This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: It’s week three of the special session, and Gov. Rick Perry has added a few more items to the agenda, including abortion restrictions, transportation and criminal sentencing for teenagers.
Transportation
Reporting on roads, transit, infrastructure, and policy shaping travel and mobility across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Criminal Justice
A Special Session for Self-Made Emergencies
Special sessions are for emergencies — for finding solutions to problems that can’t wait for the next regular session. Sometimes, the emergencies are beyond anyone’s control. Sometimes, like now, they’re manufactured in Austin.
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Economy
Roads Funding Plan Draws Debate on State’s Piggy Bank
Two days after Gov. Rick Perry added transportation funding to the special session agenda, the Senate Finance Committee debated a bill that would increase road dollars by slowing the flow of money into the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
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Transportation
House and Senate Hoping to Quickly Find Money for Roads
With transportation funding added to the special session call, lawmakers are already planning hearings and considering different proposals. The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday.
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Transportation
A Dead End for Road Funding at the Capitol?
Gov. Rick Perry’s interest in keeping the special session on issues where he can expect success suggests transportation funding won’t be included. The chances for any transportation funding proposal in a special session are mixed at best.
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State Government
Perry Expands Special Session Agenda to Include Transportation Funding
Gov. Rick Perry on Monday added transportation funding to the agenda of the special session. He said Texas’ transportation network is facing added pressure because of the state’s growing economy and population.
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Politics
Newsreel: Redistricting, Recess and Rejection
This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Lawmakers said it would take seven to 10 days to deal with redistricting during the special session, and that turned out to be wildly optimistic.
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Transportation
Bullet Train Plan Sparks North Texas Turf War
A private firm’s plan to develop a high-speed rail line between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston is being closely watched by officials in North Texas, where there are varying opinions as to where the first station should be built.
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Transportation
TxDOT Outsourcing IT Operations to Private Firm
The Texas Department of Transportation has announced that a private firm will take over most of its information technology operations.
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Transportation
Fix for Roads in Shale Counties Might Be Short
Lawmakers allocated $450 million this session to repairing roads destroyed by truck activity related to a drilling boom. The Legislature likely isn’t done with the issue, though, because the amount is less than advocates said was needed.