverage bond money. Legislators will also look at CDAs, which are public-private partnerships between governments (like the state and regional mobility authorities) and contractors to build and operate toll roads.

Governments will not be able to enter the agreements past Sept. 1 if lawmakers do not approve CDAs during the special session. CDA bill author Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, has said that his legislation will be focused on specific regions in order to avoid heated debate that might lengthen the special session.

Perry has the authority to adjust or add items to the special session agenda at his discretion.