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Seal of the Senate of the State of Texas Welcome to the Official Website for the Texas Senate
Seal of the Senate of the State of Texas
Welcome to the official website for the
Texas Senate
 
 
 
May 7, 2009
(512) 463-0300

SENATE APPROVES ANOTHER TRANSPORTATION FINANCE TOOL

Sen. Uresti
Senator Carlos Uresti of San Antonio confers with two staffers during Thursday's Senate Session.

(AUSTIN) — The Senate passed a bill Thursday aimed at helping to pay for local transportation projects. SB 505, by Bryan Senator Steve Ogden would authorize the creation of transportation finance zones. These would be areas adjacent to state highways, extending two miles from the center line, drawn by the Texas Transportation Commission and approved by the Legislative Budget Board. The state portion of sales tax collected from businesses in the area would go into a fund that could be used to pay for the road the area surrounds. This fund's growth would be capped at $250 million per year, said Ogden, to prevent the overuse of these zones.

Other bills passed by the Senate Thursday include:

- SB 725, by Estes, would allow sunset agency reviews of certain river authorities in Texas.

- SB 2079, by Uresti, which would require a treating physician to aid a patient released from a state hospital in arranging transportation.

- SB 2249, by Zaffirini, which would require more instruction for teachers of the blind and visually impaired.

The Senate will reconvene Friday, May 8 at 9:30 a.m.

Session video and all other Senate webcast recordings can be accessed from the Senate website's Audio/Video Archive.

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