RON SIMMONS
A joint report released by the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas highlights opportunities to spur growth and reinvigorate the economy. The report “A Playbook for Resiliency: Creating Opportunity for All Texans” included a specific recommendation to “[a]llow for more private capital to be utilized to build infrastructure through comprehensive development agreements (or CDAs).” [A CDA is a type of public-private partnership used to support highway construction].
This is a view shared by the most prominent conservative organizations in the policy arena. In testimony to the Texas House Transportation Committee, the American Legislative Exchange Council Action (ALEC-Action) wrote: “P3s improve operational efficiency and environmental performance; promote public safety; attract private investment; minimize governmental liabilities; and allow necessary funding for other