April 14th
House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety
Charge: Explosion in West, Texas on April 17, 2013
- Testimony of Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso, U.S. Chemical Safety Board, Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on the Topic of the West Fertilizer Plant Explosion, June 27, 2013
- West special section on the blast, toll, investigation, response, and recovery, including "It could happen again," "What federal, state and local officials did in response to the West disaster," and "In wake of West Fertilizer blast, investigation finds protection systems are broken," December 2013, Dallas Morning News
Charge: Driver Responsibility Program
- "DPS expands surcharge relief for the poor," Texas Tribune, September 11, 2013
- The Driver Responsibility Program: A Texas-Sized Failure, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, February 2013
- Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature (Charge 3), House Committee on Public Safety, January 2011
- Driver Responsibility Program, Texas Department of Public Safety
House Committee on Public Health
Charge: Compounding pharmacies, impact of SB 1100, 83rd Legislature, R.S.
- State Regulation of Compounding Pharmacies, including current state laws and federal regulation and actions, National Conference of State Legislatures, Updated December 2013
- 22 Texas Administrative Code §291.133, Pharmacies compounding sterile preparations, Texas State Board of Pharmacy, adopted to be effective December 10, 2013 (SB 1100 implementation)
- "Compounding bill clears Congress," MedPage Today, November 19, 2013
Charge: Biologic and follow-on biologic (biosimilar) pharmaceutical products
- Biosimilars, Connecticut General Assembly, Office of Legislative Research, February 25, 2014
- White Paper: An Outlook on US Biosimilar Competition, Thomson Reuters, April 2013
- Biosimilars, including Q&A on Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
House Committee on Transportation
Charge: Texas port system
- U.S. Ports of Entry in Texas, Office of the Governor, May 2013
- Texas Ports: Value to the Nation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, March 2013
- 2011 Economic Impacts of State of Texas Ports and Maritime Industry, Texas Ports Association, November 2012
- Preparing Texas Land and Sea for the Panama Canal Expansion: Final Report, Panama Canal Stakeholder Working Group, November 2012
- Synthesis of Port Related Freight Improvement Studies: Technical Report, Texas Transportation Institute, October 2012
Charge: Passenger and freight rail
- "A high-speed unknown," Dallas Morning News, January 2014
- "TXDoT taking steps to further explore high-speed rail," Texas Tribune, January 28, 2014
- Texas Rail Plan, Texas Department of Transportation, revised December 31, 2013
- Texas Priority Corridors of Commerce: Shaping the Future of Freight Movement, Texas Freight Advisory Committee, August 2013
- Rail Division: 2012 Annual Summary and 2013 Midyear Summary, Texas Department of Transportation, January 2013 and June 2013
- "North Texas is well-positioned as rail freight makes a comeback," Fort Worth Star-Telegram, January 27, 2013
Charge: Legislative oversight
Senate Committee on Education
Charge: Redesign of high school English end-of-course exams; STAAR accommodations; redesign of STAAR Alternate exam
- Student Assessment Division (See ‘What's New In Student Assessment’ for redesign of English assessment materials), Texas Education Agency
- 2014 Accommodations for Students with Disabilities taking STAAR, STAAR Spanish, STAAR L, STAAR Modified, and TELPAS, Texas Education Agency
- STAAR® Alternate Resources, Texas Education Agency
- STAAR® Statewide Summary Reports 2013-2014, Texas Education Agency
Charge: Implementation of HB 5, 83rd Legislature, R.S.
- House Bill 5, Texas Education Agency
- "Recap of House Public Education Interim Hearing on HB 5," Teach the Vote, March 27, 2014
- "How the Texas Testing Bubble Popped," part 1, part 2, part 3 (includes Testing Timeline), Dallas Morning News, March 2014
- Comparison Between Current Graduation Programs and Programs Established by HB 5, Texas Association of School Boards, July 17, 2013
April 15th
House Committee on Human Services
Charge: Foster Care Redesign and impact on child welfare system
- DFPS Rider 29 Report for Foster Care Redesign, February 27, 2014
- Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature (Charge 1), House Committee on Human Services, January 2013
- Interim Report to the 83rd Legislature (Charge 9C), Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, December 2012
- Improving Child and Youth Placement Outcomes: A System Redesign: Foster Care Redesign Report, Texas Department of Family & Protective Services, January 2011
- Foster Care Redesign (Improving Child and Youth Placement Outcomes: A System Redesign), Texas Department of Family & Protective Services
Charge: Texas adoption process
- State Legislation to Expedite and Streamline the Adoption Process 2008-2013, National Conference of State Legislatures, February 5, 2014
- Adoption Options: A Directory of Adoption Agencies in Texas, Texas Young Lawyers Association, Revised 2010
- Adoption, Child Welfare Information Gateway, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Senate Committee on Higher Education
Charge: Closing the Gaps by 2015 and next set of long term higher education goals
- Closing the Gaps, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- A Comparison of Texas' Closing the Gaps by 2015 Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Policy to SREB-Member States, doctoral dissertation by Texas A&M University-Commerce student David Rankin, August 2013
- "Texas is closing the gap on education front," M. Ray Perryman, June 21, 2013
- "Texas higher ed graduations increase, board finds," Texas Tribune, May 23, 2013
Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs & Military Installations
Charge: Employment and workforce opportunities for veterans
- State of Texas Soldier Employment Initiative, Texas Veterans Commission
- Just for Veterans, Texas Workforce Commission
- Military and Veterans Affairs State Legislation Database, National Conference of State Legislatures
- Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS), U.S. Department of Labor
Charge: Implementation of veteran occupational licensure bills in 83rd Legislature
- "State Expedites Trade Licensing for Service Members," The Rambler, March 27, 2014
- Justification for Administrative Rule Adoption Procedural Rules of the Commission and the Department (Occupational licensing of military service members, veterans and spouses), Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, December 12, 2013
- Information for Military Service Members, Veterans and Spouses, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
April 17th
Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
Charge: Transparency in the authorization, issuance, and appropriation of debt at the local level
Charge: Fiscal impact of bonds issued by local government
- Your Money and Local Debt, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, September 2012
- Tell the Truth Texas: Debt-at-a-Glance (county, city, school district, and community college district debt; upcoming bond elections), Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
