The Texas Senate unanimously approved a transportation bill Saturday, May 21, that would require a public vote on the conversion of existing freeways in the state into toll roads.

The legislation has been sent back to the House for approval of changes. If lawmakers can’t agree, a conference committee will meet to work out differences.

The bill, HB2702, is the follow-up legislation to a 300-plus-page measure signed into law in 2003 that radically changed Texas code by giving the state Transportation Department powers to build toll roads or convert free roads into “pay-to-play” roads.

Since then, toll roads have been met with public furor in some areas as residents complained roads that were promised as freeways later were set to become tollways, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

The Senate-approved version of the bill would not only require a public vote on any attempt by the state to convert a freeway to tollway, but if any local governments tried to do it, a county commissioners’ court would need to sign off on it.

The bill would affect the Trans-Texas Corridor, a $184 billion pet project of Gov. Rick Perry. Plans on the route call for thousands of miles of tollways, railways and utility lines crisscrossing the state.

The state already is under contract with the Spanish firm Cintra to begin designing the first 600-mile phase to run roughly parallel to Interstate 35 from San Antonio to the Oklahoma border.

Although plans call for Cintra to operate and collect the tolls for 50 years, the Senate version of the bill would give state or local governments power to regulate toll rates.

The state also would be required to provide access to the corridor where it intersects other state and federal highways, The Associated Press reported.

In addition, the transportation bill would prohibit movers from hauling household goods for compensation in a vehicle of any size without registering with the state.