Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. The following may be helpful resources for upcoming hearings.
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
House Committee on Public Education
Topic: Implementation of State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), specifically impact on students, instruction, teachers, and graduation or promotion rates
- STAAR Resources, Texas Education Agency, including STAAR Questions and Answers, October 31, 2011
- Correspondence to Administrators, Information Regarding the Implementation of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), Texas Education Agency, April 22, 2011
- "Here a Test, There a Test: STAAR Issues Stacking Up," Classroom Teacher, Texas Classroom Teachers Association, December 13, 2011
Topic: Implementation of requirement that end-of-course assessment count for 15 percent of the student's course grade
- End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments, Texas Education Agency
- "New End-of-Course Tests Will Challenge Students, Schools," Houston Chronicle, December 15, 2011
Topic: Changes to graduation or testing requirements that support instructional rigor and postsecondary readiness
- Closing the Expectations Gap 2011: On the Alignment of High School Policies with the Demands of College and Careers (standards, graduation requirements, assessments, P-20 data systems, and accountability systems), Achieve, February 2011
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
House Committee on Culture, Recreation, & Tourism
Topic: Improve long-term funding for state parks
- Parks in Peril, National Conference of State Legislatures, January 2012
- Governor Christie Makes Access to State Parks Priority with New Sustainable Funding Strategy, State of New Jersey, November 2, 2011
Topic: Effects of drought and wildfires on tourism and recreation in Texas
- Drought Impact Reporter, U.S. Drought Portal
- "Drought's Economic Impact Spreading Across Texas," Texas Tribune, October 27, 2011
House Committee on Public Health
Topic: Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program Medicaid 1115 Waiver
- HHSC Gets Approval for Medicaid Improvements, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
- California and Texas: Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waivers Compared, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, December 2011
Topic: Overutilization of orthodontic services in Medicaid
- "Crooked Teeth: Medicaid Millions," WFAA.com, December 27, 2011 (updated January 9, 2012)
Topic: DSHS policies for hiring personnel and monitoring patient safety at state hospitals
- 25 TAC § 414.504, Pre-employment and Pre-assignment Clearance (Rights and protections of persons receiving mental health services, criminal history and registry clearances), Texas Administrative Code
- "In Wake of Sex Abuse Allegations, New Rules for State Hospitals," Austin American Statesman, November 22, 2011
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
House Committee on Economic & Small Business Development
Topic: Texas' industry cluster initiatives, implementation of recommendations made by the Governor's Competitiveness Council, and new recommendations for Texas to remain an economic development leader
- Texas Industry Concentrations 2012: Where the State's Key Sectors Cluster, Office of the Governor - Economic Development and Tourism, December 2011
- Rich States, Poor States 2011: The ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index, American Legislative Exchange Council, June 2011
- The 2010 State New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, November 2010
- Council's Report to the Governor, Governor's Competitiveness Council, July 2008
- "Industry Clusters Shape Texas Economy," Southwest Economy (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas), September/October 2007
Monday, January 30th, 2012
House Committee on Technology - CANCELLED
Invited testimony
Senate Committee on Economic Development
Topic: Implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Economic Development, 82nd Legislature
Topic: Economic development incentives targeting niche markets such as the creation of data centers, film incentives, etc. (special industry clusters), and whether such incentives should be offered
- An Analysis of Texas Economic Development Incentives 2010, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, December 2010
- Economic Development in Texas: Programs and Incentives, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, September 2011
- Job Creation on a Budget: How Regional Industry Clusters Can Add Jobs, Bolster Entrepreneurship, and Spark Innovation, Brookings Institution, January 2011
- More States Abandon Film Tax Incentives as Programs’ Ineffectiveness Becomes More Apparent, Tax Foundation, June 2, 2011
- Principles of Data Center Siting and Economic Development Incentives, Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Company, February 23, 2011
