Anti-toll sentiment at the Capitol is at its highest level in at least a decade as both Republicans and Democrats have proposed measures that would either tap the brakes on new toll road projects, or undo the state’s current tolling system entirely.
Aman Batheja
Aman Batheja was a political reporter and editor for the Tribune from 2012 to 2019. Previously he worked for eight years at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, most of that time covering state and local politics. A native of Cedarhurst, New York, he has an undergraduate degree in journalism and psychology from New York University and a master's in economics from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Posted in
Health care
Supplemental Budget Would Cost $433 Million, House Members Learn
House budget writers intend to add $433 million to the current two-year budget with a supplemental bill laid out Thursday, though some lawmakers expressed concern with plans for millions in leftover funds from some state health programs.
Posted in
Transportation
Lawmakers Hope to Steer Self-Driving Car Bills to Governor’s Desk
Three lawmakers have filed bills aimed at encouraging the use of self-driving technology in Texas while allowing for some government oversight.
Posted in
Transportation
Former State Rep. Lewis to Head Transportation Commission
Gov. Greg Abbott has tapped former state Rep. Tryon Lewis, R-Odessa, to be the chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission. The five-member panel oversees the Texas Department of Transportation.
Posted in
Transportation
Botched Toll Bills Prompt $1.7 Millon in Refunds
Billing problems on state toll roads are bigger than TxDOT previously announced, and customers who have been overcharged will be getting about $1.7 million back.
Posted in
State Government
Property and Business Tax Cut Measures Head to Full Senate
The Senate Finance Committee voted Tuesday to send proposals cutting property taxes and business taxes to the full Senate, though some senators questioned whether the property tax cuts could be better spent in other ways.
Posted in
State Government
Legislators File Flurry of Bills Ahead of Deadline
Texas lawmakers added more than 800 proposals Friday to the agenda ahead of the bill-filing deadline. After Friday, lawmakers have to get approval from their chambers to file a bill.
Posted in
Economy
House Budget Plan Sets Stage for Transportation Funding Debate
Texas House budget writers put the final touches Thursday on a two-year budget that offers a different approach to boosting funding for transportation from the Senate.
Posted in
Economy
Budgetline: A TribCast Series on the Texas Budget
In the first episode of Budgetline, an occasional TribCast series on the Texas budget, Ross and Aman start where state officials started — with the revenue estimate. It sounds simple, but it’s a complicated stew of economics, politics and risky forecasting.
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State Government
Senators Worry State Contracting is Too Decentralized
Senators learned at a hearing Wednesday that the current state contracting system is so fragmented that no one knows the total value of the state’s current contracts.
