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5 Document(s) [ Subject: Panama Canal ]
| Committee: | Senate Texas Ports, Select | |
| Title: | Interim Report | |
| Subjects: | International trade | Panama Canal | Ports | | |
| Library Call Number: | L1836.84 P838 | |
| Session: | 84th R.S. (2015) | |
| Online version: | View report [22 pages] | |
| Charge: | This report should address the charge below. | |
| 1. | Study the economic benefit of the Panama Canal expansion to Texas ports, focusing on what Texas ports, including inland ports, must do to remain competitive. * | |
| Committee: | Senate Transportation | |
| Title: | Interim Report | |
| Subjects: | Driver Responsibility Program | Eminent domain | Highway finance | Motor vehicle safety inspections | Panama Canal | Ports | Regional mobility authorities | Semi-trailer trucks | State government debt | Sunset review process | Texas Mobility Fund | Toll roads | Transportation planning | Transportation, Texas Department of | Truck inspection stations | Trucking | | |
| Library Call Number: | L1836.84 T685 | |
| Session: | 84th R.S. (2015) | |
| Online version: | View report [61 pages] | |
| Charges: | This report should address the charges below. | |
| 1. | TxDOT Funding: Monitor any new and anticipated revenue appropriated to the Texas Department of Transportation and make recommendations that address project prioritization and selection, effectiveness of staffing levels and project delivery methods. | |
| 2. | Vehicle Inspection System: Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the state's Vehicle Inspection Program. Make recommendations on how to compress or otherwise reduce the number of required inspections. | |
| 3. | Regional Mobility Authorities: Review State Highway Fund grants and loans to Regional Mobility Authorities (RMA) and make recommendations if additional oversight procedures are needed to ensure the RMA’s expenditures are a valid and accountable use of State Highway Funds. | |
| 4. | Panama Canal: Study the demand placed on the state’s ports, roadways and railways resulting from the Panama Canal expansion and make recommendations to ensure transportation infrastructure is adequate to accommodate increases in imports and exports. | |
| 5. | Driver Responsibility Program: Evaluate the necessity of the Driver Responsibility Program and make recommendations for alternative methods of achieving the programs objectives. | |
| 6. | Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Regulations, Penalties and Fines: Review current state and federal regulations, penalties and fines related to oversize and overweight vehicles and make recommendations to minimize impacts on the state's roadways and bridges. | |
| 7. | Monitoring Charge: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Transportation during the 84th R.S. and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, monitor the following: 1) Progress of the Texas Department of Transportation's efforts to propose a plan to eliminate toll roads; 2) Removing eminent domain authority from private toll corporations; 3) Ending the issuing of any new debt from the Texas Mobility Fund (TMF) and prohibiting future use of the TMF on toll projects; and 4) The Sunset Advisory Commission's review of the Texas Department of Transportation. | |
| Committee: | House Transportation | |
| Title: | Interim Report | |
| Subjects: | Amtrak | County government | Freight | Gulf Intracoastal Waterway | Highway finance | Highway maintenance | Highway planning | Highways | Light rail transit systems | Mass transit | Motor vehicle registration | Motor vehicle safety inspections | Motor Vehicles, Texas Department of | Municipalities | Natural gas fields | Panama Canal | Ports | Railroads | Rural areas | Semi-trailer trucks | Tax increment reinvestment zones | Traffic | Traffic safety | Transportation planning | Transportation, Texas Department of | | |
| Library Call Number: | L1836.83 T687 | |
| Session: | 83rd R.S. (2013) | |
| Online version: | View report [0 pages] | |
| Charges: | This report should address the charges below. | |
| 1. | Evaluate actions by state agencies under the committee's jurisdiction to increase transparency, accountability, and efficiency. Consider the cost-saving outsourcing of technologies and recently developed practices, such as the conversion of roadways, used by the Department of Transportation designed to demonstrate savings. Identify and make recommendations on the credibility and effectiveness of these goals. | |
| 2. | Monitor the usage of state funds by the Texas Department of Transportation for improving road quality in areas impacted by Energy Sector activities. | |
| 3. | Evaluate the status of Texas's port system, including a review of the structure and operations of the Maritime Division of the Texas Department of Transportation. | |
| 4. | Evaluate the status of passenger and freight rail in Texas, including a review of the structure and operations of the Rail Division of the Texas Department of Transportation. | |
| 5. | Review the state of our current transportation infrastructure outside of the five most populous areas. Explore future needs of our infrastructure and make recommendations to ensure long-range sufficiency. | |
