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.
September 12 Top
Senate Committee on Higher Education
Charge: Regional workforce needs in the state, baccalaureate degrees at public community colleges
- Is a Community College Bachelor's Degree a Smart Choice?, Community College Review, May 31, 2016
- "Momentum for Four-Year Degrees at Community Colleges," Texas Tribune, September 1, 2014
- Assessing the Potential to Expand Community College Baccalaureate Programs in Texas, Rand Corporation, August 2014
Charge: Implementation of legislation, specifically:
- Initiatives designed to create effective, clear transfer pathways for students, including the newly enacted multidisciplinary studies associate degree
- Implementation and progress of the Math and Science Scholars Loan Repayment Program
- Progress of pilot program enacted by the 83rd Legislature relating to improving student loan default rates and financial aid literacy among postsecondary students
- Texas Student Loan Default Prevention and Financial Aid Literacy Pilot Program: First Annual Report (Draft), Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Office of Student Financial Aid Programs. September 2015
- Texas Student Loan Default Prevention Pilot Program (Presentation), Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation, 2014
September 13 Top
House Committees on Defense & Veterans' Affairs and Higher Education (Joint Hearing)
Joint charge: Hazlewood Act
- "The Hazlewood Act: College for Veterans," Fiscal Notes, August 2016
- Evaluation of the Number of Future Veterans and Related Relatives in Texas Eligible to Receive Assistance Through the Hazlewood Exemption, 2016-2025, Hobby Center for the Study of Texas at Rice University, August 11, 2015
- Report on the Hazlewood Exemption: Legislative Policy Report, Legislative Budget Board, December 2014
- Interim Report and Recommendations to the 82nd Texas Legislature (Charge 3 - Hazlewood Act), Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Military Installations, December 2010
- An Audit Report on Veterans' Services at Selected Institutions of Higher Education and Survey Results Related to Veterans' Services at All Texas Public Higher Education Institutions, Texas State Auditor's Office, September 2010
- Interim Report and Recommendations to the 79th Texas Legislature (Charge 2 - Hazlewood Act; Appendices B-E), Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and Military Installations, December 2004
- Hazlewood Act, Texas Veterans’ Commission
- Texas Education Code §54.341, Veterans and Other Military Personnel; Dependents (Legacy Program)
House Select Committee on State & Federal Power & Responsibility
Charge 1: Extent to which state regulation and policy are influenced by mandates attached to federal funding
- NCSL Policy Directives and Resolutions Adopted at the 2016 Legislative Summit, National Conference of State Legislatures, August 10, 2016
- Fiscal Size-Up 2016-2017, Chapter 2, Revenue Sources and Economic Outlook, Federal Funds Appropriations, Legislative Budget Board, May 2016
- Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature, House Select Committee on Federal Legislation, December 2010
Charge 2: Resolutions approved by the Legislature during recent legislative sessions calling on the federal government to take certain actions, and actions taken
Charge 3: Texas statutes prohibiting or restricting investment in foreign nations
Topic: Article V
- The Article V Convention to Propose Constitutional Amendments: Contemporary Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service, March 29, 2016
- The Article V Convention to Propose Constitutional Amendments: Current Developments, Congressional Research Service, March 29, 2016
- "The Other Way to Amend the Constitution: The Article V Constitutional Convention Amendment Process," 30 Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy 1006, Summer 2007
- Amending the U.S. Constitution: by Congress or by Constitutional Convention, Congressional Research Service, May 10, 1995
- Constitutional Conventions: Political and Legal Questions, Congressional Research Service, July 8, 1985
Senate Committee on Education
Charge: Digital learning, school broadband access
- Interim Hearings - Week of April 18, 2016, Senate Committee on Education, Legislative Reference Library, April 18, 2016
Charge: Monitor implementation of legislation, specifically legislation to establish criteria for alternative measures of assessments to meet high school graduation requirements
- Student Assessment Division, Reports to the Current Legislature, and Legislative Briefing Book, Texas Education Agency
Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
Charge: Monitor implementation of legislation and riders, including but not limited to:
- The impact of changes made by the Department of Family and Protective Services, Child Protective Services on child safety, workforce retention, prevention, and permanency;
- Reports, Plans, Statistics, and Presentations (See Reports and Presentations), Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
- Initiatives to reduce Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse, and other cost containment strategies, including examining the processes and procedures used by managed care organizations to address Medicaid fraud, waste and abuse; and
- IG Integrity Initiative and Reports, Inspector General, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
- Medicaid Fraud and Abuse, National Conference of State Legislatures
- The consolidation and expansion of women's health programs at the Health and Human Services Commission.
