CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html>     <html class="no-js">  <head><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=7YQSqjSh" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.texastribune.org:80/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/","20150708001442","https://web.archive.org/","web","https://web-static.archive.org/_static/", "1436314482"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=p7PEIJWi" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision | The Texas Tribune</title> <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/images/favicon.ico"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta charset="utf-8"><script type="text/javascript">(window.NREUM||(NREUM={})).loader_config={xpid:"UgMGVFZADAYCUVBR"};window.NREUM||(NREUM={}),__nr_require=function(t,e,n){function r(n){if(!e[n]){var o=e[n]={exports:{}};t[n][0].call(o.exports,function(e){var o=t[n][1][e];return r(o?o:e)},o,o.exports)}return e[n].exports}if("function"==typeof __nr_require)return __nr_require;for(var o=0;o<n.length;o++)r(n[o]);return r}({QJf3ax:[function(t,e){function n(t){function e(e,n,a){t&&t(e,n,a),a||(a={});for(var c=s(e),f=c.length,u=i(a,o,r),d=0;f>d;d++)c[d].apply(u,n);return u}function a(t,e){f[t]=s(t).concat(e)}function s(t){return f[t]||[]}function c(){return n(e)}var f={};return{on:a,emit:e,create:c,listeners:s,_events:f}}function r(){return{}}var o="nr@context",i=t("gos");e.exports=n()},{gos:"7eSDFh"}],ee:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("QJf3ax")},{}],3:[function(t){function e(t){try{i.console&&console.log(t)}catch(e){}}var n,r=t("ee"),o=t(1),i={};try{n=localStorage.getItem("__nr_flags").split(","),console&&"function"==typeof console.log&&(i.console=!0,-1!==n.indexOf("dev")&&(i.dev=!0),-1!==n.indexOf("nr_dev")&&(i.nrDev=!0))}catch(a){}i.nrDev&&r.on("internal-error",function(t){e(t.stack)}),i.dev&&r.on("fn-err",function(t,n,r){e(r.stack)}),i.dev&&(e("NR AGENT IN DEVELOPMENT MODE"),e("flags: "+o(i,function(t){return t}).join(", ")))},{1:23,ee:"QJf3ax"}],4:[function(t){function e(t,e,n,i,s){try{c?c-=1:r("err",[s||new UncaughtException(t,e,n)])}catch(f){try{r("ierr",[f,(new Date).getTime(),!0])}catch(u){}}return"function"==typeof a?a.apply(this,o(arguments)):!1}function UncaughtException(t,e,n){this.message=t||"Uncaught error with no additional information",this.sourceURL=e,this.line=n}function n(t){r("err",[t,(new Date).getTime()])}var r=t("handle"),o=t(6),i=t("ee"),a=window.onerror,s=!1,c=0;t("loader").features.err=!0,t(5),window.onerror=e;try{throw new Error}catch(f){"stack"in f&&(t(1),t(2),"addEventListener"in window&&t(3),window.XMLHttpRequest&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener&&window.XMLHttpRequest&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener&&!/CriOS/.test(navigator.userAgent)&&t(4),s=!0)}i.on("fn-start",function(){s&&(c+=1)}),i.on("fn-err",function(t,e,r){s&&(this.thrown=!0,n(r))}),i.on("fn-end",function(){s&&!this.thrown&&c>0&&(c-=1)}),i.on("internal-error",function(t){r("ierr",[t,(new Date).getTime(),!0])})},{1:10,2:9,3:7,4:11,5:3,6:24,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],5:[function(t){t("loader").features.ins=!0},{loader:"G9z0Bl"}],6:[function(t){function e(){}if(window.performance&&window.performance.timing&&window.performance.getEntriesByType){var n=t("ee"),r=t("handle"),o=t(1),i=t(2);t("loader").features.stn=!0,t(3),n.on("fn-start",function(t){var e=t[0];e instanceof Event&&(this.bstStart=Date.now())}),n.on("fn-end",function(t,e){var n=t[0];n instanceof Event&&r("bst",[n,e,this.bstStart,Date.now()])}),o.on("fn-start",function(t,e,n){this.bstStart=Date.now(),this.bstType=n}),o.on("fn-end",function(t,e){r("bstTimer",[e,this.bstStart,Date.now(),this.bstType])}),i.on("fn-start",function(){this.bstStart=Date.now()}),i.on("fn-end",function(t,e){r("bstTimer",[e,this.bstStart,Date.now(),"requestAnimationFrame"])}),n.on("pushState-start",function(){this.time=Date.now(),this.startPath=location.pathname+location.hash}),n.on("pushState-end",function(){r("bstHist",[location.pathname+location.hash,this.startPath,this.time])}),"addEventListener"in window.performance&&(window.performance.addEventListener("webkitresourcetimingbufferfull",function(){r("bstResource",[window.performance.getEntriesByType("resource")]),window.performance.webkitClearResourceTimings()},!1),window.performance.addEventListener("resourcetimingbufferfull",function(){r("bstResource",[window.performance.getEntriesByType("resource")]),window.performance.clearResourceTimings()},!1)),document.addEventListener("scroll",e,!1),document.addEventListener("keypress",e,!1),document.addEventListener("click",e,!1)}},{1:10,2:9,3:8,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],7:[function(t,e){function n(t){i.inPlace(t,["addEventListener","removeEventListener"],"-",r)}function r(t){return t[1]}var o=(t(1),t("ee").create()),i=t(2)(o),a=t("gos");if(e.exports=o,n(window),"getPrototypeOf"in Object){for(var s=document;s&&!s.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener");)s=Object.getPrototypeOf(s);s&&n(s);for(var c=XMLHttpRequest.prototype;c&&!c.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener");)c=Object.getPrototypeOf(c);c&&n(c)}else XMLHttpRequest.prototype.hasOwnProperty("addEventListener")&&n(XMLHttpRequest.prototype);o.on("addEventListener-start",function(t){if(t[1]){var e=t[1];"function"==typeof e?this.wrapped=t[1]=a(e,"nr@wrapped",function(){return i(e,"fn-",null,e.name||"anonymous")}):"function"==typeof e.handleEvent&&i.inPlace(e,["handleEvent"],"fn-")}}),o.on("removeEventListener-start",function(t){var e=this.wrapped;e&&(t[1]=e)})},{1:24,2:25,ee:"QJf3ax",gos:"7eSDFh"}],8:[function(t,e){var n=(t(2),t("ee").create()),r=t(1)(n);e.exports=n,r.inPlace(window.history,["pushState"],"-")},{1:25,2:24,ee:"QJf3ax"}],9:[function(t,e){var n=(t(2),t("ee").create()),r=t(1)(n);e.exports=n,r.inPlace(window,["requestAnimationFrame","mozRequestAnimationFrame","webkitRequestAnimationFrame","msRequestAnimationFrame"],"raf-"),n.on("raf-start",function(t){t[0]=r(t[0],"fn-")})},{1:25,2:24,ee:"QJf3ax"}],10:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){t[0]=o(t[0],"fn-",null,n)}var r=(t(2),t("ee").create()),o=t(1)(r);e.exports=r,o.inPlace(window,["setTimeout","setInterval","setImmediate"],"setTimer-"),r.on("setTimer-start",n)},{1:25,2:24,ee:"QJf3ax"}],11:[function(t,e){function n(){f.inPlace(this,p,"fn-")}function r(t,e){f.inPlace(e,["onreadystatechange"],"fn-")}function o(t,e){return e}function i(t,e){for(var n in t)e[n]=t[n];return e}var a=t("ee").create(),s=t(1),c=t(2),f=c(a),u=c(s),d=window.XMLHttpRequest,p=["onload","onerror","onabort","onloadstart","onloadend","onprogress","ontimeout"];e.exports=a,window.XMLHttpRequest=function(t){var