More than 600,000 Texans will immediately be eligible to have their driver’s licenses reinstated after the program’s Sept. 1 repeal. The system was widely criticized for adding additional annual fees on top of the price of tickets, but all pending surcharges will soon be waived.
Transportation
Reporting on roads, transit, infrastructure, and policy shaping travel and mobility across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bill requiring children under 2 to ride in rear-facing car seats
Abbott said the measure “is an unnecessary invasion of parental rights and an unfortunate example of over-criminalization.”
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Texas lawmakers hope an additional $200 million will decrease dreaded wait times at driver’s license centers
The money will be used to hire more employees, give a raise to current staffers and open two new driver’s license offices in Angleton and Denton. The Department of Public Safety’s management of the offices has drawn criticism, but lawmakers stopped short of moving those duties to another agency.
Posted in
State Government
Bill to better protect landowners during land condemnations passes Texas House
Although it cut some provisions from the Senate version, the House committee substitute to Senate Bill 421 keeps public meeting requirements and protects against low-ball offers for landowners facing eminent domain actions.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Texas lawmakers send bill to governor that would eventually outlaw red-light cameras
The legislation includes a provision to allow local governments to continue operating cameras until they finish out any contracts in effect as of May 7.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Texas Senate passes bill to kill program that critics say can trap poor people in a cycle of debt
The bill to end the unpopular program, which adds annual surcharges on top of traffic fines — and prompts the suspension of millions of driver’s licenses — is headed for Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. If he signs it, pending surcharges will be dropped.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Texas high-speed rail plans dodge bullet after lawmakers strike provision aiming to delay the project
Legal battles over whether the developer can use eminent domain still loom over the project.
Posted in
Transportation
Some see a plan to expand I-35 as a betrayal of Austin’s environmental values
Supporters say the $8 billion plan for one of the state’s most notorious stretches of highway is necessary to fight congestion. But critics say new lanes won’t end traffic — and worry the plan undercuts Austin’s goal to reduce single-occupancy car trips.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Red-light cameras could be removed from Texas intersections after House vote
But an amendment to the bill could keep the devices in place until cities’ contracts with vendors expire. Camera proponents say they make intersections safer, but critics say they undermine due process.
Posted in
State Government
Texans could soon know more about how much money toll agencies spend after debt and maintenance costs are paid
The legislation wouldn’t remove tolls from roads that have had their construction costs paid off. But its author calls the required disclosure of revenues and expenses an act of transparency.