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.
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs (Wharton)
Topic: Impact to agriculture and rural communities from Hurricane Harvey
- Texas Agricultural Losses from Hurricane Harvey Estimated at More Than $200 Million (Press Release), Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, October 29, 2017
- "Digging Out with Fewer Hands: Recovery Is No Sure Thing in the Small Texas Towns Wrecked by Hurricane Harvey (La Grange, Columbus, Sargent)," Austin American-Statesman, September 21, 2017
- "Federal Agricultural Recovery Resources for Hurricane-Related Losses," CRS Insight, Congressional Research Service, September 8, 2017
- Hurricane Harvey Response, Texas Department of Agriculture
Charge: Water infrastructure projects in the State Water Plan to mitigate flooding, possible third reservoir in addition to Addicks and Barker, flood mitigation infrastructure and restoration of critical dam infrastructure
- Living With Dams: Extreme Rainfall Events: An Informational Booklet for Policymakers, Dam Owners and Downstream Communities, Association of State Dam Safety Officials, 2015
- "Developing Storm (Parts 1 – 7)," Houston Chronicle, December 7 – 24, 2017
- 2017 State Water Plan: Water For Texas, Texas Water Development Board, adopted May 19, 2016, with amendments approved July 7, 2016, and December 7, 2017
- A Guide to Public Alerts and Warnings for Dam and Levee Emergencies, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Risk Management Center, June 5, 2015
- Flooding Impacts in Connection with the Reservoirs (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers information, ground elevation and water levels of Addicks and Barker Reservoirs), Harris County Flood Control District
- Flood Protection Grant Programs, Texas Water Development Board
- Subdivisions Impacted by Rising Barker and Addicks Reservoir Levels (Interactive map), Houston Chronicle
Senate Committee on Finance
Charge: Trauma funding
- "Should Texas Kill the Controversial Driver Responsibility Program?, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 6, 2017
- Interim Report to the 85th Legislature (Charge 5 – Evaluate necessity of the Driver Responsibility Program), Senate Transportation Committee, November 2016
- Texas Trauma System Funding: Presentation to the House Appropriations & House Public Health Committees (With handouts), Legislative Budget Board, July 2016
- Texas' Trauma System (Funding and Driver Responsibility Program), Teaching Hospitals of Texas, May 2016
- Interim Report to the 84th Legislature (Charge 4 – Improvement of Driver Responsibility Program), House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, January 2015
- "Bleeding Money: Texas Trauma Center Funding is in Jeopardy," Texas Medicine, July 2010
- Texas Health & Safety Code § 780.002, Certain Deposits to Account (Driver Responsibility Program, Trauma Fund)
- Texas Transportation Code §§ 708.001-708.159, Driver Responsibility Program
Charge: Texas Emission Reduction Plan (TERP)
- "Texas Collects Fees from Residents to Clean Up the Air: Why Won't Lawmakers Use It?," Texas Observer, April 13, 2017
- Texas Emissions Reduction Plan Biennial Report (2015-2016): A Report to the 85th Texas Legislature, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, December 2016
- Interim Report to the 85th Legislature (Charge 2 – Texas Emissions Reduction Plan), Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development, November 2016
- "Talking TERP – The Texas Approach to Clean Air (Part 2)" (Addresses whether program has been a good investment), Texas Clean Air Matters (Blog), Environmental Defense Fund, November 3, 2016
- "Talking TERP – The Texas Approach to Clean Air (Part 1)" (Overview), Texas Clean Air Matters (Blog), Environmental Defense Fund, October 31, 2016
- Texas Emissions Reduction Plan: Issue Brief, Legislative Budget Board, April 2013
- Texas Health & Safety Code §§ 386.001-386.252, Texas Emissions Reduction Plan
Charge: Fee structure review
- "Further Reduce Reliance on General Revenue-Dedicated Accounts for Certification of the State Budget," Legislative Budget Board Staff Reports, Legislative Budget Board, January 2017
- Actions Taken by the Legislature to Reduce Reliance on General Revenue-Dedicated Balances, Legislative Budget Board, May 18, 2016
Charge: Request to exceed review: Review all riders requiring interim action by the Legislative Budget Board to reduce the number of times interim budget modification is necessary.