e=new d(t);try{a.emit("new-xhr",[],e),u.inPlace(e,["addEventListener","removeEventListener"],"-",o),e.addEventListener("readystatechange",n,!1)}catch(r){try{a.emit("internal-error",[r])}catch(i){}}return e},i(d,XMLHttpRequest),XMLHttpRequest.prototype=d.prototype,f.inPlace(XMLHttpRequest.prototype,["open","send"],"-xhr-",o),a.on("send-xhr-start",r),a.on("open-xhr-start",r)},{1:7,2:25,ee:"QJf3ax"}],12:[function(t){function e(t){var e=this.params,r=this.metrics;if(!this.ended){this.ended=!0;for(var i=0;c>i;i++)t.removeEventListener(s[i],this.listener,!1);if(!e.aborted){if(r.duration=(new Date).getTime()-this.startTime,4===t.readyState){e.status=t.status;var a=t.responseType,f="arraybuffer"===a||"blob"===a||"json"===a?t.response:t.responseText,u=n(f);if(u&&(r.rxSize=u),this.sameOrigin){var d=t.getResponseHeader("X-NewRelic-App-Data");d&&(e.cat=d.split(", ").pop())}}else e.status=0;r.cbTime=this.cbTime,o("xhr",[e,r,this.startTime])}}}function n(t){if("string"==typeof t&&t.length)return t.length;if("object"!=typeof t)return void 0;if("undefined"!=typeof ArrayBuffer&&t instanceof ArrayBuffer&&t.byteLength)return t.byteLength;if("undefined"!=typeof Blob&&t instanceof Blob&&t.size)return t.size;if("undefined"!=typeof FormData&&t instanceof FormData)return void 0;try{return JSON.stringify(t).length}catch(e){return void 0}}function r(t,e){var n=i(e),r=t.params;r.host=n.hostname+":"+n.port,r.pathname=n.pathname,t.sameOrigin=n.sameOrigin}if(window.XMLHttpRequest&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype&&XMLHttpRequest.prototype.addEventListener&&!/CriOS/.test(navigator.userAgent)){t("loader").features.xhr=!0;var o=t("handle"),i=t(2),a=t("ee"),s=["load","error","abort","timeout"],c=s.length,f=t(1);t(4),t(3),a.on("new-xhr",function(){this.totalCbs=0,this.called=0,this.cbTime=0,this.end=e,this.ended=!1,this.xhrGuids={}}),a.on("open-xhr-start",function(t){this.params={method:t[0]},r(this,t[1]),this.metrics={}}),a.on("open-xhr-end",function(t,e){"loader_config"in NREUM&&"xpid"in NREUM.loader_config&&this.sameOrigin&&e.setRequestHeader("X-NewRelic-ID",NREUM.loader_config.xpid)}),a.on("send-xhr-start",function(t,e){var r=this.metrics,o=t[0],i=this;if(r&&o){var f=n(o);f&&(r.txSize=f)}this.startTime=(new Date).getTime(),this.listener=function(t){try{"abort"===t.type&&(i.params.aborted=!0),("load"!==t.type||i.called===i.totalCbs&&(i.onloadCalled||"function"!=typeof e.onload))&&i.end(e)}catch(n){try{a.emit("internal-error",[n])}catch(r){}}};for(var u=0;c>u;u++)e.addEventListener(s[u],this.listener,!1)}),a.on("xhr-cb-time",function(t,e,n){this.cbTime+=t,e?this.onloadCalled=!0:this.called+=1,this.called!==this.totalCbs||!this.onloadCalled&&"function"==typeof n.onload||this.end(n)}),a.on("xhr-load-added",function(t,e){var n=""+f(t)+!!e;this.xhrGuids&&!this.xhrGuids[n]&&(this.xhrGuids[n]=!0,this.totalCbs+=1)}),a.on("xhr-load-removed",function(t,e){var n=""+f(t)+!!e;this.xhrGuids&&this.xhrGuids[n]&&(delete this.xhrGuids[n],this.totalCbs-=1)}),a.on("addEventListener-end",function(t,e){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&"load"===t[0]&&a.emit("xhr-load-added",[t[1],t[2]],e)}),a.on("removeEventListener-end",function(t,e){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&"load"===t[0]&&a.emit("xhr-load-removed",[t[1],t[2]],e)}),a.on("fn-start",function(t,e,n){e instanceof XMLHttpRequest&&("onload"===n&&(this.onload=!0),("load"===(t[0]&&t[0].type)||this.onload)&&(this.xhrCbStart=(new Date).getTime()))}),a.on("fn-end",function(t,e){this.xhrCbStart&&a.emit("xhr-cb-time",[(new Date).getTime()-this.xhrCbStart,this.onload,e],e)})}},{1:"XL7HBI",2:13,3:11,4:7,ee:"QJf3ax",handle:"D5DuLP",loader:"G9z0Bl"}],13:[function(t,e){e.exports=function(t){var e=document.createElement("a"),n=window.location,r={};e.href=t,r.port=e.port;var o=e.href.split("://");return!r.port&&o[1]&&(r.port=o[1].split("/")[0].split("@").pop().split(":")[1]),r.port&&"0"!==r.port||(r.port="https"===o[0]?"443":"80"),r.hostname=e.hostname||n.hostname,r.pathname=e.pathname,r.protocol=o[0],"/"!==r.pathname.charAt(0)&&(r.pathname="/"+r.pathname),r.sameOrigin=!e.hostname||e.hostname===document.domain&&e.port===n.port&&e.protocol===n.protocol,r}},{}],14:[function(t,e){function n(t){return function(){r(t,[(new Date).getTime()].concat(i(arguments)))}}var r=t("handle"),o=t(1),i=t(2);"undefined"==typeof window.newrelic&&(newrelic=window.NREUM);var a=["setPageViewName","addPageAction","setCustomAttribute","finished","addToTrace","inlineHit","noticeError"];o(a,function(t,e){window.NREUM[e]=n("api-"+e)}),e.exports=window.NREUM},{1:23,2:24,handle:"D5DuLP"}],"7eSDFh":[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){if(r.call(t,e))return t[e];var o=n();if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{return Object.defineProperty(t,e,{value:o,writable:!0,enumerable:!1}),o}catch(i){}return t[e]=o,o}var r=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;e.exports=n},{}],gos:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("7eSDFh")},{}],handle:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("D5DuLP")},{}],D5DuLP:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){return r.listeners(t).length?r.emit(t,e,n):(o[t]||(o[t]=[]),void o[t].push(e))}var r=t("ee").create(),o={};e.exports=n,n.ee=r,r.q=o},{ee:"QJf3ax"}],id:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("XL7HBI")},{}],XL7HBI:[function(t,e){function n(t){var e=typeof t;return!t||"object"!==e&&"function"!==e?-1:t===window?0:i(t,o,function(){return r++})}var r=1,o="nr@id",i=t("gos");e.exports=n},{gos:"7eSDFh"}],G9z0Bl:[function(t,e){function n(){var t=p.info=NREUM.info,e=f.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if(t&&t.licenseKey&&t.applicationID&&e){s(d,function(e,n){e in t||(t[e]=n)});var n="https"===u.split(":")[0]||t.sslForHttp;p.proto=n?"https://":"http://",a("mark",["onload",i()]);var r=f.createElement("script");r.src=p.proto+t.agent,e.parentNode.insertBefore(r,e)}}function r(){"complete"===f.readyState&&o()}function o(){a("mark",["domContent",i()])}function i(){return(new Date).getTime()}var a=t("handle"),s=t(1),c=(t(2),window),f=c.document,u=(""+location).split("?")[0],d={beacon:"bam.nr-data.net",errorBeacon:"bam.nr-data.net",agent:"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-632.min.js"},p=e.exports={offset:i(),origin:u,features:{}};f.addEventListener?(f.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",o,!1),c.addEventListener("load",n,!1)):(f.