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Senate committee advances bill to create DOTD chief operations officer after questions on salary and budget
Summary
House Bill 1037 would establish a chief operations officer position at the Department of Transportation and Development to oversee project delivery and operations; Deputy Secretary Beau Black and an agency official told senators funds are budgeted, though senators asked the bill be referred to finance if needed and sought clarity on the salary ceiling.
Representative sponsor described House Bill 1037 as a statutory vehicle to create a chief operations officer position to take administrative and employee management duties away from the DOTD secretary so the secretary can focus on project implementation.
Deputy Secretary Beau Black told the committee the position is already budgeted and that there is capacity in the current budget to handle the salary. A committee member pressed on the fiscal note and whether the salary would be set by the governor and subject to legislative approval; an agency witness said the position would likely be paid at about $175,000, and senators discussed whether the bill should be referred to Finance for review of the fiscal implications. The committee adopted no financial referral on the record and reported the bill favorably on a voice vote.
Why it matters: The bill changes departmental structure and moves statutory duties to a new officer to improve project delivery. Senators asked for explicit budget references and clarity on where the salary and related administrative funds are allocated in the executive budget.
Committee action: House Bill 1037 was reported favorably by the committee after agency witnesses said funds are available in the current budget; the sponsor and committee left open coordination with Finance if needed.