Topic: Hurricane Harvey relief and recovery
- "How Much Has Been Raised for Harvey Relief – and How's It Being Spent?," Texas Tribune, November 28, 2017
- Updated Hurricane Harvey’s Fiscal Impact on State Agencies (Presented to Senate Finance Committee), Legislative Budget Board, December 5, 2017
House Committee on Investments & Financial Services
Charge: Impact of Hurricane Harvey on financial institutions
- "Hurricane Harvey Wreaks New Damage on Texas Homeowners as Mortgage Delinquencies Soar," San Antonio Express-News, January 15, 2018
- Hurricane Harvey: Information for Consumers and Bankers in the Affected Areas, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), last updated September 8, 2017
- After the Storm: The Impact of Recent Hurricanes (Impact of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria on banks and customers), American Banker, August-October 2017
- Harvey Information (Press releases, industry notice, proclamations), Texas Department of Banking
Charge: Mortgage licensure requirements
- Statutes and Rules, Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending
Senate Committee on State Affairs (San Marcos)
Charge: Freedom of speech on campus
- The State of Free Speech and Tolerance in America: Attitudes About Free Speech, Campus Speech, Religious Liberty, and Tolerance of Political Expression (Section V - campus speech), Cato Institute, October 31, 2017
- "Flip-Flopping on Free Speech: The Fight for the First Amendment, On Campuses and Football Fields, From the Sixties to Today," The New Yorker, October 9, 2017
- Campus Free Speech: A Legislative Proposal, Goldwater Institute, January 30, 2017
- Campus Free Speech Protection: A Policy White Paper, Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, January 2017
- The ALT-Right on Campus: What Students Need to Know, Southern Poverty Law Center, 2017
House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety (Tyler)
Topic: Comprehensive review by the Department of Public Safety on various agency matters, including but not limited to: Driver license operations, Texas/Mexico border security and operations, East Texas Gang/Cartel activity, Safety factors with respect to sedan vs. SUV patrol units, CUP appropriations for FY 18/19 and retire/rehire program
- "Criticism Builds for Texas DPS Decision to Lay Off 117 Older Officers," Texas Tribune, January 11, 2018
- Need-Based Dismissal Report (Interoffice Memorandum), Texas Department of Public Safety, December 18, 2017
- Compassionate Use Program (News & Updates), Texas Department of Public Safety, December 2017
- Texas Gang Threat Assessment, Texas Department of Public Safety, July 2017
- Texas Border Security Monthly Brief, Texas Department of Public Security, June 2017
- State Funding for Border Security (Presented to the House Appropriations Committee), Legislative Budget Board, February 2017
- "Improve Transparency and Oversight of the Driver License Improvement Program," Legislative Budget Board Staff Reports, Legislative Budget Board, January 2017
- Agency Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2017 to 2021, Texas Department of Public Safety, 2017
- Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan 2015-2020, Texas Office of Homeland Security, September 30, 2015
Topic: Interactions between law enforcement and citizens including an update on enactments of new law
- "Should Public Schools Teach Kids How to Interact with Police?," Governing, October 6, 2017
- "Texas Teens to be Trained Next Year on Police Interactions," Texas Tribune, September 22, 2017
- Texas Education Code § 28.012, Instruction on Interaction with Law Enforcement
Topic: Junior college campus security
- Texas Public Junior Colleges Safety and Security Needs Assessment Report 2017, Texas School Safety Center, Texas State University, 2017
- "Campus Carry in Spotlight After Police Officer's Death," Inside Higher Ed, October 11, 2017
- "Community Colleges Face Big Security Risks with Few Resources," Chronicle of Higher Education, October 2, 2015
Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development (Houston)
Charge: Hotel occupancy taxes
- Texas Hotel Performance Research, Prepared for Texas Tourism, Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism, JLL, March 2017
- "The Hotel Occupancy Tax: A Short History of a Complex Levy," Fiscal Notes, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, June-July 2016
- Hotel Occupancy Tax, Municipal Hotel Occupancy Tax Reporting, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Charge: Regulatory barriers, including permitting or registration requirements and fees
- "Texas Ranks Near the Top (Again) for Economic Freedom" (Blog), Texas Public Policy Foundation, January 8, 2018
- License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing, 2nd Edition, Texas state profile, Institute for Justice, November 2017
- Economic Freedom of North America 2017, Fraser Institute, 2017
- Interim Report to the 85th Legislature (Charge 3 – Economic development incentives, modification of existing administrative or regulatory barriers; Charge 4 – Expedited permitting), Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development, November 2016
- Enemy of the People: How Government Barriers to Competition Hurt the Public and Subvert the Constitution, Texas Public Policy Foundation, April 2014
Senate Select Committee on Property Tax Reform (Houston)
Charge: How property tax law could better advance disaster recovery after Hurricane Harvey while ensuring that taxpayers are protected from excessive taxation and wasteful spending
- "Harvey's Next Blow: Home Values, Tax Collections Expected to Drop," Texas Tribune, October 20, 2017
- "Houston-Area School Districts Give Property Owners Tax Relief After Hurricane Harvey," Houston Chronicle, October 19, 2017
- Declared Natural Disasters and Emergencies Tax Help: Property Taxes in Disaster Areas, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Texas Tax Code § 23.02, Reappraisal of Property Damaged in Natural Disaster Area
Charge: Statutory changes necessary, if any, for a municipality to be able to redirect revenue from Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones (TIRZ) for a set period of time to assist in paying the costs associated with recovery and rebuilding necessary infrastructure following a disaster declaration by the Governor or President
- Biennial Registries of Reinvestment Zones for Tax Abatements and Tax Increment Financing 2016, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, December 2016
- Texas Tax Code Ch. 311, Tax Increment Financing Act (Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones)
- Tax Increment Financing Act, Tax Code Chapter 311 Overview, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
