Legislative Reference Library of Texas

Voter ID Court Rulings

Aug 5

In the past two weeks, voter ID laws (laws requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls) have been the subject of five separate court rulings. One of the cases, Veasey v. Abbott, pertained to Texas' voter ID law, SB 14, 82nd R.S. (2011). For your convenience, we have listed the five opinions below.

August 1, 2016 - North Dakota

Richard Brakebill et al. vs. Alvin Jaeger; Order granting plaintiffs' motion for preliminary injunction (Case 1:16-cv-00008-DLH-CSM) [view document]

U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota

July 29, 2016 - Kansas
Court orders immediate halt to Kansas dual voter registration system. [view press release]

Marvin L. Brown, et al. v. Kris Kobach; Petition pursuant to K.S.A. chapter 60 for declaratory and injunctive relief [view document]

Shawnee County District Court, Third Judicial District

July 29, 2016 - North Carolina

North Carolina State Conference of the NAAPC et al. v. Patrick L. McCrory; Opinion (Appeal No. 16-1468) [view document]

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

July 29, 2016 - Wisconsin

One Wisconsin Institute, Inc. et al. v. Mark L. Thomsen et al.; Findings of fact and conclusions of law (No. 15-cv-324-jdp) [view document]

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

July 20, 2016 - Texas

Marc Veasey, et al. v. Greg Abbott; Opinion (No. 14-41127) [view document]

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

This entry was posted on August 5, 2016 at 3:27 PM and has received 1377 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Week of August 15, 2016

Aug 5

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 84th Session

Interim Hearings - Week of August 15

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.

August 15
August 16
August 17
August 18

August 15 Top

House Committee on State Affairs

Charge: Contracting monitoring, compliance, performance evaluation and notification requirements for contracting procedures

Texas Government Code Chapter 2261, State Contracting Standards and Oversight
Senate Bill 20: Centralized State Purchasing Study - Background (Timeline), Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Contract Management Guide, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Updated March 1, 2016
Senate Bill 20 (84R) - Frequently Asked Questions (State contracting), Texas Department of Information Resources, Updated February 18, 2016
A Report on Recent Contracting Audits, Texas State Auditor's Office, January 23, 2015
Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature (Charge 2 - State contracting), Senate Committee on Government Organization, December 2014
"When is a State Contract Too Big to Fail?," Texas Tribune, May 2, 2014

Charge: Administrative process used to determine utility rates

Texas Utilities Code Chapter 36, Electric Utilities - Rates (Subchapter C - procedures for rate changes)
16 Texas Administrative Code §25.475, General Retail Electric Provider Requirements and Information Disclosures to Residential and Small Commercial Customers
"There and Back Again: the Return of Water and Wastewater Rates and CCNs to the Public Utility Commission," TCAA Newsletter (Texas City Attorney Association), July 2016
"How Utilities Determine Generation and Distribution Rates (Ratemaking)," Electric Choice Blog, May 12, 2016
Comparative Analysis of PUC Ratemaking Authority as Required by House Bill 1600, Public Utility Commission of Texas, January 27, 2015
Tariff Development: Review of the Basic Ratemaking Process, Public Utility Commission of Texas

Charge: How Public Utility Commission of Texas and utility providers can ensure consumer protection regarding metering devices for water, gas, and electricity service

Texas Utilities Code, §§182.101-182.104, Rights of Utility Customers - Testing of Meters
16 Texas Administrative Code §§25.121-25.133, Metering
Smart Metering, Public Utility Commission of Texas
"Amid Health, Privacy Fears, States are Letting People Reject 'Smart Meters'," Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts), February 5, 2016
"Texas House Erupts in Heated Debate Over 'Smart Meters' for Electricity," Dallas Morning News, March 20, 2013
The Need for Essential Consumer Protections: Smart Metering Proposals and The Move to Time-Based Pricing, National Consumer Law Center, August 2010

Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations

Charge 2: Home rule municipalities, adoption of ordinances

"Texas Court Denies Request Tied to Austin's Uber Ordinance," Texas Tribune, March 14, 2016
Legislative Update (Interim Hearings Begin: Cities on the Agenda), Texas Municipal League, December 4, 2015
Local Ordinance Integrity (Testimony presented to the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations by James Quintero, Director of the Center for Local Governance), Texas Public Policy Foundation, December 2, 2015
Interim Hearings - Week of November 30, 2015 (Charge 2), Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, Legislative Reference Library, December 2, 2015

Charge 4: Municipal management districts (MMDs)

Texas Local Government Code §§375.001-375.357, Municipal Management Districts In General
Texas Government Code §313.006, Notice for Laws Establishing Municipal Management Districts
"New Management Districts Pave Way for Growth in Missouri City," Community Impact - Central Austin, August 5, 2015
"The City with (Almost) No Limits," UrbanLand Magazine, April 20, 2015
Texas Municipal League Economic Development Handbook, Texas Municipal League, Updated January 2015
Invisible Governments: Special Purpose Districts in Texas (Tables), Texas Senate Research Center, October 2014
Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature (Charge 8 - MMDs; Appendices H-1 to H-2), Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, December 2010

Charge 5: Statutes and Rules that govern Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs in light of the recent Supreme Court decision in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs et al. v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc., et al.

