Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security
NOTE: This is archived committee information from the 81st Legislative Session.
Committee Information
CHAIR
Tommy Williams
VICE-CHAIR
Kirk Watson
MEMBERS
Wendy Davis
Rodney Ellis
Joan Huffman
Robert Nichols
Florence Shapiro
Eliot Shapleigh
Jeff Wentworth
TEL:
(512) 463-0067
LOCATION:
Sam Houston Building, 450
Video/Audio — Archives
81st Session Interim
- November 8, 2010
- October 13, 2010
- June 8, 2010 — Road Meeting: Amarillo (audio only).
- May 26, 2010 — Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Finance, Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security
- May 3, 2010 — Road Meeting: Houston (audio only). NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the audio begins directly following the roll call.
- February 1, 2010 — Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security, House Committee on Transportation
- November 10, 2009 — Road Meeting: El Paso (audio only).
- August 20, 2009 — Road Meeting: Arlington (audio only).
81st Regular Session
- May 22, 2009 (Part II) — Audio only.
- May 22, 2009 (Part I)
- May 20, 2009
- May 18, 2009
- May 13, 2009 (Part II) — Audio only.
- May 13, 2009 (Part I)
- May 11, 2009
- May 6, 2009
- April 29, 2009 (Part II) — Audio only.
- April 29, 2009 (Part I)
- April 22, 2009
- April 20, 2009
- April 15, 2009
- April 8, 2009
- April 6, 2009
- April 1, 2009
- March 30, 2009
- March 25, 2009 (Part III)
- March 25, 2009 (Part II)
- March 25, 2009 (Part I)
- March 18, 2009 (Part II)
- March 18, 2009 (Part I)
- March 4, 2009
- February 25, 2009
- February 18, 2009
- January 28, 2009 — Transportation Briefing Presented by the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee
Written Testimony Submissions and Handouts
November 8, 2010 — Capitol Extension, Room E1.016
• Agenda
- Invited Testimony: State Agencies
- Brigadier General John F. Nichols, Assistant Adjutant General — Air, Texas Military Forces (File 1, File 2, File 3)
- Colonel Peter P. Flores, Texas Parks and Wildlife (File 1, File 2, File 3)
- Invited Testimony: Local Law Enforcement Agencies
- Donald L. Reay, Executive Director, Texas Border Sheriff Coalition
- Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez, Jr., South West Border Sheriff Coalition (File 1, File 2)
- Gilberto L. Navarro, Assistant Police Chief, Laredo Police Department
October 13, 2010 — Capitol Extension, Room E1.016
• Agenda
- Invited Testimony: Quarterly Updates
- Jay Kimbrough, Texas Department of Transportation Restructuring Council
- Amadeo Saenz, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation
- Victor Vandergriff, Chairman, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (File 1, File 2, File 3)
- Invited Testimony: Review of Specialty License Plates
- Victor Vandergriff, Chairman, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
- Steve Farrar, President, MyPlates (File 1, File 2, File 3)
- Invited Testimony: Charge 11
- Hon. Mark Atkinson, Judicial Resource Liaison, Texas Center for the Judiciary
- Carlos Brown, MD, Director of Trauma, Seton Family of Hospitals (File 1, File 2)
- Invited Testimony: Charge 10
- John A. Barton, PE, Assistant Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation
- Invited Testimony: Charge 2
- John A. Barton, PE, Assistant Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation (File 1, File 2)
- Dan Kessler, Executive Director, Association of Texas Metropolitan Planning Organizations
- Brian Cassidy, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell
- Victor Vandergriff, Chairman, North Texas Tollway Authority
- Hon. Terry A. Simpson, County Judge, San Patricio County
- Invited Testimony: Charge 4
- Amadeo Saenz, Executive Director, Texas Department of Transportation
- Brian Cassidy, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell
- Michael Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Conference of Governments
- Alan Clark, MPO Director, Houston Galveston Area Council
- Peter K. Rahn, Senior Vice President, HNTB (File 1, File 2, File 3)
- Public or Submitted Testimony
- Terri Hall (Charge 2), Director, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom
- Terri Hall (Charge 4), Director, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom
- Pete Kamp (Charge 4), Mayor Pro Tem, City of Denton
- Bill Lewis (Charge 11), Public Policy Liaison, MADD
- Legislative Budget Board (Charge 11)
June 8, 2010 — Amarillo, Texas
• Agenda
- Invited Testimony
- Leroy Alloway, Director of Community Development, Alamo Regional Mobility Authority
- John Barton, Asst. Exec. Director for Engineering Operations, Texas Department of Transportation (File 1, File 2)
- Hon. Vernon Cook, County Judge, Roberts County
- Hon. Valerie Covey, Williamson County Commissioner, Precinct 3
- David Duncan, Texas Department of Information Resources
- Kevin Hamby, Senior Counsel, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
- Douglas Havron, RN, BSN, MS, CEM, Admin. Director for Hospital Preparedness, Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council
- Walt Kelley, Emergency Administration Manager, City of Amarillo
- Marty McKellips, CEO, American Red Cross of Central Texas
- Elizabeth Mow, PE, Director of Project Delivery, North Texas Tollway Authority
- Vince Obregon, Assoc. VP for Capital Program Implementation, Houston METRO
- Richard Ridings, VP, HNTB Corporation
- Dan Stulz, MD, President/CEO, Texas Hospital Association
- Kari Tatro, Exec. Director, Baptist Child and Family Services
- Katie Turnbull, PhD, Exec. Assoc. Agency Director for System Planning, Policy and Environmental Research Group, Texas Transportation Institute
- Adolfo Valadez, MD, MPH, Asst. Commissioner for Prevention and Preparedness Services, Texas Department of State Health Services
- Texas Department of Insurance
- Texas Department of Transportation
- Public or Submitted Testimony
- Beverly Dampf
- Owen Jones, CrossWell, Ltd.
