06.30.09
Keeping the special session in perspective
In Kuff’s preview of the upcoming special session, Special session starts tomorrow, he links to this AAS article that points out the potential problem that corporate toll roads, aka CDA/PPP’s, may cause. Here’s the article by Ben Wear, Toll road item may threaten session. No matter who’s language is used the best thing for this state is for the authorization of CDA’s to expire.
The spoiler of Gov. Rick Perry’s midsummer’s dream of a three-day special session could be the “Nichols language.”
The consensus seems to be that few problems exist with the first two items on Perry’s session “call” — essentially the allowable agenda for the session — that would extend the life of five state agencies, including the Texas Department of Transportation, and allow TxDOT to issue $2 billion in debt.
But there could be trouble with the third and last item, legislation granting a reprieve to a statutory death sentence for private toll road leases.
During the regular session, state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, carried a bill that would have extended by six years the legal authority for TxDOT and regional mobility authorities to sign what have usually been 50-year contracts with private companies to build and operate (and profit from) tollways on public land. Authority for such leases expires Sept. 1.
To get a better grasp of what the “Nichols language” is check out the bill analysis for SB 17 and this from Texas TURF.
Let’s just keep in mind what our governor thinks an emergency is. Making sure corporations can still receive “50-year contracts…to build and operate (and profit from) tollways on public land“, is more of an emergency than children without health care. Or the huge business tax increase that’s coming since he refused the $555 million in unemployment insurance from the federal government.
The special session should not be about corporate welfare and allowing TxDOT to get into investment banking and using public pensions to finance toll raods. Obviously there are much more urgent issues facing this state.