| 6. | Monitor the implementation of the "Turn-Back Program" by the Texas Department of Transportation, specifically its fiscal impact to municipalities and taxpayers. | |
| 7. | Examine county authority to utilize tax increment financing and transportation reinvestment zones to fund transportation projects. | |
| 8. | Monitor and review the efforts of the Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Texas Technology Task Force (TTTF). The TTTF shall study emerging transportation, communication, and computing technologies and determine physical infrastructure and system components that TxDOT or other state departments would need to provide to enable selected technologies. The task is to be completed by TTTF as directed by SB 1, 83rd R.S., item 44, Article VII-31. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Technology) | |
| 9. | Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should: a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens; b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate; c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs. | |
| Committee: | House Transportation | |
| Title: | Interim Report | |
| Subjects: | Bridges | Environmental protection | Federal funds | Highway finance | Highway maintenance | International trade | Mass transit | Panama Canal | Ports | Texas Mobility Fund | Traffic | Transportation | Transportation planning | Transportation, Texas Department of | | |
| Library Call Number: | L1836.82 T687 | |
| Session: | 82nd R.S. (2011) | |
| Online version: | View report [61 pages] | |
| Charges: | This report should address the charges below. | |
| 1. | Review the state of our current transportation infrastructure, including studying roadway, bridge, and waterway quality and long-range plans by the Texas Department of Transportation for maintaining these assets. Explore future needs of our infrastructure for the next decade and make recommendations to ensure long-range sufficiency. | |
| 2. | Study the state's preparedness for the expansion of the Panama Canal and determine whether the state's infrastructure is ready for the increase in commerce. | |
| 3. | Conduct a thorough review of the operations of transit organizations in Texas. Explore possible reforms to streamline and improve services to Texans. | |
| 4. | Study the environmental review process for transportation projects and monitor the implementation of reforms newly passed by the 82nd Legislature. Continue to work with all stakeholders to develop any necessary changes. (Joint with the House Committee on Environmental Regulation) | |
| 5. | Study transportation funding reforms and develop long-term state funding recommendations, with an eye on any federal reforms that become law. Explore options to eliminate "diversions" from Fund 6 to non-transportation-related programs. (Joint with the House Committee on Appropriations) | |
| Committee: | Senate Transportation and Homeland Security | |
| Title: | Interim Report | |
| Subjects: | Alternative fuel vehicles | Alternative fueling stations | Driver licenses | Homeland security | Houston Ship Channel | Motor vehicle registration | Natural gas | Panama Canal | Ports | Public Safety, Texas Department of | Toll roads | Traffic | Transportation, Texas Department of | Trucking | | |
| Library Call Number: | L1836.82 T688 | |
| Session: | 82nd R.S. (2011) | |
| Online version: | View report [42 pages] | |
| Charges: | This report should address the charges below. | |
| 1. | Examine the anticipated impacts of the Panama Canal expansion on Texas' cargo and shipping industry, intermodal facilities, roadways, and ports. Examine the implementation of the Houston Ship Channel Security District and determine if additional security districts are needed for other ports. | |
| 2. | Study current state statutes and agency rules regulating oversize and overweight vehicles. Evaluate the public safety benefit of enforcing these regulations and effectiveness in preventing roadway damage, including the cost of repair and maintenance to infrastructure associated with overweight vehicles. Provide recommendations that balance economic productivity, public safety, and protection and maintenance of roadways. Provide recommendations on the need for additional weights and measures training for law enforcement in this state. | |
| 3. | Study the potential for toll collection and enforcement tools to pursue toll scofflaws for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and local toll project entities. | |
| 4. | Examine the need for additional natural gas fueling infrastructure to efficiently utilize Texas' vast domestic reserves of natural gas. Also, examine the future requirements for public and private electric vehicle charging stations and the impact of the increased usage of alternative-fueled vehicles. Include geographic balance in the evaluation of alternative-fuel infrastructure. Assess the impact that increasing numbers of electric vehicles will have on the state's electric grid. | |
| 5. | Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security, 82nd Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, monitor the following:
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* This represents an abstract of the report contents. Charge text is incomplete or unavailable.
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