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Interim Hearings – Week of October 14, 2019

Oct 9

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

October 17

Senate Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety (Odessa)

Charge: Learn firsthand, the personal, family, and community impact of mass shootings in Texas by hearing from victims of mass violence in Dallas, Santa Fe, Sutherland Springs, El Paso, and Midland/Odessa. Conduct hearings in Austin, El Paso, and the Midland/Odessa area to meet with victims and their families in those communities.

This entry was posted on October 9, 2019 at 1:54 PM and has received 971 views. Print this entry.

Constitutional Amendment Election, November 2019

Oct 7

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Legislative process

On November 5, 2019, voters will have a chance to consider ten constitutional amendments proposed by the 86th Legislature. The proposed amendments cover a wide range of topics, including taxation, funding for various state agencies, a flood infrastructure fund, and more.

 

For background and analysis of the ballot propositions, see the House Research Organization's Constitutional Amendments Proposed for November 2019 Ballot, and the Texas Legislative Council's Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments.

 

The Texas Constitution is one of the longest in the nation, at an estimated 86,936 words (The Book of the States, vol. 49). The Constitution is changed through amendments, which are proposed by the Texas Legislature and accepted or rejected by the voters. Since the current Texas Constitution was adopted in 1876, 498 amendments have been passed.  

 

Amendments Proposed for the November 5, 2019 ballot by the 86th Legislature

HJR 72 Prop. 1 The constitutional amendment permitting a person to hold more than one office as a municipal judge at the same time.  
SJR 79 Prop. 2 The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board in an amount not to exceed $200 million to provide financial assistance for the development of certain projects in economically distressed areas.  
HJR 34 Prop. 3 The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion of the appraised value of certain property damaged by a disaster.  
HJR 38 Prop. 4 The constitutional amendment prohibiting the imposition of an individual income tax, including a tax on an individual’s share of partnership and unincorporated association income.  
SJR 24 Prop. 5 The constitutional amendment dedicating the revenue received from the existing state sales and use taxes that are imposed on sporting goods to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission to protect Texas’ natural areas, water quality, and history by acquiring, managing,and improving state and local parks and historic sites while not increasing the rate of the state sales and use taxes.  
HJR 12 Prop. 6 The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to increase by $3 billion the maximum bond amount authorized for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.  
HJR 151 Prop. 7 The constitutional amendment allowing increase distributions to the available school fund.  
HJR 4 Prop. 8 The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the flood infrastructure fund to assist in the financing of drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects.  
HJR 95 Prop. 9 The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation precious metal held in a precious metal depository located in this state.  
SJR 32 Prop. 10 The constitutional amendment to allow the transfer of a law enforcement animal to a qualified caretaker in certain circumstances.  

This entry was posted on October 7, 2019 at 9:40 AM and has received 12013 views. Print this entry.

Current Articles & Research Resources, October 3

Oct 3

posted by TexasLRL in Current Articles, Research Resources

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community.

  • Track traffic safety laws state by state. (National Conference of State Legislatures, September 18, 2019)
  • Compare prescription drug prices in the U.S. to prescription drug prices in other countries. (U.S. House Ways & Means Committee, September 2019)
  • Read about federal funding designated for reimbursing Texas health care providers for charity care. (Texas Health and Human Services Commission, October 1, 2019)
  • Explore free access to case law. (Harvard Law School, ©2019)

Members of the Texas legislative community may request the articles below here or by calling 512-463-1252.

