Interim Committees

In some states, committees that operate solely during the interim between legislative sessions have significant oversight authority. Kentucky, for example, has no standardized, ongoing oversight of its DOT through a permanent oversight committee; during the interim, however, the legislature has both an Interim Joint Committee on Transportation and a Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation of the Appropriations Committee, each of which holds monthly meetings in which DOT activities are discussed and examined. In Nevada, the Interim Finance Committee reviews executive branch fiscal and programmatic operations during each interim and considers modifications to the DOT's biennial work program when necessary. The DOTs in Texas and Wyoming meet regularly with interim committees to address issues and, in Wyoming, to develop legislation. Indiana's permanent interim study committee-the Joint Study Committee on Mass Transit and Transportation Alternatives-was established in statute; it is composed of the members of the House and Senate transportation committees.16 Strong interim committees and processes may be especially important in states that have long interims between legislative sessions.