Texas Transportation Code - TRANSP § 201.053. Chair of the Commission

(1) preside over commission meetings, make rulings on motions and points of order, and determine the order of business;

(2) represent the department in dealing with the governor;

(3) report to the commission the governor's suggestions for department operations;

(4) designate one or more employees of the department as a civil rights division of the department and receive regular reports from the division on the department's efforts to comply with civil rights legislation and administrative rules;

(5) create subcommittees, appoint commissioners to subcommittees, and receive the reports of subcommittees to the commission as a whole;

(6) appoint a commissioner to act in the chair's absence;  and

(7) serve as the departmental liaison with the governor and the Office of State-Federal Relations to maximize federal funding for transportation.