March 24, 2015      5:15 PM
Simmons rolls out transportation advisory committee
Legislative committee and oversight modeled on last session's water funding bill
Rep. Ron Simmons
introduced his bill on Tuesday that would deploy a statewide advisory committee
to fund and prioritize transportation projects in the same way the state has
funded and deployed water projects.
Simmons, R-Carrollton, chairs the Subcommittee on Long-Term
Infrastructure Planning, which has fielded a
dozen bills that address the operation of the Texas Department of
Transportation, as well as the operation of toll road authorities,
county transportation authorities and regional mobility authorities.
House Bill 20, carried by Simmons
and Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso,
will be the cornerstone of the committee’s work. The bill creates a six-member State
Infrastructure Advisory Committee, which would sit between the
metropolitan planning organizations and the Texas Transportation Commission.
By Kimberly Reeves
|