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",r),c.attachEvent("onload",n)),a("mark",["firstbyte",i()])},{1:23,2:14,handle:"D5DuLP"}],loader:[function(t,e){e.exports=t("G9z0Bl")},{}],23:[function(t,e){function n(t,e){var n=[],o="",i=0;for(o in t)r.call(t,o)&&(n[i]=e(o,t[o]),i+=1);return n}var r=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;e.exports=n},{}],24:[function(t,e){function n(t,e,n){e||(e=0),"undefined"==typeof n&&(n=t?t.length:0);for(var r=-1,o=n-e||0,i=Array(0>o?0:o);++r<o;)i[r]=t[e+r];return i}e.exports=n},{}],25:[function(t,e){function n(t){return!(t&&"function"==typeof t&&t.apply&&!t[i])}var r=t("ee"),o=t(1),i="nr@wrapper",a=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;e.exports=function(t){function e(t,e,r,a){function nrWrapper(){var n,i,s,f;try{i=this,n=o(arguments),s=r&&r(n,i)||{}}catch(d){u([d,"",[n,i,a],s])}c(e+"start",[n,i,a],s);try{return f=t.apply(i,n)}catch(p){throw c(e+"err",[n,i,p],s),p}finally{c(e+"end",[n,i,f],s)}}return n(t)?t:(e||(e=""),nrWrapper[i]=!0,f(t,nrWrapper),nrWrapper)}function s(t,r,o,i){o||(o="");var a,s,c,f="-"===o.charAt(0);for(c=0;c<r.length;c++)s=r[c],a=t[s],n(a)||(t[s]=e(a,f?s+o:o,i,s))}function c(e,n,r){try{t.emit(e,n,r)}catch(o){u([o,e,n,r])}}function f(t,e){if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{var n=Object.keys(t);return n.forEach(function(n){Object.defineProperty(e,n,{get:function(){return t[n]},set:function(e){return t[n]=e,e}})}),e}catch(r){u([r])}for(var o in t)a.call(t,o)&&(e[o]=t[o]);return e}function u(e){try{t.emit("internal-error",e)}catch(n){}}return t||(t=r),e.inPlace=s,e.flag=i,e}},{1:24,ee:"QJf3ax"}]},{},["G9z0Bl",4,12,6,5]);</script><script type="text/javascript">window.NREUM||(NREUM={});NREUM.info={"beacon":"bam.nr-data.net","queueTime":0,"licenseKey":"8636ab2091","agent":"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-632.min.js","transactionName":"ZwZWZ0NWD0VRAE1YCV5MckZfVBVfXw0WUgleF1FdRRkSQl8RUFQVHhVdVkZEW3VfDU1UCEQnUUdQXg0=","applicationID":"452513","errorBeacon":"bam.nr-data.net","applicationTime":257}</script> <meta name="description" content="At the Texas Department of Transportation, employees have expressed concern about the impact of a bill aimed at&nbsp;reducing conflicts of interests in state contracting. Gov. Greg Abbott signaled Tuesday that he intends to sign the bill."/> <meta name="keywords" content=""/> <meta property="twitter:card" content="photo"/> <meta property="twitter:site" content="The Texas Tribune"/> <meta property="twitter:title" content="At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision, by Aman Batheja"/> <meta property="twitter:description" content="At the Texas Department of Transportation, employees have expressed concern about the impact of a bill aimed at&nbsp;reducing conflicts of interests in state contracting. Gov. Greg Abbott signaled Tuesday that he intends to sign the bill."/> <meta property="twitter:image" content="https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/DSC_0419_jpg_407x1000_q100.jpg"> <meta name="parsely-title" content="At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision"/> <meta name="parsely-link" content="http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/"/> <meta name="parsely-pub-date" content="June 2, 2015, 6:11 p.m."/> <meta name="parsely-author" content="Aman Batheja"/> <meta name="parsely-section" content="FRONT PAGE, TRANSPORTATION"/> <meta property="parsely-image-url" content="https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/DSC_0419_jpg_407x1000_q100.jpg"> <meta name="parsely-type" content="post"/> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="154122474650943"> <meta property="og:site_name" content="The Texas Tribune"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/"/> <meta property="twitter:url" content="http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/"/> <meta property="og:title" content="At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision, by Aman Batheja"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:description" content="At the Texas Department of Transportation, employees have expressed concern about the impact of a bill aimed at&nbsp;reducing conflicts of interests in state contracting. Gov. Greg Abbott signaled Tuesday that he intends to sign the bill."/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/DSC_0419_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg"/>  <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442js_/http://use.typekit.com/brb4jmm.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">try{Typekit.load();}catch(e){}</script> <link href="https://plus.google.com/116406259333166116089/" rel="publisher"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442cs_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/COMPRESSED/css/29130aab3b88.css" type="text/css"/>  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442cs_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/css/story_base.css"> <script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-9827490-1', 'texastribune.org'); ga('require', 'displayfeatures'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= '//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','mipData','GTM-NBBG35');</script> <script>// var tt = tt || {}; tt.debug = false; tt.media_url = 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/'; tt.facebook = {appId: '154122474650943'}; // Doubleclick integration tt.ads = { // targeting: {}, // addTarget: function(key, value) { if (typeof key === 'undefined'){ // get all attrs return tt.ads.targeting; } else { // set attr tt.ads.targeting[key] = value; } } }; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.2/jquery.min.js"></script> <script>window.jQuery || document.write('<script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/jquery/1.7.2/jquery.min.js"><\/script>')</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8.18/jquery-ui.min.js"></script> <script>window.jQuery.ui || document.write('<script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/jqueryui/jquery-ui-1.8.18.min.js"><\/script>')</script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442js_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/modernizr/modernizr.min.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var tt = tt || {}; tt.currentPage = tt.currentPage || {}; var shortenedHash = '1MipEXA'; tt.currentPage.canonicalUrl = '/2015/06/02/txdot\u002Dconcerns\u002Dabout\u002Dlocking\u002Drevolving\u002Ddoor/'; var authorTwitterAccounts = ['']; tt.currentPage.authors = [ "Aman Batheja" ]; tt.currentPage.authorsText = "Aman Batheja"; tt.currentPage.sections = [ "article" ]; tt.currentPage.sections.push("FRONT PAGE"); tt.currentPage.sections.push("TRANSPORTATION"); </script> </head> <body class="story responsive"> <script type="text/javascript"> var _qevents = _qevents || []; (function() { var elem = document.createElement('script'); elem.