House, Senate Leaders Confirm Transportation Funding Deal
House and Senate leaders have come to an agreement on a deal to significantly boost the Texas Department of Transportation’s funding. Full Story
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![State Sen. Robert Nichols R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, speak at a Texas Tribune event on April 7, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Contracting Experiment Drawing Mixed Reviews
After four years of trying out a new way of awarding state contracts known as design-build, lawmakers aren't sure taxpayers get a better deal, and Texas businesses say they're being muscled out of jobs by larger, out-of-state companies. Full Story
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Senate Moves to Reform Driver Responsibility Program
The Texas Senate voted Thursday to weaken the state’s Driver Responsibility Program, which critics say unfairly penalizes poor Texans. Full Story
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![Sen. Rodney Ellis D-Houston reads information during the Senate Committee on State Affairs as they listen to testimony relating to guns on campus and open carry on February 12th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
House, Senate at Odds Over Provision That Would Block Bullet Train
House and Senate leaders are in the midst of intense negotiations over a budget rider that could kill a proposed $12 billion bullet train project connecting Dallas and Houston. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
End of the Road for Tesla, Ride-for-Hire Bills
With the clock winding down on the legislative session, Tesla Motors, Uber and Lyft have little to show for the money they spent on high-profile lobbying. As deadlines loom, the bills they were steering appear to have run out of gas. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Tesla Motors and Ben Hasson -
A Smorgasbord of Disclosure, Online for the First Time
A state lawmaker is pushing to make all financial disclosure statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission available online so the public can easily find them. In that spirit, the Tribune presents the disclosures filed by scores of state agency heads, regents and others that you can't get online now. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Rural Critics Organize to Stop Private Bullet Train
Dallas and Houston leaders may want a super-fast train connecting their cities, but folks in between aren't as sold on the idea. Some have formed Texans Against High-Speed Rail, and they're hiring lobbyists and courting allies in a bid to kill the plan. Full Story
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![Japan Central's N700 high speed train, the same train that a private firm wants to bring to Texas.]()
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The Complicated Politics of Red Light Cameras
State Rep. Jonathan Stickland's ejection from a House Transportation Committee hearing aside, activists devoted to purging Texas of red light cameras say they aren't thrilled with the bills under consideration this session. Full Story
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Panel to Investigate After Lawmaker Ejected From Committee Hearing
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. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, during the gun bill debate on April 17, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
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. Full Story
![State Sen. Robert Nichols R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, speak at a Texas Tribune event on April 7, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
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. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
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. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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![Rep. Lois Kolkhorst R-Brenham, speaks during HB5 debate on June 15th, 2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
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. Full Story
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![Uber and Lyft, two San Francisco-based transportation networking companies, have launched services in several Texas cities.]()
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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. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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![Tesla vehicle on display outside the Texas Capitol on Jan. 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
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. Full Story
![Uber and Lyft, two San Francisco-based transportation networking companies, have launched services in several Texas cities.]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Video: A Conversation With Kevin Eltife
Full video of my 4/9 conversation with state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, the chairman of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee. Full Story
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Senate Bill Targeting Bullet Train Project Advances
On a 5-4 vote, the Senate Transportation Committee approved a bill Wednesday that would hobble a private company’s plan to build a $12 billion high-speed rail line from Dallas to Houston. Full Story
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![The Japanese Shinkansen is a high-speed trail used by JR Central in Japan. A private company is planning to build a rail line between Dallas and Houston using the same trains.]()
Credit: Norihiro Kataoka
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