- Healthy Texas Women, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Charge: Impact of the Section 1115 Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program Waiver; other mechanisms to control costs and increase quality and efficiency in the Medicaid program, including the pursuit of a block grant or a Section 1332 Medicaid State Innovation Waiver
- "CMS Grants Texas' Short-Term Medicaid Waiver Extension," Modern HealthCare, May 3, 2016
- "1332 Waivers": Opportunities for Innovation in Healthcare Coverage with Protections for Consumers (Blog), Center for Public Policy Priorities, April 21, 2016
- Health Innovation Section 1332 Waivers: State Legislation as of 2015, National Conference of State Legislatures, December 3, 2015
- Section 1332: State Innovation Waivers, The Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
- Medicaid 1115 Waiver, Texas Health and Human Service Commission
September 14 Top
Joint Legislative Committee on Health & Human Services Transition, Oversight
- Health and Human Services Transformation, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
House Committee on Investments & Financial Services
Charge: Short-term lending industry in Texas, consumer access to credit, consumer protections
- 2015 Report on Availability, Quality, and Pricing of Certain Financial Services and Consumer Loan Products, Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner, December 1, 2015
- "Municipal Regulation of Payday & Title Loans in Texas: An Exemplary & Constitutional Good for A Necessary & Predatory Evil," Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law, Spring 2014
- Payday Loans and Deposit Advance Products: A White Paper of Initial Data Findings, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, April 24, 2013
- Report to the 83rd Legislature (Charge 8 - Payday lending), Senate Committee on Business & Commerce, January 2013
- 2011 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, September 2012
- Payday Lending in America: Who Borrows, Where They Borrow, and Why, The Pew Charitable Trusts, July 2012
- Texas State, Local, and Self-Imposed Standards for Payday and Auto Title Credit Access Businesses (Austin-Based Compliance Survey: June-July 2012), Texas Appleseed, July 2012
- Texas Finance Code Chapter 393, Credit Service Organizations
- 7 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 83, Rules for Credit Access Businesses
House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
Charge 2: Family law and parent-child relationship statutes and application of foreign law
- Op. Tex. Att'y Gen. No. KP-0094 (2016), The extent to which a judge may refuse to apply the law of a jurisdiction outside the United States in certain family law disputes (RQ-0083-KP), Attorney General of Texas, June 15, 2016
- 2015 Foreign Law Legislation, National Conference of State Legislatures, October 15, 2015
Charge 3: Self-represented litigants
- Pro Se Divorce Handbook, Texas Young Lawyers Association and State Bar of Texas, 2014
- Pro Se Litigant Guide, Texas Young Lawyers Association, 2014
- Pro Se Litigants, Forms for Pro Se Litigants, Texas Access to Justice Commission
- Self-Help (commonly requested legal forms, consumer information, research guides), Texas State Law Library
- Self-Representation Resource Guide (reports and studies, court based self-help, clearinghouse organizations), National Center for State Courts
Charge 5: Implementation of expedited action provisions of HB 274, 82nd Legislature, R.S.
- Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Effective September 1, 2016
- "Expedited Civil Actions in Texas and the U.S.: A Survey of State Procedures and a Guide to Implementing Texas's New Expedited Actions Process," 65 Baylor Law Review 824, Fall 2013
- Final Approval of Rules for Dismissals and Expedited Actions, Supreme Court of Texas, February 12, 2013
- The Task Force for Rules in Expedited Actions: Final Report to the Texas Supreme Court, January 25, 2012
- Deciphering Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 169: Expedited Actions, Texas Office of Court Administration
Senate Committee on Education
Charge: School choice, education savings account and tax credit scholarship programs
- The Next Generation of School Vouchers: Education Savings Accounts, National Conference of State Legislatures, August 18, 2016
- Education Savings Accounts: Key Provisions and State Variations, Education Commission of the States, August 16, 2016
- "Should Reformers Support Education Savings Accounts?," Education Next, Summer 2016
- Taking Credit For Education: How to Fund Education Savings Accounts Through Tax Credits, CATO Institute, January 20, 2016
- The ABCs of School Choice: The Comprehensive Guide to Every Private School Choice Program in America, Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, 2016
- School Choice: Scholarship Tax Credits, National Conference of State Legislatures
Charge: Monitor implementation of legislation, specifically:
- Legislation establishing state intervention procedures for public schools with academically unsuccessful ratings of at least two consecutive school years; and providing school districts the ability to be designated as a district of innovation
- Districts of Innovation, Campus Turnaround Guidance and Resources, and HB 1842 Transition Chart, Texas Education Agency
- Legislation to require a minimum number of minutes of instruction for each school year
- Student Attendance Accounting Handbook and House Bill 2610: Frequently Asked Questions, Version 4, Texas Education Agency, February 9, 2016
Senate Committee on State Affairs
Charge: Guardianships
- "Who Guards the Guardians?," Texas Observer, July 6, 2016