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/https://secure" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://edge") + ".quantserve.com/quant.js"; elem.async = true; elem.type = "text/javascript"; var scpt = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; scpt.parentNode.insertBefore(elem, scpt); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript">var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime()</script> <div class="wrapper-r"> <div id="site_roofline" style="position:relative;"> <div class="hide-for-mobile large_ad_container"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline1_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline2_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline3_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline4_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> </div> <div class="mobile-only"> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline1_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline2_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline3_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline4_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="greeting"> <ul> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/register/" title="Register for your free Texas Tribune account">Register</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/login/?next=">Login</a> <script> (function(){ var allScripts = document.getElementsByTagName('script'), currentScript = allScripts[allScripts.length - 1], node = currentScript; while (node = node.previousSibling) { if (node.nodeName == "A"){ node.href += document.location.pathname; break; } }; })(); </script> </li> </ul> </div> <header id="site_header"> <nav class="navbar primary"> <ul> <li class="hide-for-mobile navbar-search"> <form method="get" action="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"> <input id="site_search_q" name="q" type="text" value="" placeholder="Search..."> <button type="submit" aria-label="Submit"><i class="icon-search"></i></button> </form> </li> <li class="active hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a class="dropdown-toggle" href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/"> Front Page </a> <div class="mega-dropdown grid" id="sections"> <div class="cell w-3 tab_nav_cell"> <ul id="sidemenu" class="tab-nav"> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="sections-tab-container" class="cell w-9 tab_container" data-content-resource="/esi/components/megadropdown/"> <div style="padding: 1em; font-family: 'LeagueGothicRegular'; font-size:2.1em; color: #999; ">Loading...</div> </div> </div> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/data/"> Data </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/"> Directory </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/events/"> Events </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/festival/"> Festival </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a class="multimedia" href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/multimedia/"> Multimedia </a> <ul class="dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/livestream/">Livestream</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/subscribe/"> Newsletters </a> <ul class="dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/the-brief/">The Brief</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-weekly/">Texas Weekly</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/edu/">Trib+Edu</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/health/">Trib+Health</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/water/">Trib+Water</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.tribtalk.org/"> TribTalk </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/investigations/" title="Investigations"> Investigations </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2016/" title="2016 Presidential Elections"> 2016 </a> </li> <li class="mobile-only active dropdown-toggle"> <a href="#"> Menu<i class="icon-caret-down"></i> </a> <ul class="mobile-dropdown"> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/">Front Page</a> </li> <li> <a class="data" href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/data/">Data</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/">Directory</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/events/">Events</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/festival/">Festival</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/multimedia/">Multimedia</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/livestream/">Livestream</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/the-brief/">The Brief</a></li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-weekly/">Texas Weekly</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/edu/">Trib+Edu</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/health/">Trib+Health</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/water/">Trib+Water</a></li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.tribtalk.org/">TribTalk</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/investigations/" title="Investigations"> Investigations </a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2016/" title="2016 Presidential Elections"> 2016 </a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="mobile-only dropdown-toggle"> <a href="#"> Sections<i class="icon-caret-down"></i> </a> <ul class="mobile-dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="mobile-only dropdown-toggle"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"><i class="icon-search"></i></a> <div class="mobile-dropdown mobile-search"> <form method="get" action="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"> <input name="q" type="text" value="" placeholder="SEARCH"> <button type="search" alt="Do Search"> <i class="icon-search"></i> </button> </form> </div> </li> <li class="mobile-only active" id="mobi_join"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://support.texastribune.org/"> Support Us </a> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="ad last"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/join/" title="Contribute Today" style="display: block; padding-top: .5em"> <div style="background:url(//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/membership/TT-support-us-front-page-btn120x60.jpg) no-repeat; width: 120px; height:60px; background-size: 120px 60px;"></div> </a> </div> <div class="below_nav"> <h1 id="logo"><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/images/logo.png" alt="The Texas Tribune"></a></h1> <time