Legislators expecting short stay in Austin for special session

Short and sweet. A holiday is waiting.

That's the idea, anyway, as Rio Grande Valley lawmakers and their counterparts across the state head into a special legislative session today ahead of the July Fourth weekend.

On tap for the Legislature's first special session since 2006 are three key issues left unfinished at the end of the marathon six-month regular session.

Most notably, Gov. Rick Perry has asked legislators to approve safety nets for five state agencies subject to sunset review - including the Texas Department of Transportation and the Department of Insurance - that would cease to exist by the fall if no action is taken.

But Perry is also asking legislators to allow TxDOT to issue $2 billion in voter-approved bonds to finance road construction for the next two years, and he wants legislation to extend the authority of TxDOT and a regional mobility authority to enter into an agreement with private developers to build and operate highways.

State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, said none of those items - save the last one, which could grow contentious if Perry pushes for a blanket authority to build toll roads - is likely to foster any divisions among lawmakers.

The safety net measure to allow TxDOT and four other agencies to keep operating will provide time in future sessions for legislators to take up recommendations given by the Sunset Advisory Commission, Hinojosa said. And the bonds, already approved by voters, are needed to help reduce gridlock by offering some funds for mobility projects until 2011.

With Perry shying away from divisive proposals to toughen voter identification requirements and expand children's insurance programs or hear other legislation, Hinojosa said he doesn't expect to be in Austin long.

"We want to home by the Fourth (of July)," he said. "We hope to make it short and sweet."

For TxDOT, however, the special session offers the prospect of breathing room - and not just in the lifeline the legislature is offering from abolishment.

Allowing TxDOT to sell $2 billion in bonds would offer it relief from gas tax revenues that are projected to decline for the first time, said Mario Jorge, the district engineer for TxDOT in the Rio Grande Valley. Gas tax revenues - which have historically grown at a rate of 1 to 2 percent a year - are declining as drivers cut back on their mileage and opt for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

As a result, TxDOT is projecting enough revenues to let $1.6 billion in contracts for the next fiscal year, compared to the $5 billion in contracts it let two years ago.

Jorge said authorizing the agency to sell the road bonds would provide short-term relief from the transportation funding issues left unsolved in the regular session.

"It's a Band-Aid," he said. "We'll be back in the same boat in 2011."

The special session was necessary after stall tactics over the highly partisan voter identification bill killed many measures and left others such as the sunset legislation with unworkable deadlines.

A breakdown in communication between the House and Senate in the waning hours of the session left them unable to complete the safety net legislation they will work on this week.

Lawmakers are coming together to work on "nuts and bolts" legislation, state Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg said. Complex and divisive issues can wait.

"We need to get these things done so we can move forward," he said.