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5 Document(s) [ Subject: Federal%20aid ]

Committee:	Senate Finance
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Alamo | Alternatives to incarceration | Appropriations bill riders | Business taxes | Criminal justice | Delinquent taxes | Disaster relief | Driver Responsibility Program | Economy | Emergency medical services | Federal aid | Federal funds | Fees | General Land Office, Texas | Hurricane Harvey | Interest rates | Juvenile justice system | Legislative Budget Board, Texas | Natural disasters | Personal property taxes | Probation | Rainy Day Fund | State budget certification | State budgets | Tax refunds | Texas Emissions Reduction Plan |
Library Call Number:	L1836.85 F49
Session:	85th R.S. (2017)
Online version:	View report [64 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Monitor all funds currently being used to address Hurricane Harvey relief and recovery. Identify ways to maximize the use of federal funds and ensure the efficient use of state funds.
2.	Evaluate the long-term impact of Hurricane Harvey on the Texas economy and the gulf coast region.
3.	Alamo Historical Site Renovation: Monitor the expenditures of state funds appropriated to the General Land Office for the preservation, maintenance, and operation of the Alamo historical site. Ensure the funds are spent to emphasize the architectural design and the historical impact the battle had on the development of Texas as a nation and as a state.
4.	Economic Stabilization Fund: Examine options to increase investment earnings of the Economic Stabilization Fund in a manner that mini mizes overall risk to the fund balance. Investment options should ensure the liquidity of a sufficient portion of the balance so that the legislature has the resources necessary to address the needs of the state, including natural disasters. Evaluate how the Economic Stabilization Fund constitutional limit is calculated; consider alternative methods to calculate the limit, and alternative uses for funds above the limit.
5.	Texas Emission Reduction Plan: Review the Texas Emission Reduction Plan (TERP) and its economic benefits to the state. Examine whether the state's investment in TERP, including transfers from the Department of Transportation, are being effectively utilized to comply with federal air quality standards, reduce pollution, and protect the public health of Texans.
6.	Request to Exceed Review: Review all riders requiring interim action by the Legislative Budget Board to reduce the number of times interim budget modification is necessary.
7.	Fee Structure Review: Review state General Revenue - Dedicated fees and make recommendations to reduce fees and lessen reliance on General Revenue - Dedicated fee balances to certify the budget.
8.	Adult and Juvenile Corrections Funding: Examine the funding patterns used to fund the juvenile justice system and adult probation departments. Develop recommendations to ensure the Texas Juvenile Justice Department budget does not dis-incentivize the use of cost-effective best practices such as diverting youth from the juvenile justice system, providing services to youth in their community, and keeping youth closer to home. In addition, review funding to adult probation departments and ensure it provides for an equitable distribution to all Texas Probation Departments.
9.	Trauma Funding: Review revenue sources currently funding the state's trauma system and the impact of declining revenues and balances in General Revenue - Dedicated accounts. Evaluate the impact of statutory changes affecting trauma system funding, including efforts to eliminate the Driver Responsibility Program. Examine ways to ensure sustainability of the trauma system in Texas.
10.	Property Tax on Business Personal Property: Evaluate the property tax as it applies to business personal property and the current $5oo exemption. Quantify the economic effect of taxing business personal property and determine whether the tax places Texas at a competitive disadvantage relative to other states. Evaluate the burden on taxpayers and local governments of administering the property tax on business personal property and determine whether the current $soo exemption should be increased.
11.	Interest Rate Disparity: Evaluate the rate of interest charged on delinquent property taxes and delinquent state taxes, compared to the rate of interest paid on property tax refunds and state tax refunds. • Evaluate the effect of interest rate disparity on the assessment decisions of governments and the payment decisions of taxpayers. • Quantify the amount by which state and local governments profit from interest rate disparity. • Identify best practices among other states regarding interest rates charged and paid. • Recommend a plan and timeline to reduce interest rate disparity.