datetime="2015-07-07T19:14:43.128114">Tuesday, July 7, 2015</time> </div> </header> </div> <div class="wrapper content-wrapper"> <div id="site_content" class="content "> <div class="grid"> <div class="cell w-8 main_column"> <article class="last"> <header> <h1>At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision</h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/" rel="author">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 2 Jun 2015 18:11:16 -0500" title="2015-06-02 18:11"> June 2, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/comments/"><span class="value">1</span><span class="label">Comment</span></a></li></ul> </header> <aside> <ul class="social_links"> <li class="comment"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/comments/" title=""> <i class="icon-comments-alt"></i> <span>Comment</span> </a> </li> <li class="republish"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/content/republish/87787/"> <i class="icon-share"></i> <span>Republish</span> </a> </li> <li class="email"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#92ade1e7f0f8f7f1e6afc6faf7b7a0a2c6f7eaf3e1b7a0a2c6e0fbf0e7fcf7a8b7a0a2d3e6b7a0a2c6ead6ddc6b7a0d1b7a0a2d1fdfcf1f7e0fce1b7a0a2d3f0fde7Xt%20Revolving%20Door%20Provision&body=I%20read an article%20that%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20at%20The%20Texas%20Tribune:%20At%20TxDOT%2C%20Concerns%20About%20Revolving%20Door%20Provision%2C%20by%20Aman Batheja.%20http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/%0DAt%20the%20Texas%20Department%20of%20Transportation%2C%20employees%20have%20expressed%20concern%20about%20the%20impact%20of%20a%20bill%20aimed%20at%26nbsp%3Breducing%20conflicts%20of%20interests%20in%20state%20contracting.%20Gov.%20Greg%20Abbott%20signaled%20Tuesday%20that%20he%20intends%20to%20sign%20the%20bill." title="" class="email"> <i class="icon-envelope"></i> <span>Email</span> </a> </li> <li class="twitter"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://twitter.com/share?text=At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision&url=http://trib.it/1MipEXA&via=TexasTribune&related=TexasTribune,TribData"> <i class="icon-twitter"></i> <span>Tweet</span> </a> </li> <li class="facebook"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/"> <i class="icon-facebook"></i> <span>Recommend</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside> <div class="content"> <div class="media article_detail unprose"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/DSC_0419_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/DSC_0419_jpg_312x1000_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/DSC_0419_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Caleb Bryant Miller</cite> </div> </div> <p><span style="line-height: 1.35;">A provision, tucked in a bill awaiting Gov. </span><a style="line-height: 1.35;" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/">Greg Abbott</a><span style="line-height: 1.35;">'s signature, aimed at reducing conflicts of interest in state contracting is drawing concerns among state employees, particularly at the Texas Department of Transportation.</span></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://txlege.texastribune.org/84/bills/SB20/">Senate Bill 20</a>, a sweeping contracting reform bill from Senate Finance Chairwoman <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/jane-nelson/">Jane Nelson</a>, R-Flower Mound, would bar state employees who work on procuring or negotiating a contract with a private vendor from working for that vendor for two years after leaving the agency. The so-called revolving door provision was part of a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/bills-beef-contract-oversight-headed-abbott/">broad suite of contracting reforms</a> that lawmakers approved this session <span>to address fears about conflicts of interest at state agencies that negotiate billions of dollars in new contracts each year</span>.</p> <p>While the provision did not spark much public debate while working its way through the Senate and House, some agency employees and groups privately raised concerns that it could make state employment less attractive, particularly for employees who routinely work on multiple contracts and could find themselves barred from a job at dozens of companies in the industry in which they have the most experience.</p> <p>“I have already heard that some in the department are concerned about this provision and the impact it could have on their future employability,” TxDOT Executive Director Joe Weber wrote in an email to TxDOT staff Tuesday morning. “I want you to know that we have already begun to look at changes in our procedures that will fully comply with this important bill, while reducing the number of our employees from participation that may jeopardize post-TxDOT employment.”</p> <p>Weber said he didn’t intend for the email to be viewed as critical of SB 20.</p><div class="ad_container ad_container--adify"> <div class="ad adunit mobile tablet standard" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_InsideStory_468x60"> </div> </div> <p>“SB 20 as it's written and interpreted, I think is a good bill,” Weber said. “I think what’s important for TxDOT is that the workforce understands what it says.”</p> <p>Nelson maintains that the provision is needed for state government.</p> <p>"It's not appropriate for a person to work on a contract as a state employee and then go work for the company that is awarded the bid,” Nelson said in a statement.</p> <p>Weber said he hoped to assuage concerns by TxDOT workers about the provision’s impact. He noted in the email that TxDOT did not believe the provision applied to contracts executed before Sept 1., the day the measure is set to go into effect unless Abbott vetoes it.</p> <p>“It does allow us two or three months to organize and restructure whatever we need to do, protect those who need to be protected if they have plans, and make them aware of what the law is,” Weber said.</p> <p>TxDOT’s engineers may be among those who find the provision unfairly restrictive, said Steve Stagner, president of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.acectx.org/">American Council of Engineering Companies of Texas</a>.</p> <p>“The end result of this will be to make it harder to get knowledgeable people to work in the procurement and contracting area, which undercuts the overall intent of the bill,” Stagner said.</p> <p>Abbott has not yet signed SB 20 but has signaled that he intends to. At a ceremony in Dallas on Tuesday in which he <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/abbott-touts-successful-session-transportation/">touted transportation-related successes</a> during the session, Abbott said he has no concerns about TxDOT’s ability to thrive under the revolving door provision.