(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b), an agreement to lease, sell, or convey a toll project or system under Section 228.151 must provide for the repayment of any expenditures of the department for the financing, design, development, construction, operation, or maintenance of the highway that have not been reimbursed with the proceeds of bonds issued for the highway.
(b) The commission may waive repayment of all or a portion of the expenditures if it finds that the transfer will result in substantial net benefits to the state, the department, and the public that equal or exceed the amount of repayment waived.