12.	Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of the following funding initiatives: • CPS Critical Needs - Monitor the impact of salary increases and additional caseworkers allocated to Child Protective Services last interim. • Health Care Costs Across State Agencies - Monitor coordination efforts among state agencies to improve health care and reduce costs pursuant to Article IX, Section 10.06 and Section 10.07. • Behavioral Health - Monitor the state's progress in coordinating behavioral health services and expenditures across state government, pursuant to Article IX section 10.04, including the impact of new local grant funding provided by the 85th Legislatu re. • Sporting Goods Sales Tax - Identify state and local park needs and determine whether the Sporting Goods Sales Tax is meeting those needs.
Committee:	Senate Intergovernmental Relations
Title:	Interim Report
Subjects:	Affordable housing | Bond issues | Disaster relief | Emergency management | Extraterritorial jurisdiction | Federal aid | Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. | Housing | Land use regulations | Legislative process | Municipal annexation | Natural disasters | Public improvement districts | Solid waste disposal | Special taxing districts |
Library Call Number:	L1836.85 L786
Session:	85th R.S. (2017)
Online version:	View report [126 pages]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Examine and report on ways to improve the coordination of rebuilding housing and infrastructure following a natural disaster, including evaluating additional cost effective options for FEMA to utilize in providing direct housing assistance immediately following a disaster, creation of comprehensive lists of housing opportunities or web portals to disseminate information to survivors, ways to automatically waive local government regulations to facilitate rebuilding, and additional local resources available for rebuilding efforts.
2.	Monitor the distribution of federal disaster relief funds related to housing and infrastructure, including community development block grant (CDBG) funds, to ensure the timely dissemination of monies by state entities to local governments for reconstruction efforts. Develop recommendations for any statutory changes necessary to improve the efficiency of disaster recovery efforts, maximize housing and infrastructure funds, and ensure cooperation between private and government partners.
3.	Review and recommend options to expedite debris removal, including cutting unnecessary regulation and streamlining the process.
4.	Identify and report on existing disaster training opportunities available for local officials and make recommendations for training programs that equip them to efficiently interact with state and federal agencies during times of disaster.
5.	ETJ Limitations and Notice: Review the existing regulatory authority granted to home-rule municipalities within the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), including practices used by cities to expand ETJ boundaries, and whether proper notification is provided to property owners added to a city's ETJ following an annexation proceeding. Determine the limitations that need to be placed on a city's authority within the ETJ to better protect the private property rights of individuals and landowners, and ways to notify individuals of the impact of being within a city's ETJ. Develop a statewide rule and minimum requirements for such notifications.
6.	Housing Affordability: Examine issues that impact housing affordability, including the effect of local government taxes, fees, and mandates. Evaluate the cost of purchasing a single-family residence in different parts of the state, factoring in the impact of local rules and regulations, to identify matters of policy with the greatest influence, and identify ways to increase transparency and awareness prior to the adoption of costly local ordinances or orders.
7.	Special Purpose Districts Bond Reform: Study the state agency review of tax exempt bonds issued by special purpose districts and public improvement districts used to finance water and sewer infrastructure in new residential and commercial developments. Examine the disparities that exist between the feasibility review of water and sewer bonds backed by property­ based assessments and those backed by ad valorem taxes, and make recommendations that ensure the continued stability of the Texas tax­ exempt bond market by requiring all districts to undergo appropriate reviews prior to issuance.
8.	Municipal Management District Uniformity: In conjunction with the appropriate legislative departments, determine whether the development of a template or standardized language for the creation of municipal management districts would provide a more effective means for legislators to ensure new special purpose districts conform to accepted standards and contain appropriate taxpayer oversight.
Committee:	Senate Finance
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	Interim charge recommendations to the 82nd Legislature
Subjects:	Affordable housing | Aging and Disability Services, Texas Department of | Border security | Business taxes | Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas | Disaster relief | Economic stabilization | Federal aid | Highway finance | Hospitals | Mineral rights | Nursing education | Prepaid tuition plans | Property tax exemptions | Property taxes | Rural health care | State budgets | Tax and expenditure limits | Tax appraisals | Tax incentives | Tax revenue | Tobacco taxes | Traffic | Transportation, Texas Department of | Tropical storms | University finance | University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston |
Library Call Number:	L1836.81 F49
Session:	81st R.S. (2009)
Online version:	View report [158 pages  File size: 7,366 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Review and make recommendations regarding existing and future public debt at all levels of government in Texas, including independent school districts, cities, other local governments and the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan.