- A Texas Guide to Adult Guardianship, Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, May 2016
- Emerging Trends in Adult Guardianship: Review of State Practices and Summary of Findings for Texas, William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, The University of Texas School of Law, December 2014
- Texas Guardianship Cases: Improving Court Processes and Monitoring Practices in Texas Courts, Texas Office of Court Administration, November 2014
Charge: Public integrity unit under authority of Texas Rangers
Charge: Practice of using public funds and employees for the payment processing of union dues
- Collective Bargaining and Labor Union Legislation Database, National Conference of State Legislatures, last updated July 1, 2016
Senate Committee on Transportation
Topic: Overview and update from the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Texas Department of Public Safety
Charge: New and anticipated revenue appropriated to the Texas Department of Transportation and recommendations that address project prioritization and selection, effectiveness of staffing levels and project delivery methods
- Texas Highway Funding: Legislative Primer (including timeline of major changes to state revenue sources for state highways), Legislative Budget Board, April 2016
- HB 20 - Preliminary Report, Legislative Report, Texas Department of Transportation, March 31, 2016
- 84th Texas Legislature, Interim, House Subcommittee on Long-Term Infrastructure Planning, Testimony on future funding needs, alternative funding options, major revenue enhancement strategies enacted by other states (2008 to 2015), response to questions asked, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, September 10 and October 14, 2015
- HB 20 - Initial Report: Revenue Projections, Funding Categories & Allocations, Performance-based Decision Making, Texas Department of Transportation, September 1, 2015
- Funding Needs and Potential Sources, Texas Department of Transportation
Charge: Monitor implementation of legislation, specifically:
1. Progress of the Texas Department of Transportation's efforts to propose a plan to eliminate toll roads
- HB 2612 Report Regarding the Elimination of Toll Roads to the House Committee on Transportation, Texas Department of Transportation, March 30, 2016
- "Paying Off Texas Toll Roads Could Top $30 Billion," Texas Tribune, March 30, 2016
- Texas Toll Road Primer: Final Report, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, February 2014
2. Removing eminent domain authority from private toll corporations
3. Ending the issuing of any new debt from the Texas Mobility Fund (TMF) and prohibiting future use of the TMF on toll projects
September 15 Top
Senate Committee on Finance
Charge: Monitor implementation of legislation, specifically:
- Tax relief provided to property owners
- Property Tax Assistance and Property Tax Bills, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Gradual phase out of the franchise tax
- Texas Franchise Tax, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Support for and the enhancement of graduate medical education
- Graduate Medical Education Programs, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- Efforts of the Department of Information Resources (DIR) to modernize the technology of state agencies
- Technology Legislation, Texas Department of Information Resources
- Implementation of required changes to state agency contracting, purchasing, and accounting procedures
- Monitor the implementation of Health and Human Services Commission Rider 50
- "Texas Supreme Court Halts Children's Therapy Cuts," Texas Tribune, July 8, 2016
- "Cuts to Therapy Services For Disabled Kids Softened," Texas Tribune, October 1, 2015
Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports
Topic: Economic impact that inland waterways, coastal ports and inland ports have on the state economy
- Overview of Texas Ports and Waterways (Testimony for Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports), Texas Department of Transportation, May 4, 2016
- "Texas Ports Stay Busy as Trade Values Fall Along Gulf, Rise Inland," Southwest Economy, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Fourth Quarter 2015
- Texas Ports 2015-2016 Capital Program: Executive Summary, Port Authority Advisory Committee, November 11, 2015
- Survey of State Funding Practices for Coastal Port Infrastructure, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, May 2015
- 2014 Texas Port Report, Texas Department of Transportation, January 20, 2015
- The Texas Maritime Transportation System: Delivering the Goods, Texas Department of Transportation, January 20, 2015
- Texas Intracoastal Waterway Master Plan: Technical Report, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Resubmitted August 2014
- Master Plan for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Texas, Texas Department of Transportation, June 2014
Topic: Future impact that the Panama Canal expansion will have on Texas ports
- "Some Fear Texas Unprepared for Panama Canal Expansion," Texas Tribune, December 1, 2015
- Trade Flows and Texas Gulf Ports: Panama Canal Expansion and South American Markets, Center for Transportation Research at University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M Transportation Institute, August 2013
- Interim Report to the 83rd Legislature (Charge 1 - Panama Canal Expansion), Senate Transportation Committee, February 2013
- Interim Report to the 83rd Legislature (Charge 2 - Panama Canal Expansion), House Committee on Transportation, December 2012
- Preparing Texas Land and Sea for the Panama Canal Expansion: Final Report, Panama Canal Stakeholder Working Group, November 2012