Bill Caption

Fiscal Notes

Bill Analysis

This legislation would amend the Transporatation Code to do the following:

• Require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to develop and implement,and the Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) to approve, a performance-based planning and programming process that would provide the governor and the Legislature with indicators that quantify and qualify progress toward attaining all of the goals and objectives established for the department by the Legislature and the commission.
• Requires TxDOT and TTC to develop and implement certain performance metrics and measures and implement period reporting schedules for all metrics and measures included in this bill.
• Committee would submit guidelines to TxDOT what would govern the funding prioritization of transportation projects.
• Establish a nine-member House Select Committee on Transportation Planning and a nine-member Senate Select Committee on Transportation Planning and require the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor to appoint the members.
• Requires the select committees, meeting jointly or separately, to evaluate certain aspects of transportation funding, project selection and prioritization, performance measures and metrics,and policymaking

Vote Recommendation Notes

We originally supported HB 20 in the House. However, the Senate committee substitute includes the language of SB 1294, which we opposed. The provisions of SB 1294 would undermine limited government by hampering the effective and efficient use of design-build contracting for certain highway projects.

For this reason we recommend that legislators oppose HB 20 unless it is first amended to strike the provisions of SB 1294 that were added in committee.