The San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee welcomed Texas Monthly’s “Rookie of the Year,” State Representative Ina Minjarez yesterday to give members insight on the key outcomes from the legislative session. This past legislative session was Minjarez’s first full session since winning a special election in 2015, filling the House District 124 seat vacated by José Menéndez.
Minjarez has been one of the foremost advocates for safe, effective and efficient multimodal transportation networks and looks to engage community and business leaders on this issue. It is vital “we work with all three levels of government,” Minjarez said when talking about her priorities for the interim. She plans to revisit Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDAs) a tool TxDOT uses to enable private development by sharing risk and responsibilities of design and construction. During this past legislative session, HB 2861 was defeated in the House. This bill would have provided or extended CDA authority for various projects across the state to August 31, 2019, including Loop 1604-north and the IH 35 Northeast Expansion project. Minjarez looks to inform local and state leaders of the importance of CDAs and the implications they have for future projects. The Chamber will work with the Representative to educate state and local leaders on why CDAs are so important to San Antonio.
Minjarez also touched on a few other transportation bills that were signed into law this session. The legislature passed the necessary sunset bill (SB 312) that will allow TxDOT to continue to operate until 2029. She was able to include amendments that will increase transparency for contractor reporting and reduce toll road administrative fees and charges. She went on to discuss HB 100, a bill lawmakers passed to develop a statewide regulatory environment for Transportation Network Companies (TNC) operations. The bill does not require finger printing of drivers but aligns with most of the regulations San Antonio already has in place. Minjarez concluded her remarks by highlighting a new law that bans texting while driving. Texting while driving within the state of Texas will now be punishable by a set fine for first time and repeat offenders.
Minjarez acknowledged the progress the State has made in securing adequate transportation funding, including Propositions 1&7, the constitutional amendments to dedicate portions of revenue from oil, gas and sales tax to the State Highway Fund. However, she believes that there are additional revenue sources to be identified.
Following her remarks, Minjarez opened up the floor for questions. Members took the opportunity to ask about the future of rail, local control, and the upcoming budget short fall. Minjarez expressed her commitment to explore these issues during the interim by engaging key community and business leaders.
Representative Minjarez serves on the Transportation, Human Services, and the Local and Consent Calendars Committees.
