Texas House Bill 5376, known as Tiffany’s Law, is named after a victim of the 2021 pileup on the I-35 West segment operated by NTE Mobility Partners (NTE). According to The Dallas Morning News, the legislation “would allow any municipality across the state to restrict the use of a toll road within city limits when it deems conditions on the stretch of highway are unsafe for motorists.”
The 2021 crash followed a day and a half of freezing temperatures and fluctuating precipitation in Dallas-Fort Worth. A 2024 Morning News investigative report claimed decision-making by NTE and lack of oversight by TxDOT contributed to the crash, which involved more than 130 vehicles and multiple fatalities. A lawsuit brought by survivors is scheduled to start this summer.
HB 5376 is one of at least 19 bills that have been filed this year by lawmakers seeking to change various aspects of state toll road policy. The sponsor, Representative Ramon Romero (D-90), says NTE has been unwilling to address concerns about I-35 W design that he has raised.
Asked to comment on Romero’s bill, NTE said it hadn’t had time to conduct a review.