Sunset Review Member Blasts TxDOT!

Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, a member of the newly formed Sunset Advisory Commission, just blasted the rogue agency for it's push for toll roads. This could signal Gov. Perry's TxDOT is in for a most extreme makeover, as the Sunset Commission is poised to put forward state laws to "fix" TxDOT for the next session. According to The Monitor:

Two local state senators are questioning whether the Texas Department of Transportation is exaggerating its funding crisis to garner public support for private toll roads.

“All along it’s been pretty obvious they have an agenda and it’s toll roads,” said state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, who along with Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, has joined a coalition of other legislators to challenge TxDOT.

“It’s amazing to us; they’re pretty much a rogue agency.”

Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa is the only member of the Sunset Commission that has spoken since being appointed just weeks ago, but other appointies have a history opposing toll road highway robbery, and/or the TTC land grab:

Sen. Glenn Hegar, appointed by Dewhurst to be
Vice Chair (Hegar ran against TTC!)

Rep. Lois W. Kolkhorst (one of the MOST
outspoken Reps. on tolls and TTC since 2005!)

Michael Stevens (public appointee - part of task force
that released critical report on TxDOT in 2006)

Rep Linda Harper-Brown (had a couple battles
with TxDOT and Williamson)

The year long process of TxDOT's Sunset Review is just beginning.

This is how the Sunset Review works. The Sunset staff puts together recommendations from research and public feedback then public hearings then take place. The Sunset Advisory Commission members decides on recommendations to the ledge.

If a bill is not created and filed with the ledge to modify the agency, then the agency is abolished. If the bill passes, the agency is modified. If the bill fails, the agency is automatically abolished.

Since Sunset’s inception in 1978, 52 agencies have been abolished and another 12 agencies have been consolidated. The public hearings are expected to start in a number of weeks, I'll post the dates here on this blog as soon as I find out.