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Legislative Reference Library of Texas
your partner in legislative research
Legislative Reference Library of Texas
your partner in legislative research

Interim Hearings - Week of December 9, 2013

Dec 5

posted by TexasLRL in 83rd Session, Interim hearings

Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming Interim Hearings.

 

December 11th

House Committee on Administration

Topic: The Committee will meet to consider administrative actions, including the adoption of House Committee budgets for the remainder of the interim.  Testimony will not be taken.

This entry was posted on December 5, 2013 at 9:29 AM and has received 666 views. Print this entry.

Twitter: It's Not Just for Tweeting

Dec 3

posted by TexasLRL in Search tips

Part of what makes good research is using the latest, up-to-date information. In today's fast-paced information environment, publications and reports that are even a year old can be outdated, especially if they are discussing legislation. 
 
How do you keep up with new publications on topics that interest you? It turns out that a variety of tools are available. Some people customize their Google News page, while others monitor blogs or RSS feeds. If you're a Twitter user, have you ever thought to build a Twitter list to monitor new developments?  
 
Creating Twitter lists is a great way to distill your Twitter feed into useful, subject-oriented feeds. Viewing a list on Twitter shows you only the tweets of the Twitter users included on that list, and can be helpful if you follow a wide variety of people or organizations.
Instructions for building a Twitter list are here. You do not have to organize everyone you follow into a list, and you can create as many or as few lists as you like. At no point do you lose the ability to view your normal feed, which shows you the tweets of everyone you follow.
 
Here's an example of a list we built for our own use at the library. After the end of the 83rd Regular Session, we wanted to make sure we didn't miss any of the session wrap-ups that state agencies, boards and commissions often publish to summarize legislation in their area. Not all of these entities are on Twitter, but many are, and they are pretty good about tweeting new information related to their agency. We located their Twitter accounts, and organized them into a Twitter list named "State agencies." Being able to monitor state agency updates in a smaller, concentrated feed was an effective strategy for catching session wrap-ups as they were released.  
 
State agencies Twitter list
 
The state agencies list is just one of the Twitter lists we have built for our use here at the library. We also use Twitter lists to monitor various research organizations, as well as keep up with the legal world in Texas. One of our most heavily-used lists brings together the tweets of all current Texas legislators who are on Twitter.  A screenshot of the TXLegislators list on Twitter is below, and you can also view the list on our website at Texas Legislators on Twitter. 
 
Texas Legislators on Twitter

This entry was posted on December 3, 2013 at 10:22 AM and has received 2390 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, November 21st

Nov 21

posted by TexasLRL in Week in review

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Explore educational progress in reading and math for 4th and 8th graders. (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013)
  • Examine the student attrition rate in public high schools in Texas. (Intercultural Development Research Association, Fall 2013)
  • Track the graduation rates of low-income students in the rapidly growing Central Texas Region. (Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin, November 2013)
  • See how many people have been able to successfully select health plans in the new federal Health Insurance Marketplace. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, November 13, 2013)
  • Find analysis and interpretation of constitutional case law with the U.S. Constitution Annotated app. (Library of Congress, September 17, 2013)
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers! Week in Review will return on Thursday, December 5th.

This entry was posted on November 21, 2013 at 3:15 PM and has received 666 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Week of November 25, 2013

Nov 21

posted by TexasLRL in 83rd Session, Interim hearings

Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming Interim Hearings.

 

November 25th

Senate Committee on Natural Resources

Topic: Update on recent electric discussions at the Public Utility Commission of Texas

This entry was posted on November 21, 2013 at 11:44 AM and has received 1043 views. Print this entry.

