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Senate Bill 882 |
Senate Author: Carona |
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Effective: 6-19-09 |
House Sponsor: Geren |
Senate Bill 882 amends the Transportation Code to provide that a regional tollway authority has the same powers and duties as the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), a county acting under state law, and a regional mobility authority regarding the authority's toll collection and enforcement powers for the authority's turnpike projects and other toll projects developed, financed, constructed, or operated under a comprehensive development agreement or other agreement with the authority. The bill provides that if the amount of a contract for engineering, design, and construction services exceeds $50 million, rules governing the award of such contracts may provide for a stipend to be offered to an unsuccessful design-build firm that submits a response to the authority's request for additional information, in an amount and for certain costs and value as specified by the bill. The bill requires a contract awarded under a comprehensive development agreement with a private participant that includes the collection by the private participant of tolls for the use of a toll project to contain an explicit mechanism for setting the price for the purchase of the interest of the private participant in the contract and related property under the contract by the authority, rather than TxDOT. Senate Bill 882 also repeals provisions making it an offense if an authority director accepts certain prohibited benefits or a person offers those benefits.