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Jun 1, 2009 9:44 pm US/Central
NTTA's Efforts To Create Its Own Court Fail
DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
The North Texas Tollway Authority's
effort to create its own court for fines and tickets is out of gas.
Just three weeks after a CBS 11 investigation revealed the controversial legislation, lawmakers in Austin couldn't agree on the specifics. So, they took out any mention of a Tollway judge or hearing process for toll violators.
In a written statement to CBS 11, the agency said it believed the hearing process would have helped ensure that drivers paid tolls and would have reduced enforcement costs. The full statement is below.
Comment from NTTA Chairman Paul N. Wageman Regarding SB 882:
Among the policies addressed by Senate Bill (SB) 882, filed by Sen. John Carona during the 81st Legislative Session, was a provision to conform administrative and tolling operations provided for in the North Texas Tollway Authority's (NTTA) enabling statute to those of similar public entities. Specifically, SB 882 would provide additional toll enforcement tools to allow the NTTA to more efficiently and effectively pursue the non-payment of tolls. It is fiscally prudent for the NTTA and only fair to our paying customers to hold accountable those that choose not to pay.
With Sine Die upon us, we are pleased to report that SB 882 has passed both legislative chambers and been forwarded to Governor Perry. We respect the will of the Legislature and we appreciate its support of the NTTA as it seeks to fulfill its mission to serve the mobility needs of North Texas.
After unanimous approval of SB 882 in the Senate, the bill was forwarded to the House and referred to the House Transportation Committee. As often occurs during the legislative process, modifications were made to SB 882. The late arrival of SB 882 in the House, coupled with a resulting backlog of bills in Committee, slowed SB 882's movement through the process. Ultimately, the House Transportation Committee chose to adopt a version of SB 882 with fewer provisions than the version passed by the Senate. Among the provisions removed by the House Transportation Committee was the administrative court hearing process. The NTTA remains convinced that the administrative hearing process, which has been used effectively and fairly in Harris County for many years, would have helped ensure that motorists pay their tolls and reduced the enforcement costs paid by motorists when they fail to pay their tolls. To ensure fairness, the process was intended to be supervised by a former state or federal judge, and any motorist unhappy with the result would have been able to appeal to the appropriate Justice of the Peace Court and had the matter re-tried with the decision of the administrative hearing officer having no bearing on the ultimate outcome of their case.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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