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Texas Agriculture Archive

February 7, 2003

Texas Farm Bureau eyes transportation issues...

Well, it is now official. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and all members of the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives have been sworn in and are doing business in Austin.

Lt. Governor Dewhurst announced his much anticipated Senate Committee assignments on Jan. 16. Some of those key appointments include Sen. Teel Bivins of Amarillo, Senate Finance chair; Sen. Florence Shapiro of Addison, Education chair; and the chairman of Senate Natural Resources—a key committee for agricultural issues—Sen. Ken Armbrister of Victoria. A good friend of Texas Farm Bureau, Sen. Robert Duncan of Lubbock, was named chair of the Senate Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and the Agriculture subcommittee. He was also appointed to the Senate Finance Committee and Natural Resources Committee. At press time, Speaker Craddick had not released his committee appointments. They are expected within days.

Texas is only into the first few weeks of the legislative session and the Texas Farm Bureau already has an extensive list of bills that the organization is keeping an eye on.

Several bills have been filed this session relating to transportation. Most of the bills are related to the Trans Texas Corridor and how the state is going to proceed in obtaining the land for this massive project. One bill in particular, HB 160 by Rep. Mike Krusee, allows for the Texas Department of Transportation to offer royalty interests as consideration for property acquired for the Trans Texas Corridor. The idea behind this bill would allow for property owners that lie in route of the corridor to have an option as to how they would like to be compensated for their land that is being condemned for the project. They could choose to take an up-front lump sum or they could choose to have royalty payments to be paid out in the future. The royalty payments would be scheduled payments paid to the landowner as "user payments" for the land that the corridor encompasses.

The Trans Texas Corridor proposal creates a multi-use, statewide transportation corridor to move people and goods. The Trans Texas Corridor is an all-Texas transportation network of corridors up to 1,200 feet wide. The corridor will include separate toll ways for passenger vehicles and trucks, high-speed passenger rail, high-speed freight rail, commuter rail and a dedicated utility zone.

Texas Farm Bureau supports HB 160. Farm Bureau believes that it is in the best interest of landowners to have the option to choose royalty payments in lieu of a lump some payment if their property is subject to condemnation for transportation and utility purposes.

Texas Farm Bureau urges you to contact your state legislator and encourage them to support HB 160 by Rep. Krusee.

The TFB Legislative Staff in Austin can be reached at 512/472-8288.