2.	Study the impact of recent hurricanes for which a federal disaster declaration was issued on local economies. Examine the basis for the distribution of federal dollars for hurricane cleanup across the state. Review past methods of distribution, including those involving the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the Office of Rural Community Affairs. Develop policy and statutory recommendations to ensure that the system of distribution is effective to address needs of the various regions of the state in the event of future disasters. Provide effective budget oversight of state agencies that received appropriations as a result of hurricane damage. Examine the rebuilding of University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the collection and proper deposit of federal reimbursements.
3.	Review the effect that Texas Business Tax credits, such as a research and development credit, have on economic development in Texas. Determine whether the costs of various tax credits would be adequately offset by the net increase in state sales tax and other revenues and jobs produced by each credit. Focus on businesses relocating to or from the State of Texas, the impact on the tax base, employment, and the overall economic condition of the state.
4.	Identify and evaluate potential improvements to the property tax system. Consider and make recommendations relating to the following: Methods to increase public participation in the tax rate-setting process and ensure fairness in appraisal protests and appeals; Requirement that property appraisal values may not increase by more than inflation and/or population growth, or another amount to be determined by local taxing authorities, with a maximum cap of 10 percent; Exemptions provided to community housing development organizations to determine if changes are needed to ensure that the public benefits outweigh the revenue loss; Methods and procedures for determining a real property interest in oil or gas in place, as contained in Texas Tax Code Sec. 23.175, including how market-based data and market-based methodology could possibly be used to ensure fair, reliable, and equitable price forecasts of oil and gas interests. Analyze the need for the creation of an Oil and Gas Valuation Advisory Committee to assist in forecasting current calendar year statewide average prices for oil and gas; and the constitutional constraints and fiscal implications of exempting real property, leased to a school, as defined by Section 11.21 of the Tax Code, from ad valorem taxation.
5.	Examine the Texas Tomorrow Fund and its impact on institutions of higher education. Assess current and future costs, the ability of institutions to absorb the costs, and make recommendations for ensuring a sound fiscal approach to managing the fund for the future.
6.	Study the impact of changing the constitutional and statutory spending limit based on the sum of the rate of population growth and the rate of inflation. Examine what past biennial spending limits would have been, and what the next biennium's limit might be, under a new definition. Consider the impact of exempting growth from federally mandated programs.
7.	Study and make recommendations regarding formula funding and its impact on the cost of attendance and methods of financing higher education institutions, including funding differences for pharmacy and nursing programs; research funding; performance funding; and funding for institutions that face capacity student enrollment. Specifically address the following: Methods of financing capital projects at higher education institutions, including the levels of deferred maintenance, the impact of deferred maintenance on the ability to offer basic instructional services, and the methods used to finance deferred maintenance projects. Recommend alternatives for providing a structured and recurring funding mechanism more suited to the state's fiscal capacity and institutional needs Supplemental funding for structured programs that are essential for student success and for meeting the goals of Closing the Gaps, including those that provide concentrated student academic and personal support services for universities that enroll a high proportion of non-traditional or at-risk students. Study and make recommendations regarding the quality and effectiveness of academic advising, focusing on resources, staff development, and impact on time­ to-degree.
8.	Review the capacity of rural hospitals, rural hospital infrastructure, and the statewide impact of services provided by rural hospitals. Make recommendations for funding options to help communities that do not have adequate resources to replace aging infrastructure and consider the creation ofa rural hospital infrastructure support program similar to the courthouse preservations fund.
9.	Examine transportation funding concepts contained in legislation considered during the 81 st Legislature, Regular and Special Sessions. Analyze options and make recommendations relating to historical funding strategies, including prioritization of existing revenues, as well as alternative state and local transportation funding concepts. (Joint charge with Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee) Ensure that the pass-through program reimbursements to contractors and local public entities are based on actual project costs and not cost estimates. Prioritize necessary road construction projects and target financing to those segments that affect the largest number of Texans through congestion mitigation. Ensure that Texas receives the best value for its investment. (Subcharges added pursuant to Dewhurst letter dated 4/8/2010.)
