Sens. Wentworth and Wendy Davis and Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon wrote an article for the Houston Chronicle on May 2nd arguing, “the state’s transportation bureaucracy at the Texas Department of Transportation is using a budgetary shell game to thwart the will of the Legislature…”
At issue is $182 million in financing for the Texas Railroad Relocation and Improvement Fund appropriated during the last legislative session. The $182 million budget rider passed by the Legislature was contingent upon a finding by the state comptroller that there was at least as much money available for roads in the current budget (2010-11) as was available in the last session’s budget (2008-9).
TxDOT contends that funding allocated to the new Department of Motor Vehicles was a diversion from TxDOT and should count against certification of the budget rider.
Back in December, the comptroller asked the attorney general to interpret the precise application of the rail funding rider (RQ-0844-GA). That opinion is pending.
For a complete copy of the opinion: http://www.oag.state.tx.us/opinions/opinions/50abbott/rq/2009/pdf/RQ0844GA.pdf