Legislative Oversight Mechanisms

Ongoing oversight by legislative committee(s) or commission(s); interim charges; legislative program reviews or performance audits; legislative review of non-legislative program reviews or performance audits; reporting requirements; legislative requests for information. House and Senate interim committees oversee various TxDOT budget and policy issues during the legislative interim. TxDOT also is required to submit monthly revenue and expenditure forecast reports to the Legislative Budget Board and the governor.

Legislative Program Evaluation Office(s)

The Legislative Budget Board, the State Auditors Office and the Sunset Advisory Commission

Sunset Review

Yes. The Texas Sunset Act makes the Sunset Advisory Commission responsible for auditing each state agency every 12 years. In most cases, agencies under review are automatically abolished unless legislation is enacted to affirmatively continue them. TxDOT was reviewed in 2009, but the bill to continue it was not enacted; instead, an extension until another, limited-scope review in 2011 was granted in a special session. Unless continued, TxDOT will now expire on Sept. 1, 2011 (Tex. Transportation Code Ann. §201.204).