</p><div class="ad_container ad_container--adify"> <div class="ad adunit mobile tablet standard" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_InsideStory2_468x60"> </div> </div> <p>“I am confident that TxDOT will be able to recruit and maintain the top quality of employees that are needed, while at the same time, Texas will be able to achieve integrity in the process,” Abbott said. “The reality is without integrity, you have nothing. We want to ensure both integrity and the appearance of integrity, and that is what this law helps achieve.”</p> <p><span style="line-height: 1.35;">In her original proposal, Nelson had planned to make violations of the revolving door provision a Class A misdemeanor. In the House, the bill’s sponsor, Amarillo Republican <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/walter-t-four-price/">Four Price</a>, stripped out the provision after hearing concerns that it was “unfairly penalizing state workers.”</span></p> <p>The provision re-emerged in a compromise version of the bill but without the criminal penalty. Agencies may create their own sanctions as they develop rules to implement the provision.</p> <p>Weber told employees Tuesday that he has directed TxDOT’s general counsel to expedite development of the agency’s rules for that provision.</p> <p>“Once those proposed rules are drafted, I will share them with you,” Weber wrote. “And those rules, just like any rules that TxDOT adopts, will have a comment period.”</p> <p><em>Reporter Jim Malewitz contributed to this story.</em></p> </div> <aside> <ul class="social_links"> <li class="comment"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/comments/" title=""> <i class="icon-comments-alt"></i> <span>Comment</span> </a> </li> <li class="republish"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/content/republish/87787/"> <i class="icon-share"></i> <span>Republish</span> </a> </li> <li class="email"> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#07387472656d6264733a536f6222353753627f667422353753756e657269623d2235374673223537537f434853223544223537446869646275697422353746656872Xt%20Revolving%20Door%20Provision&body=I%20read an article%20that%20you%20might%20be%20interested%20in%20at%20The%20Texas%20Tribune:%20At%20TxDOT%2C%20Concerns%20About%20Revolving%20Door%20Provision%2C%20by%20Aman Batheja.%20http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/%0DAt%20the%20Texas%20Department%20of%20Transportation%2C%20employees%20have%20expressed%20concern%20about%20the%20impact%20of%20a%20bill%20aimed%20at%26nbsp%3Breducing%20conflicts%20of%20interests%20in%20state%20contracting.%20Gov.%20Greg%20Abbott%20signaled%20Tuesday%20that%20he%20intends%20to%20sign%20the%20bill." title="" class="email"> <i class="icon-envelope"></i> <span>Email</span> </a> </li> <li class="twitter"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://twitter.com/share?text=At TxDOT, Concerns About Revolving Door Provision&url=http://trib.it/1MipEXA&via=TexasTribune&related=TexasTribune,TribData"> <i class="icon-twitter"></i> <span>Tweet</span> </a> </li> <li class="facebook"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/02/txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-door/"> <i class="icon-facebook"></i> <span>Recommend</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside> <footer> <div class="grid"> <div class="cell w-6"> <aside class="sidebar_block related content_list"> <header> <h2>Related Content</h2> </header> <dl> <dt> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/bills-beef-contract-oversight-headed-abbott/">Contract Reform Legislation Headed to Abbott</a> </dt> <dt> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/04/details-murky-states-largest-contracts/">Details Murky on State's Largest Contracts</a> </dt> </dl> </aside> </div> <div class="cell w-6"> <aside class="sidebar_block related"> <header> <h2>Related Tribpedia</h2> </header> <ul class="related topics indent sans-serif"> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/transportation/">Transportation</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/greg-abbott/">Greg Abbott</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/jane-nelson/">Jane Nelson</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/84th-legislature/">The 84th Legislature</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/state-contracts/">State Contracts</a> </li> </ul> </aside> </div> </div> </footer> </article> <nav class="back_to_top"> <a href="#"><i class="icon-arrow-up"></i> Back To Top</a> </nav> </div> <div class=" rail cell w-4 hide-for-medium-down"> <section class="trib_newsletter"> <form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://texastribune.us3.list-manage2.com/subscribe/post?u=3d0ce87edeeb6df90043897db&id=68501b81bf" method="post" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" class="validate" target="_blank" novalidate> <header> <h2>Sign Up for The Brief</h2> </header> <p>Our daily news summary</p> <div class="mc-field-group nowrap"> <input type="email" value="" name="EMAIL" class="input_neue required email" id="mce-EMAIL" placeholder="enter your email here"> <input type="submit" value="Submit" name="subscribe" id="mc-embedded-subscribe" class="btn_neue"> </div> <div style="position: absolute; left: -5000px;"><input type="text" name="b_3d0ce87edeeb6df90043897db_68501b81bf" tabindex="-1" value=""></div> </form> </section> <section class="ad_container sidebar_block"> <div class="sponsor_image_holder"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="300x250" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_ATF_RightRail1_MediumRectangle_300x250"> </div> </div> </section> <section class="sidebar_block content_list"> <header> <h1>New on the Trib</h1> </header> <dl> <dt> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/07/new-study-adds-fuel-debate-fracking-and-climate/">Shale Drilling Leaks More Methane Than Feds Thought</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jim-malewitz/">Jim Malewitz</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 7 Jul 2015 17:06:04 -0500" title="2015-07-07 17:06"> July 7, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/07/new-study-adds-fuel-debate-fracking-and-climate/comments/"><span class="value">3</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/07/otto-lead-house-budget-writer-announces-retirement/">Otto, House's Lead Budget Writer, Announces Retirement</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 7 Jul 2015 15:30:01 -0500" title="2015-07-07 