At the Texas Capitol after passage of HB 1772, from left: Bryce Dondero, TX SLB 1st Vice Chairman; Kameron Sanders, SMART-TD; Rep. Salman Bhojani (Dist. 92); Ben Wright, TXSLB Chairman; and Scott Piekarski, TXSLB Secretary-Treasurer.
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It was a successful legislative session for members of the Texas State Legislative Board (TXSLB) as two of the bills they backed reached the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
The first, Senate Bill 1555, reallocates $250 million in funding to the Texas Department of Transportation specifically for the purpose of grade crossing separation projects. The bill came in response to the death of Sergio Rodriguez, a 15-year-old high school student who was struck by a Union Pacific train while walking to school. Ben Wright, Chairman of the Texas State Legislative Board, testified in favor of the bill during a Senate hearing in late March. Gov. Gregg Abbott signed the bill into law in May.
The second, Senate Bill 2129, doubles the traffic fines for individuals who fail to obey a flagman at a railroad crossing. Members of the TXSLB worked with Rep. Salman Bhojani (Dist. 92) on the House side (HB 1772) and Sen. Nathan Johnson on the Senate side (SB 2129) to secure passage of the bill. It successfully passed through the legislature and was sent to the governor’s desk on May 27, where it awaits his signature.
Chairman Wright thanked the members of the TXSLB executive committee for all the help with a successful session. “It is worth noting that this marks the first time since 2009 that legislation we have supported has reached the Governor’s desk,” Wright said.