The Texas House Committee on Transportation will gavel in at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 17 to work through one of the fullest interim agendas of the month: eight charges that range from the federal crackdown on commercial driver licenses held by foreign drivers to the economic weight of Texas seaports and broad oversight of the state’s transportation agencies.
Public testimony may be limited at the chair’s discretion, according to the hearing notice, and written comments can be filed online until adjournment through the House comment portal.
Chaired by Rep. Tom Craddick, R–Midland, the former House speaker and the chamber’s longest-serving member, the 13-member committee — eight Republicans and five Democrats, with Rep. Mary Ann Perez, D–Houston, as vice chair — meets in Room E2.012 of the Capitol Extension. Whatever record the panel builds Monday will feed the recommendations it sends to the 90th Legislature in January.
The charge likely to draw the most attention asks members to evaluate the presence of nondomiciled CDL holders operating in Texas, whether that presence correlates with an increase in traffic incidents, and the state and federal rules — including English proficiency standards — that govern them. The federal ground has shifted quickly: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an emergency interim rule in September 2025 and a final rule in February 2026 restricting nondomiciled CDLs to a narrow set of work-visa holders, and Texas’ Department of Public Safety halted issuance of the licenses to many immigrants last fall, as The Texas Tribune reported.
Two monitoring items open the agenda: implementation of Senate Bill 1555, which created a grant program to fund railroad grade separation projects, and Senate Bill 1939, which established the ship channel improvement revolving fund. The ports theme returns in a standalone charge directing the committee to assess the economic impact of Texas seaports and the maritime industry and to evaluate their roadway connectivity and capacity needs. A Texas Ports Association study found marine cargo activity generated $713.9 billion in economic activity and supported 2.5 million jobs statewide in 2023.
Two charges put the Texas Department of Transportation itself under the microscope. One asks whether the agency should receive “prioritization direction” from legislators when selecting local projects for construction or maintenance — a question that lands just after the comment period closed Aug. 3 on TxDOT’s draft 2027 Unified Transportation Program, the 10-year, $95 billion project portfolio the Texas Transportation Commission is set to adopt this month. The other directs a review of how TxDOT plans and communicates roadway and exit closures during construction. The Texas Dispatch reported in June on the agency’s push to showcase AI and autonomous tools for road work and inspections.
The committee will also weigh limited authorization of speed enforcement mechanisms in high-speed work zones and school zones — sensitive ground in a state that outlawed photo traffic enforcement in 2019 with House Bill 1631, now codified in Transportation Code Chapter 707. The charge specifies any recommendation should safeguard privacy, prohibit automated data retention and keep third-party entities from issuing citations. Rounding out the agenda are a top-to-bottom review of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ statutory duties and an oversight charge, grounded in Government Code Section 301.014, covering TxDMV, TxDOT and the Transportation Commission.
As an interim hearing, Monday’s session includes no votes on legislation; the committee’s findings will shape bills filed for the 90th Legislature, which convenes in January 2027.
Meeting at a glance
- When
- 9:30 AM CT, Monday, August 17, 2026
- Where
- Room E2.012, Capitol Extension, Austin
- Chair
- Rep. Tom Craddick, R–Midland (HD-82)
- Vice Chair
- Rep. Mary Ann Perez, D–Houston (HD-144)
- Format
- Invited and public testimony; public testimony may be limited at the chair’s discretion; interim charges only — no vote on legislation
- Live video
- house.texas.gov/video-audio
- Submit comments online
- comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c470 (until adjournment)
- Full agenda
- Official hearing notice (capitol.texas.gov)
Committee members
- Rep. Tom Craddick, R–Midland (HD-82) — Chair
- Rep. Mary Ann Perez, D–Houston (HD-144) — Vice Chair
- Rep. Terry Canales, D–Edinburg (HD-40)
- Rep. Pat Curry, R–Waco (HD-56)
- Rep. Erin Elizabeth Gámez, D–Brownsville (HD-38)
- Rep. Caroline Harris Davila, R–Round Rock (HD-52)
- Rep. Cole Hefner, R–Mount Pleasant (HD-5)
- Rep. Marc LaHood, R–San Antonio (HD-121)
- Rep. Mitch Little, R–Lewisville (HD-65)
- Rep. Christina Morales, D–Houston (HD-145)
- Rep. Eddie Morales, D–Eagle Pass (HD-74)
- Rep. Jared Patterson, R–Frisco (HD-106)
- Rep. Dennis Paul, R–Houston (HD-129)