- Rick Tull, Panhandle Regional Advisory Council
- Federal Highway Administration
February 1, 2010 — Capitol Extension, Room E1.030 — Joint hearing w/ House Committee on Transportation
• Agenda
- Invited Testimony
- Rafael Aldrete, El Paso Office Director, Texas Transportation Institute
- Brian Cassidy, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell LLP
- John Colyandro, Exec. Director, Texas Conservative Coalition
- Deirdre Delisi, Chair, Texas Transportation Commission
- Terri Hall, Director/Founder, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom
- Robert C. Kline, Exec. Director, Texas Bond Review Board (File 1, File 2, File 3, File 4)
- Mary Ann Lovelady, Tax Assessor-Collector, Jones County
- Michael Morris, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments
- Jeff Moseley, President/CEO, Greater Houston Partnership
- Susan Narvaiz, Mayor, City of San Marcos
- Betsy Price, Tax Assessor-Collector, Tarrant County
- Amadeo Saenz, Jr., Exec. Director, Texas Department of Transportation
- Victor Vandergriff, Chair, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (File 1, File 2)
- Peggy Venable, Director, Americans For Prosperity Texas
- C. Michael Walton, Chair, Texas 2030 Committee (File 1, File 2)
- Public or Submitted Testimony
- Mel Borel
- Janice Cartwright, Co-Chair, The Real Estate Councils of Texas
- Julián Castro, Mayor, City of San Antonio
- Richard Cortese, District 8 State Director, Texas Farm Bureau
- Maureen Crocker, Interim Exec. Director, Gulf Coast Rail District
- Don Dixon
- Hank Gilbert
- Adrian David Heath, Americans For Prosperity, Montgomery Co. Chapter
- Judy Morris
- Robert Murrow
- Grady Smithey
- Central Texas Transportation Coalition
November 10, 2009 — El Paso, Texas
Interim Charges
- Recommend ways to maximize the contribution of alternative transportation modes and evaluate what impacts they have on congestion and air quality. Identify statutory barriers to reducing transportation's impact on air quality and preventing any restrictions on or loss of federal funds due to air quality. Study the incidence of fraudulent automotive emissions certifications in the state and recommend changes in enforcement which will increase the effectiveness of state emissions regulation and assist in attainment of federal air quality standards.
- Review and make recommendations relating to the Texas Department of Transportation's organizational structure and working relationship with local governments, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Regional Tolling Authorities and Regional Mobility Authorities.
- Recommend improvements to homeland security, including the state's infrastructure and housing recovery operations. Make recommendations for incorporating best practices and addressing any gaps in existing procedures, and disaster preparation and response, including volunteer involvement, evacuation and sheltering and trauma care, and communications interoperability.
- Examine the public policy implications of Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDAs) and recommend whether they should be reauthorized to construct specific roadways.
- Explore the policy implications of transportation reinvestment zones funded by state sales and use taxes as an alternative to public financing of transportation projects.
- Examine transportation funding concepts contained in legislation considered during the 81st Legislature, Regular and Special Sessions. Analyze options and make recommendations relating to historical funding strategies including prioritization of existing revenues, as well as alternative state and local transportation funding concepts. (Joint charge with Senate Finance Committee)
- Study and make recommendations to expedite the environmental review process for transportation projects.
- Evaluate the Texas Department of Transportation's policy for permitting overweight vehicles and recommend ways to ensure overweight vehicles do not cause significant damage to the State's roadways and bridges. Examine the limited operation hours and staffing of highway weight stations across the state and consider whether expanded operations or other alternatives would improve compliance with weight restrictions.
- Review the 100 most congested roadway segments and determine if alternative congestion relief modes have been identified to relieve segments in areas where the addition of lanes is not possible. For example, review whether TxDOT and MPOs consider instituting park & rides and encouraging employee flex times to relieve congested roadway segments.
- Evaluate outsourcing at the Texas Department of Transportation, including, but not limited to, engineering services and aerial mapping.
- Review the possible increase in number of unlicensed and uninsured drivers resulting from license suspensions or indigence resulting drivers' inability to pay Driver Responsibility surcharges in light of new Department of Public Safety rules.
- Study and make recommendations for legislation to inform Texans about best practices for hurricane preparation, response, and recovery, including information about basic state operations and pre-designated locations for PODs (Points of Distribution) across the state. Establish procedures and penalties for noncompliance by local jurisdictions that hinder response and recovery efforts.
- Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security, 81st Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation.
- Monitor the implementation of gang-related legislation passed during the 81st Legislature and its impact on drug cartel-related transnational gangs and crime in Texas.
