The latest transportation news from The Texas Tribune.
In the latest Texas Weekly Newsreel: With less than three weeks left in the legislative session, the deadlines are coming fast and furious, raising the stakes and prompting whispers of a special session if things don't get finished. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/051013_ART_newsreel.jpg)
A bill that would have increased vehicle registration fees to generate money for transportation projects met its demise in the Texas House on Thursday. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-Darby002.jpg)
The betting here is that state finance is the closing drama of the session and that in spite of the sharper debates here at the end, that everybody goes home singing Kumbaya. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/16/WaterTexasCapitol.jpg)
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: President Obama's visit to Austin on Thursday as part of a new jobs tour has again put the state's economy in the spotlight. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2f620f4e360de853a9c9a1e7c22080f0/BD%20INC%20State%20of%20the%20State%20061%202013)
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Water, transportation and education were priorities at the beginning of this year's legislative session, but how much progress has been made on each? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f708f21c1fd4dac27590b132ec3893c9/BD%20INC%20House%20Overall%20339%202013)
The legislative session is in its last month and most bills will die. But setbacks for the big stuff — water, transportation and the like — are usually temporary. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-FilingBills_Tamir.Kalifa003.jpg)
In the latest Newsreel: The House fights over whether and how to tap the Rainy Day Fund, lawmakers hold hearings on the explosion in West and Gov. Rick Perry says there is plenty of time left in this session to get things done. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/050213_newsreel_art.jpg)
The best way to finance Texas' pressing water and transportation needs — and to supplement spending on public education — is to let voters decide whether to use the state's Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/deaf8a2c8effdb386edfbb2b873a1639/BD%20INC%20Williams%204878%202013%20)
Two years ago, lawmakers couldn't find the money they needed to run the government they had promised their voters. Now they have the money — and a completely different set of political problems. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/rainydaysafe.jpg)
Gov. Rick Perry is warning state legislators that it could be a long, hot summer in Austin if they don’t pass his top priorities: funding water and transportation projects and cutting business taxes. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f3f7e918cdeea00e8a4425a730549ab2/BD%20INC%20State%20of%20the%20State%20Perry%202013)
Efforts by state lawmakers to find money to repair South and West Texas roads torn up amid a drilling boom appear to be stalling, according to some officials working on the matter. Officials warn about the hazards of not maintaining these roads. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/25/Road-Damage.jpg)
For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about transportation and, more specifically, how to pay for expansion and maintenance of the state’s transportation infrastructure. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/inside_intelligence-logo-Hahn-sponsorship.jpg){kind=logo}
In the midst of a battle among lawmakers over a bill to ban texting while driving, a new report by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute suggests that voice-to-text technology is no safer than typing out a text message. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8c4853aa77c707ce58c05d16c30d4814/DONT%20USE%20TextingDriving)
Aaronson tracks the latest on Medicaid expansion, Aguilar on lawmakers’ openness to driving permits for non-citizens, Batheja on surprising support for higher state spending, Root and Galbraith on the state’s search for answers after the West explosion, M. Smith covers the debate over high school standards, Grissom finds a shadow payroll at the Capitol, Hamilton on the man with a plan at UT, Rocha spots a special deal for lawmakers accused of crimes, KUT’s Philpott on obstacles to road funding and Ramshaw on the privileges of legislative membership: The best of our best for the week of April 15-19, 2013. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/19/Tribweek-04152013.jpg)
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Texas lawmakers are poised to spend billions out of the state's Rainy Day Fund, but some say tapping the fund will lower the state's bond rating. So what's the truth? Full Story
UPDATED: A bill that would make texting while driving a crime passed the House on Wednesday after a lengthy debate. The measure now heads to the Senate. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/_KCB0914.jpg)
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Lawmakers want to spend billions to repair the state's crumbling roads, but that's putting some Republican leaders in a bind. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/MoneyPavedRoad_1.jpg)
Three days after the governor raised the possibility of new revenue streams — including the issuing of 100-year bonds — to fund transportation, members of Texas Tea Parties warned legislators against caving on conservative principles. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TexasTea-2.jpg)
A highway under construction in Mexico is widely expected to lead to a surge in produce trucks from Mexico’s western growing regions entering the U.S. through Hidalgo County. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/12/TxTrib-McAllenProduceTerminal.jpg)
At last Friday's quarterly meeting of the Texas Lyceum, I interviewed Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins about transportation policy and funding at the state and local level. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/041213_ART_Judges.jpg)