50th Anniversary of Kennedy Assassination

Nov 18

posted by TexasLRL in Texas history

The state, nation, and world will commemorate the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination on November 22. John F. KennedyHere are some related resources in the Legislative Library's collection.
  • House resolution Paying tribute to Gov. John B. Connally for his outstanding service to his state and to this nation (HR 18, 60th R.S.) and discussing the assassination.
  • Pinterest pins tracing President Kennedy's plans to visit five Texas cities in the following order: San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin.
  • An Austin scrapbook of John F. Kennedy, by Patricia Howard Harris (1964)
  • Texas supplemental report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the serious wounding of Governor John B. Connally, November 22, 1963, by the Texas Attorney General's Office (1964)
  • Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, by the Warren Commission (1964)
  • Memorial service for President Kennedy pursuant to Presidential Proclamation, November 25, 1963, by Senator Dorsey B. Hardeman (1963)
In addition, Texas Investigates: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Wounding of Governor John B Connally, is currently on exhibit at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC), 1201 Brazos St., through February. The exhibit includes a display of Governor John B. Connally's suit worn on November 22, 1963, and materials from the state criminal investigation.
 
JFK resources are also available from the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, the JFK resource consortium, and the Dallas Morning News, and you can also watch the Dallas Commemoration live this week.

This entry was posted on November 18, 2013 at 2:22 PM and has received 1248 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, November 14th

Nov 14

posted by TexasLRL in Week in review

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Read about the supplemental poverty measure. (U.S. Census Bureau, November 2013)
  • See health insurance coverage for women state by state. (Kaiser Family Foundation, November 6, 2013)
  • Examine the varied mix of fuels used to generate electricity. (U.S. Energy Information Administration, November 8, 2013)
  • Consider ways to improve indigent defense. (Council of State Governments Justice Center / Harris County Public Defender Office, September 30, 2013)
 

This entry was posted on November 14, 2013 at 3:15 PM and has received 671 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Week of November 18, 2013

Nov 13

posted by TexasLRL in 83rd Session, Interim hearings

Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming Interim Hearings.

 

November 20th

House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs and Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Military Installations (Joint Hearing)

Topic: Impact of federal actions (including the federal government shutdown, sequestration, military force reductions, and potential base closure or realignment) on active-duty service members, the Texas Military Department, veterans, their families, defense-related contractors, small businesses, local governments, and state agencies

This entry was posted on November 13, 2013 at 4:16 PM and has received 874 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, November 7th

Nov 7

posted by TexasLRL in Week in review

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Consider early childhood care and education, and build a custom report about children in Texas. (KIDS COUNT, Anne E. Casey Foundation, November 4, 2013)
  • See statistics on pedestrian fatalities. (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, August 2013)
  • Explore the 2012 earnings of women who are full-time wage and salary workers. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, October 2013)
  • Read about how states are managing prison health care spending. (Pew Charitable Trusts, October 2013)
  • Examine state-by-state numbers of people eligible for premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. (Kaiser Family Foundation, November 5, 2013)
 

This entry was posted on November 7, 2013 at 3:15 PM and has received 610 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Week of November 11, 2013

Nov 6

posted by TexasLRL in 83rd Session, Interim hearings

Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming Interim Hearings.

 

November 12th-13th (11/13 meeting cancelled)

House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations

Topic: Invited testimony. Pursuant to Rule 4, Section 12, the Committee "may meet in executive session for the limited purpose of examining a witness or deliberating, considering, or debating a decision...."

 

After meeting in executive session the committee may consider and take action regarding matters deliberated in closed session, including planning, scheduling, courses of action, and ongoing committee business.

 

November 13th 

House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety

Topic: Border security

 

This entry was posted on November 6, 2013 at 11:51 AM and has received 868 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, October 31st

Oct 31

posted by TexasLRL in Week in review

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Explore The State of Aging and Health in America 2013. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013)
  • Consider the short supply of lethal injection drugs. (The Atlantic, October 28, 2013)
  • Examine the value of an associate's degree. (American Institutes for Research, ©2013)
  • Read about the budgetary effects of raising the age of eligibility for Medicare to 67. (Congressional Budget Office, October 2013)
  • Review research, federal initiatives, and legal issues related to student bullying. (Congressional Research Service, October 18, 2013)
Best wishes for a happy and safe Halloween to all of our readers!

This entry was posted on October 31, 2013 at 3:15 PM and has received 843 views. Print this entry.

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