10.	Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Finance, 81 st Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, monitor the following: The Legislative Budget Board effectiveness and efficiency review of Chapter 313, Tax Code. Consider whether tax provisions provide a net benefit to the state. Monitor ongoing faculty recruitment and retention for Texas nursing schools, and assess the impact ofincreased state funds to nursing schools to increase faculty salaries and add new teaching schools. Monitor the use of Byrne Grant Border security funds, including whether additional funds need to be spent on communications interoperability. Monitor the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) implementation of SB 643, emergency legislation relating to Texas' state supported living centers (SSLCs), implementation of Special Provisions relating to All Health and Human Services Agencies, Section 48, Contingency Appropriation for the Reshaping of the System for Providing Services to Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, and implementation of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) Settlement Agreement terms. Provide effective budget oversight of Texas Department of Transportation's implementation of Riders 55 and 56, appropriations from State Highway Fund No. 006 and Proposition 12 General Obligation Bonds for reducing congested road segments. Monitor the revenue receipts associated with the weight-based tobacco tax. Monitor the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant making process to ensure that funds are spent efficiently and effectively. Monitor the expenditure of federal American Resource and Recovery Act funds. Review the extent to which federal stimulus funds affected each agency's ability to meet or surpass its Performance Measure Targets. Consider the effect that delays in federal approvals have had on funding for public education and weatherization programs.
Committee:	House Urban Affairs
Title:	Interim Report
Library Catalog Title:	House Committee on Urban Affairs, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 2010 : a report to the House of Representatives, 82nd Texas Legislature
Subjects:	Disaster relief | Economic stabilization | Energy conservation | Federal aid | Housing and Community Affairs, Texas Department of | Services for persons with disabilities |
Library Call Number:	L1836.81 UR1
Session:	81st R.S. (2009)
Online version:	View report [53 pages  File size: 988 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	Examine the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs' (TDHCA) regional allocation formula policies and determine methodologies that could enhance equitable distribution.
2.	Review the TDCHA's Weatherization Assistance Program and increased funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Examine the methodology used to distribute funds and the program's effectiveness at reducing residential energy costs. Joint Interim Charge with House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding
3.	Evaluate the method of distributing federal hurricane relief funds and recommend improvements. Joint Interim Charge with House Committee on Appropriations
4.	Make recommendations regarding the feasibility of a housing initiative that promotes independence and prevents unnecessary institutionalization of eligible populations.
5.	Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction.
Committee:	House State, Federal and International Relations
Title:	Interim report
Library Catalog Title:	Report of the Committee on State, Federal, and International Relations : to the speaker and members of the Texas House of Representatives, 72nd Legislature.
Subjects:	Agriculture | Border economy | Border environment | Border health | Border issues | Border transportation | Colonias | Drinking water | Federal aid | Federal funds | International trade | Maquiladoras | Water quality management | Water supplies |
Library Call Number:	L1836.71 st30
Session:	71st R.S. (1989)
Online version:	View report [25 pages  File size: 1,273 kb]
Charges:	This report should address the charges below.
1.	To monitor all activities and to have budget oversight responsibilities for those agencies, boards and commissions as listed in Rule 3, Section 33.
2.	To study the impact of health, environmental immigration and infrastructure improvements on the economy of the Texas-Mexico border area.
3.	To study the existing maquiladora programs along the Texas-Mexico border and determine means by which foreign investment and participation can be enhanced.
4.	To study the implementation and development of the European state of Texas International Trade Offices and the impact of the European Common Market (Europe 92) on international trade in Texas.
5.	To study the implementation and development of the Asian State of Texas International Offices.
6.	To study federal allocation of funds in Texas, including defense, research and federal formula programs and the role of the Office of State and Federal Relations.
7.	To study international agriculture (joint study with Agriculture and Livestock).

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