Pickett appointed chair in Transportation Planning committee

Democratic State Representative and El Pasoan, Joe Pickett was recently appointed to lead a new transportation committee.

Pickett has worked in the Texas legislature for more than 20 years and last week he was appointed chair of the Committee on Transportation Planning.

As a legislator and chair of the transportation committee, Pickett “passed most of the legislation state wide for probably the last decade,” Pickett told ABC-7.

Most recently, Pickett pushed for Proposition One, which allowed the state to use money from the oil and gas taxes and the state’s rainy day fund to pay for thousands of transportation projects across the state.

“It’s still going to generate over $1 billion a year,” Pickett said.

In his new role, Pickett will oversee the Texas Department of Transportation.

“There’s been a lot of criticism state wide.. how money has been allocated and (project) priorities and that it hasn’t been done in the light of day,” Pickett said.

Pickett and the Transportation Planning Committee will keep an eye on TXDOT’s funding, rules and policies, project priorities, methods of financing and performance evaluations.

Pickett told ABC-7 “it’s not just going to be ‘divide money by whatever and do any type of project. It’s ‘show us these projects are important and have acceptance from the local community’.”

Pickett said he the day after Labor day he will start working on a proposition that could bring almost $3 million a year in transportation funding.