15:30"> July 7, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/07/otto-lead-house-budget-writer-announces-retirement/comments/"><span class="value">4</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/07/google-testing-self-driving-vehicles-austin/">Google Testing Self-Driving Vehicles in Austin</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 7 Jul 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-07-07 06:00"> July 7, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/07/google-testing-self-driving-vehicles-austin/comments/"><span class="value">8</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/07/advocates-see-small-steps-new-baylor-sexual-conduc/">A Small Step in Baylor's Sexual Conduct Policy</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/matthew-watkins/">Matthew Watkins</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 7 Jul 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-07-07 06:00"> July 7, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/07/advocates-see-small-steps-new-baylor-sexual-conduc/comments/"><span class="value">6</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> </dl> </section> <section class="ad_container sidebar_block"> <div class="sponsor_image_holder"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="300x250" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_BTF_RightRail2_MediumRectangle_300x250"> </div> </div> </section> <aside id="the_most" class="featurebox "> <header class="featurebox-header"> <h1><span>The</span>Most</h1> </header> <div class="featurebox-content tabs ui-tabs"> <ul class="ui-tabs-nav"> <li class="most_commented"> <a href="#most_commented">Commented</a> </li> <li class="most_viewed"> <a href="#most_viewed">Viewed</a> </li> </ul> <div id="most_commented" class="ui-tabs-panel ui-tabs-hide"> <ol> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/06/cecil-bell-calls-mass-resistance-court-rulings/">Cecil Bell Urges Resistance to Gay Marriage Ruling</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/06/brief-july-6-2015/">The Brief: July 6, 2015</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/05/courts-balancing-of-gay-rights-religious-liberty/">Conservative Lawyers Prepare to Defend Same-Sex Marriage Opponents</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/06/gay-couple-sues-hood-county-clerk-over-marriage-li/">Gay Couple Suing Hood County Gets Marriage License</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/07/05/cruz-boasts-51m-war-chest-after-campaign-rakes-10m/">Cruz Boasts $51M War Chest After Raking in $10M</a> </li> </ol> </div> <div id="most_viewed" class="ui-tabs-panel ui-tabs-hide"> <ol> <li style="list-style: none;"> This data is currently unavailable. </li> </ol> </div> </div> <footer class="clearfix featurebox-footer"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="200x38" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_TheMostWidget_Bottom_Text_200x38"> </div> </footer> </aside> <section class="ad_container sidebar_block"> <div class="sponsor_image_holder"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="300x250" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_BTF_RightRail3_MediumRectangle_300x250"> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wrapper-r"> <footer id="site_footer" class="wrapper-r"> <div class="hide-for-medium-down"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryLanding_BTF_Footer_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> </div> <div id="footer" class="grid"> <dl id="staff_writers" class="cell w-3"> <dt>Writers</dt> <div class="cell w-6"> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/becca-aaronson/">Becca Aaronson</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/julian-aguilar/">Juli谩n Aguilar</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/sophia-bollag/">Sophia Bollag</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/mallory-busch/">Mallory Busch</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/liz-crampton/">Liz Crampton</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/annie-daniel/">Annie Daniel</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/justin-dehn/">Justin Dehn</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rodney-gibbs/">Rodney Gibbs</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/john-jordan/">John Jordan</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/terri-langford/">Terri Langford</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jeremy-lin/">Jeremy Lin</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/abby-livingston/">Abby Livingston</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/corrie-maclaggan/">Corrie MacLaggan</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jim-malewitz/">Jim Malewitz</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jolie-mccullough/">Jolie McCullough</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ayan-mittra/">Ayan Mittra</a> </dd> </div> <div class="cell w-6"> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-murphy/">Ryan Murphy</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ally-mutnick/">Ally Mutnick</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/david-muto/">David Muto</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/david-pasztor/">David Pasztor</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/emily-ramshaw/">Emily Ramshaw</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rocha-alana/">Alana Rocha</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/polo-rocha/">Polo Rocha</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jay-root/">Jay Root</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/neena-satija/">Neena Satija</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/evan-smith/">Evan Smith</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/patrick-svitek/">Patrick Svitek</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/alexa-ura/">Alexa Ura</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/edgar-walters/">Edgar Walters</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/matthew-watkins/">Matthew Watkins</a> </dd> </div> </dl> <div id="footer_topics" class="cell w-3"> <h6>Sections</h6> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </div> <dl id="offsite_outlets" class="cell w-3"> <dt>TT Social Media</dt> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://facebook.com/texastribune" title="Facebook" class="external"><span class="favicon facebook"></span>Facebook</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://twitter.com/texastribune" title="Twitter" class="external"><span class="favicon twitter"></span>Twitter</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://youtube.com/user/thetexastribune" title="YouTube" class="external"><span class="favicon youtube"></span>YouTube</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://instagram.com/texas_tribune" title="Instagram" class="external"><span class="favicon instagram"></span>Instagram</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://www.linkedin.com/company/texas-tribune" title="LinkedIn" class="external"><span class="favicon linkedin"></span>LinkedIn</a> </dd> <dd class="hidden"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/https://plus.google.com/116406259333166116089" class="external" rel="publisher">Google+</a> </dd> </dl> <ul id="footer_nav" class="cell w-3"> <li>© 2015 The Texas Tribune</li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/about/" title="About Us">About Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/support-us/donors-and-members/" title="Who Funds Us?">Who Funds Us?