The chairman of the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics said he plans to investigate allegations that witnesses were signed up improperly to speak at a meeting from which state Rep. Jonathan Stickland was escorted out.
Transportation
Reporting on roads, transit, infrastructure, and policy shaping travel and mobility across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
State Government
House Approves Use of Sales Tax for Highways
The Texas House gave initial approval Thursday to a major boost in transportation funding from sales taxes, setting the stage for a showdown with the Senate over the best way to pay for Texas roads.
Posted in
Transportation
Lawmakers Call for End to Controversial Driver Responsibility Program
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Thursday called for the repeal of a state program that requires drivers convicted of certain traffic offenses to pay annual surcharges to keep their driver’s licenses.
Posted in
Demographics
A Look at How House, Senate Budgets Compare
This week, the House and the Senate named the members of a conference committee that will resolve the differences between the two chambers’ budget plans. Here’s a look at how the two proposals compare, with details on some areas where the plans diverge.
Posted in
Transportation
Self-Driving Car Bill Stalled by Google, Carmakers
Both Google and an industry group representing major auto manufacturers have come out against a bill from state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, to create a pilot program to monitor and encourage testing of self-driving cars in Texas.
Posted in
Transportation
Kolkhorst Aide: Bullet Train Position Not at Odds With Former Stance
State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who is leading opposition to a company’s efforts to build a high-speed rail line, was once part of a group that supported private sector development of high-speed rail. An aide says she is not uniformly opposed to high-speed rail.
Posted in
Economy
Uber, Lyft Back in House Headlights
Another round of sparring between Texas cities and car service companies Lyft and Uber played out on Tuesday, when a panel of Texas lawmakers considered letting cities regulate Lyft and Uber the same way they regulate cab companies.
Posted in
State Government
Video: The Future of Transportation
On 4/10, I talked about the future of transportation policy in Texas with Deirdre Delisi, former chair of the Texas Transportation Commission; Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins; former U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk; and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman.
Posted in
Energy
Tesla Makes Sales Pitch to House Panel
At a packed committee hearing Monday evening, advocates for Tesla Motors told a panel of Texas House members that it was time to bring state laws into the 21st century and let the company sell its luxury electric cars in Texas.
Posted in
Economy
Background Checks Drive Uber Debate
One week after an Uber driver in Houston was charged with sexually assaulting a passenger, a panel of Texas lawmakers on Thursday considered a bill critics say will open the door for more criminals to slip past driver background checks.