Texas Government Code §§2306.6701-2306.6740, Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program
Rules and Governing Statute, Inclusive Communities Project, Fair Housing 101, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
"The Fight for Fair Housing," Texas Observer, August 4, 2015
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing: Final Rule (Overview and resources), United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, July 16, 2015
Tax Credits Can and Should Build Both Homes and Opportunity, Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, June 2015
If the Supreme Court Bans the Disparate Impact Standard It Could Annihilate One of the Few Tools Available to Pursue Housing Integration, Economic Policy Institute, January 9, 2015

Charge 6: Government accountability in elections - improve transparency regarding public debt

Legislative Policy Committee on General Government (Ballot Language), Texas Municipal League, August 19, 2016
Local Debt Transparency (Testimony presented to the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations by James Quintero, Director of the Center for Local Governance), Texas Public Policy Foundation, December 2, 2015
Interim Hearings - Week of November 30, 2015 (Charge 6), Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, Legislative Reference Library, December 2, 2015

August 16 Top

House Select Committee on Mental Health

Invited testimony on Mental/behavioral health care services in Texas, including, but not limited to substance abuse, homelessness, veterans, gaps in programs, and improving delivery of services

A Community Support Guide for Alternatives to Inpatient Mental Health Treatment, Texas Department of state Health Services, revised August 2, 2016
Texas Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2017-2021, Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council, May 2016
The Texas Mental Health Workforce: Continuing Challenges and Sensible Strategies, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, April 29, 2016
Behavioral Health Barometer, Texas, 2015, U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, February 2016
Statewide Behavioral Health Strategic Plan and Coordinated Expenditures: Overview and Funding, (Presented to the House Select Committee on Mental Health), Legislative Budget Board, February 2016
State Mental Health Legislation 2015: Trends, Themes & Effective Practices, National Alliance on Mental Illness, December 2015
A Guide to Understanding Mental Health Systems and Services in Texas, 2nd Edition, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, The University of Texas at Austin, 2014

Senate Committee on Education

Charge: School board governance policies and practices, school board training requirements, suggestions for better student outcomes, particularly within the framework set for low-performing schools in HB 1842, 84th Legislature, R.S.

"And Then There Were Twelve" (District of Innovation designation process under HB 1842), Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, Texas Education Agency, July 21, 2016
Interim Report to the 84th Legislature (Charge 3 - School board governance), House Committee on Public Education, December 2014
Framework for School Board Development, State Board of Education/Texas Education Agency, Revised July 2012
Eight Characteristics of Effective School Boards: Full Report, Center for Public Education, January 28, 2011
Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature (Charge 3 - Improving student achievement and leadership models for improving low-performing campuses), House Committee on Public Education, December 2010
Campus Turnaround Guidance and Resources and HB 1842 Transition Chart, Texas Education Agency
Governance, Education Commission of the States

Charge: Monitor implementation of legislation, specifically initiatives to build a high-quality pre-kindergarten grant program; and legislation to raise standards of teacher preparation programs and establish a more consistent, high-quality accountability system

Briefing Book on Public Education Legislation, 84th Texas Legislative Session, Texas Education Agency, July 2015
House Bill 4 High-Quality Prekindergarten Grant Program (overview, timeline, commissioner's rules, prekindergarten guidelines), Texas Education Agency
Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (meeting schedule and presentations on assessment and accountability in Texas), Texas Education Agency

August 17 Top

House Select Committee on Mental Health

Public testimony on mental health/behavioral health care services in Texas

August 18 Top

Joint Interim Committee on Advertising Public Notices

Topic: Rules and organizational business

Topic: Use of technology in posting and advertising to the public of legally required notices

"Wisconsin to Weigh Moving to Online Public Notices," WiscNews (WI), July 17, 2016
State of the News Media 2016, Pew Research Center, June 15, 2016
Insult to Injury: The Disappearance of Public Notices in US Newspapers, Public Policy and Funding the News, a project of the University of Southern California Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, July 2015
"Newspapers Take Notice of Legislative Threat to Revenue," Crain's Detroit Business (MI), July 5, 2015
"Printed Public Notices Boost Accountability," The Gonzales Inquirer (TX), April 24, 2015
Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature (Charge - The Texas red tape challenge, providing public notice), House Committee on Government Efficiency and Reform, January 2013

This entry was posted on August 5, 2016 at 8:20 AM and has received 1595 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, August 4

Aug 4

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 medical marijuana's effects on prescription medication use. (Health Affairs, July 2016)
Examine reports related to people who have died in custody in Texas between 2005 and 2015. (Texas Justice Initiative, ©2016)
Explore how the Affordable Care Act has affected high risk pools. (Kaiser Family Foundation, August 1, 2016)
Read about public pension funding practices. (The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, June 2016)

This entry was posted on August 4, 2016 at 3:15 PM and has received 477 views. Print this entry.

Senate Presidents Pro Tempore

Aug 1

posted by TexasLRL in Members of the Legislature

A newly revised and expanded list of Senate Presidents Pro Tempore is now available on the library website. The page provides a list of legislators who have held this position, as well as a narrative history highlighting the changing nature of the position through the years.

As outlined in the Texas Constitution, the Senate President Pro Tem performs the duties of the Lieutenant Governor in his or her absence. Senate tradition also calls for the President Pro Tempore to be sworn in as "Governor for a Day", a 60+-year tradition that includes ceremonies and celebrations honoring the President Pro Tem and showcasing his or her district.

During the 84th Texas Legislature in 2015, Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa served as Senate President Pro Tem for the Regular Session, and Sen. Kevin Eltife was elected at the close of the Regular Session for the legislative interim.

Did you know?

Before 1876, there was no constitutional requirement for electing a Senate President Pro Tem at the beginning and close of each session. Instead, Art. V, Sec. 13 of the 1845 Texas Constitution provided that:

"Whenever the If the lieutenant governor shall...die, resign, or be absent from the State during the recess of the legislature, it shall be the duty of the secretary of State to convene the Senate for the purpose of choosing a president for the time being."


Sen. Robert Guinn, Senate President Pro Tem for the 9th - 11th Legislatures (1861-1866)	Sen. Judith Zaffirini. First Latina President Pro Tempore and first Latina Governor of the Day (75th Legislature, 1997).