</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/terms-of-service/" title="Terms of Service">Terms of Service</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/republishing-guidelines/" title="Republishing Guidelines">Republishing Guidelines</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/ethics/" title="Code of Ethics">Code of Ethics</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/privacy/" title="Privacy Policy">Privacy Policy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#cda4a3bcb8a4bfa4a8be8db9a8b5acbeb9bfa4afb8a3a8e3a2bfaa" title="Contact Us">Contact Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/corrections/" title="Corrections">Corrections</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/feeds/" title="Feeds">Feeds</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/mobile/" title="Mobile">Mobile</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/advertise/" class="advertise">Advertise</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150708001442/http://www.texastribune.org/signup/" title="Newsletter Signup">Newsletter Signup</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://support.texastribune.org/" title="Donate" class="donate">Donate</a> </li> </ul> </div> </footer> </div> <div class="hide-for-medium-down"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="1x1" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Content_StoryPage_Invisible_1x1"> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442js_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/COMPRESSED/js/38cc1e8308b2.js"></script> <script> tt.ads.addTarget("content", "story"); tt.ads.addTarget("slug", "txdot-concerns-about-locking-revolving-d"); tt.ads.addTarget("tribpedia", ["transportation", "greg-abbott", "jane-nelson", "84th-legislature", "state-contracts"]); tt.ads.addTarget("sections", ["front-page/", "transportation/"]); try { tt.ads.addTarget("is_member", "no"); tt.ads.addTarget("logged_in", "no"); var tt = tt || {}; tt.username = ''; } catch(e) {} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> window._tpm = window._tpm || []; window._tpm['paywallID'] = '36783210'; window._tpm['trackPageview'] = true; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442js_/http://code.tinypass.com/tpl/d1/tpm.js"></script> <script> (function(){ function loadAddThis() { var addthis = document.createElement('script'); addthis.src = document.location.protocol+'//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-53beb39e1b9725fb&domready=1'; addthis.type = 'text/javascript'; addthis.async = true; var at = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; at.parentNode.insertBefore(addthis, at); } window.onload(loadAddThis()); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150708001442js_/http://bit.ly/javascript-api.js?version=latest&login=texastribune&apiKey=R_6f6057d6b4eb2cded750a1bfde821d16"></script> <div id="parsely-root" style="display: none"> <div id="parsely-cfg" data-parsely-site="texastribune.org"></div> </div> <script> (function(s, p, d) { var h=d.location.protocol, i=p+"-"+s, e=d.getElementById(i), r=d.getElementById(p+"-root"), u=h==="https:"?"d1z2jf7jlzjs58.cloudfront.net" :"static."+p+".com"; if (e) return; e = d.createElement(s); e.id = i; e.async = true; e.src = h+"//"+u+"/p.js"; r.appendChild(e); })("script", "parsely", document); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _qevents.push( { qacct:"p-f74d4O38hiiiM"} ); </script> <noscript> <div style="display: none;"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442im_/http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-f74d4O38hiiiM.gif" height="1" width="1" alt="Quantcast"/> </div> </noscript> <script type="text/javascript"> var _sf_async_config={}; /** CONFIGURATION START **/ _sf_async_config.uid = 14324; _sf_async_config.domain = 'texastribune.org'; if (window.tt && tt.currentPage) { if (tt.currentPage.sections) { _sf_async_config.sections = tt.currentPage.sections.join(','); } if (tt.currentPage.authors) { _sf_async_config.authors = tt.currentPage.authors.join(','); } else if (tt.currentPage.authorsText) { _sf_async_config.authors = tt.currentPage.authorsText; } } /** CONFIGURATION END **/ (function(){ function loadChartbeat() { window._sf_endpt=(new Date()).getTime(); var e = document.createElement('script'); e.setAttribute('language', 'javascript'); e.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); e.setAttribute('src', (('https:' == document.location.protocol) ? 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/https://a248.e.akamai.net/chartbeat.download.akamai.com/102508/' : 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150708001442/http://static.chartbeat.com/') + 'js/chartbeat.js'); document.body.appendChild(e); } var oldonload = window.onload; window.onload = (typeof window.onload != 'function') ? loadChartbeat : function() { oldonload(); loadChartbeat(); }; })(); </script> <script> (function() { jQuery.scrollDepth(); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ (function(){try{var s,a,i,j,r,c,l=document.getElementsByTagName("a"),t=document.createElement("textarea");for(i=0;l.length-i;i++){try{a=l[i].getAttribute("href");if(a&&a.indexOf("/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection") > -1 && (a.length > 28)){s='';j=27+ 1 + a.indexOf("/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection");if (a.length > j) {r=parseInt(a.substr(j,2),16);for(j+=2;a.length>j&&a.substr(j,1)!='X';j+=2){c=parseInt(a.substr(j,2),16)^r;s+=String.fromCharCode(c);}j+=1;s+=a.substr(j,a.length-j);}t.innerHTML=s.replace(/</g,"<").replace(/>/g,">");l[i].setAttribute("href","mailto:"+t.value);}}catch(e){}}}catch(e){}})(); /* ]]> */ </script> </body> </html>