  • "New federal loan-forgiveness program still rejects 99% of applicants." By Michael Vasquez. Chronicle of Higher Education, September 20, 2019, p. A21.
    Highlights problems with the United States Department of Education's college loan forgiveness program for individuals going into public service.
  • "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Home truths." Economist, September 14th-20th, 2019, pp. 67-68.
    Discusses United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's plan to reform the federal housing finance system.
  • "Fiscal highlights from the 86th Legislature: Legislative session tackled public education, property taxes." By Ramona Reeves. Fiscal Notes, September 2019, pp. 1, 3-5.
    Provides an overview of the 2020-2021 state budget and details legislation passed by the 86th Legislature on school finance (HB3), local property taxes (SB2), teacher retirement (SB500 and SB12), online sales taxes (HB1525 and HB2153), and investment of the Rainy Day Fund into the Legacy Fund (SB69).
  • "The 'green rush,' CBD businesses flourishing under new law." By Neetish Basnet. Fort Worth Business Press, September 16-22, 2019, pp. 26-27.
    Discusses the new industrial hemp law and its impact on businesses in Texas. Quotes Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
  • "Serving rural America: Health insurance providers at work." Internet Resource, September 2019, pp. 1-6.
    Presents five case studies featuring health insurance providers' various approaches to delivering quality health care in rural America, while addressing the problem of rural hospital closings and mergers.
  • "Toolkit: State strategies to support older adults aging in place in rural areas." By Neva Kaye and Kristina Long. Internet Resource, September 2019, pp. 1-23.
    Provides examples of strategies states are using to support aging in place for older adults in rural areas. Highlights SB670, 86th Legislature, and SB1107, 85th Legislature, R.S., as examples of legislation removing the barriers to the use of telehealth and telemedicine.
  • "Federalism as an antidote to polarization over health care policy." By Stuart M. Butler. JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), September 24, 2019, pp. 1131-1132.
    Recounts how federalism historically has helped to resolve policy impasses by allowing states to opt in — or out — with regard to disputed programs such as welfare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act.
  • "Understanding Wayfair: A user-friendly guide to the biggest state tax case in 30 years." By Rick Najjar and Ted Kontopoulos. Journal of MultiState Taxation and Incentives, October 2019, pp. 6-17.
    Discusses the fundamental concepts and state tax ramifications of South Dakota v. Wayfair, in which the United States Supreme Court held that physical presence is no longer required for sales tax collection on remote or online sellers. Addresses textualism versus intentionalism in enactment of state tax statutes, substantial nexus, and the greater importance of due process.
  • "The new trustbusters are coming for big tech." By Thomas Hazlett. Reason, October 2019, pp. 20-27.
    Considers the economic school of thought known as "new structuralism," or "hipster antitrust," which advocates for regulation and antitrust action. Argues "nondiscrimination" regulations aimed at providing equal access favor legacy technologies at the expense of startups and innovation and do not protect consumers as intended.
  • "The potential pitfalls of combating surprise billing; Comment." By Ike Brannon, David A. Hyman, Benedic Ippolito, and David Kemp. Regulation (CATO Institute), Fall 2019, pp. 40-47.
    Discusses three plans Congress is considering to address surprise medical billing: benchmarking payments, mandated in-network guarantee, and independent dispute resolution [IDR]. Suggests IDR is the best mechanism to limit surprise bills, while commentators believe a contract-based approach would outperform IDR.
  • "Texas K-12 education spending set to rise, but who will pay?" By Jason Saving. Southwest Economy (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas), Third Quarter 2019, pp. 17-21.
    Comments on the education reform package passed by the 86th Legislature (HB3, SB2). Examines why the latest school finance fix may not fully provide a long-term solution to meeting local school districts' needs.
  • "School finance: Moving mountains." By Daniel Thatcher. State Legislatures, September/October 2019, pp. 17-19.
    Draws lessons from the experiences of states that successfully updated or replaced their school funding formulas.
  • "Bridge to nowhere." By Gus Bova. Texas Observer, September-October 2019, pp. 26-31.
    Investigates three companies' plans to build liquefied natural gas [LNG] facilities in South Texas and the local communities' opposition to them. Argues the proposed construction site for the Rio Grande Valley LNG plants will result in the destruction of fragile ecosystems and will pose health and safety risks for nearby residents. Mentions Senator Eddie Lucio and Representative Alex Dominguez.
  • "Inside the dangerous rise of JUUL." By Jamie Ducharme. Time, September 30, 2019, pp. 40-47.
    Profiles e-cigarette maker Juul, a mostly unregulated company that has been linked to the sharp rise in teenage and young adult vaping and nicotine addiction.

The Legislative Reference Library compiles this weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. Professional librarians review and select articles from more than 300 periodicals, including public policy journals, specialized industry periodicals, news magazines, and state agency publications. Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles using our online form.

This entry was posted on October 3, 2019 at 3:15 PM and has received 1099 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of October 7, 2019

Oct 2

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

October 9

House Committee on Redistricting (Fort Worth) 

Topic: 2021 legislative redistricting process and 2020 Census data

 

October 10

House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety (Farmers Branch) 

Duties:

(1) Examine options for strengthening enforcement measures for current laws that prevent the transfer of firearms to felons and other persons prohibited by current law from possessing firearms

(2) Examine impediments and challenges to the timely reporting of relevant criminal history information and other threat indicators to state and federal databases

(3) Examine the role of digital media and technology in threat detection, assessment, reporting, and prevention, including the collaboration between digital media and law enforcement

(4) Evaluate the ongoing and long-term workforce needs of the state related to cybersecurity, mental health, law enforcement, and related professionals

(5) Evaluate current protocols and extreme risk indicators used to identify potential threats and consider options for improving the dissemination of information between federal, state, and local entities and timely and appropriate intervention of mental health professionals

 

House Committee on Redistricting (Dallas) 

Topic: 2021 legislative redistricting process and 2020 Census data

This entry was posted on October 2, 2019 at 9:00 AM and has received 1604 views. Print this entry.

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