(Austin)--Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander said transportation is the focus of an e-Texas hearing in Houston on Thursday, Feb. 17, at the Greater Houston Partnership boardroom, 1200 Smith St., Suite 700. The hearing will run from 2 to 4 p.m.

E-Texas is a citizen commission charged with developing recommendations to help Texas state government meet the challenges of the Internet age.

"This hearing will help us find ideas to improve the state's transportation system," Comptroller Rylander said. "I encourage folks to come out, listen to our experts, and give us feedback on the issues they think are critical to improving the state's transportation system."

Comptroller Rylander and Massey Villarreal of Missouri City, the e-Texas Transportation Task Force commissioner, will lead the hearing. Topics to be discussed include transportation financing problems and transportation service delivery.

"Even with so many of us on the Information Highway, we must continue to improve our basic transportation system," Comptroller Rylander said. "Texans drive more than 16 million vehicles over 367 million miles every day. We want to find ways to improve the quality of our statewide transportation services, while maximizing the state's financial resource investment."

For those who cannot attend the hearing, suggestions may be offered at: www.e-texas.org