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

Week in Review, January 3rd

Jan 3

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 how Medicaid is a major state budget concern for many of the states. (Stateline, December 14, 2012)
  • Examine the credit reporting industry. (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, December 2012)
  • See a list of party leaders in Congress from 1789 to 2012. (Congressional Research Service, December 18, 2012)
  • Explore a history of the Morrill Land Grant Act and how land grants changed higher education in America. (Origins, January 2013)

This entry was posted on January 3, 2013 at 3:15 PM and has received 981 views. Print this entry.

Alcoholic Beverage Regulation: Recent News and Reports

Dec 28

posted by TexasLRL in Interesting documents, Alcohol

Since the end of Prohibition, Texas has allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages under a three-tiered system intended to prevent close ties between manufacturers and retailers.  Businesses in each tier are licensed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.   
 
In recent years, the growing number of craft breweries and distilleries has prompted calls for changes to the regulatory system to provide more opportunities for small producers to reach consumers.  At the same time, court rulings have challenged some aspects of Texas' regulation of alcoholic beverages. 
 
The current state of alcoholic beverage regulation in Texas and other states is explored in a number of recent reports:
 
 
 
None of these bills passed, but there is no shortage of speculation that changes to Texas' alcoholic beverage laws will again be considered during the 2013 legislative session.  Here are a few news stories which discuss issues related to alcoholic beverage regulation:
 
You can find bills related to alcoholic beverage regulation filed for the 83rd Regular Session under the subject "Alcoholic Beverage Regulation" at Texas Legislature Online.

This entry was posted on December 28, 2012 at 1:10 PM and has received 3364 views. Print this entry.

Schools and Guns: Laws and Related Resources

Dec 21

posted by Admin in Concealed weapons

In light of recent events and the emerging debate about guns in schools, the library has pulled together the following collection of resources.  
 
Texas laws:
Multiple laws govern the use of handguns by Texas residents. The Texas Department of Public Safety has a helpful publication that highlights these laws: 
 
There has been a growing debate over whether the state should allow individuals with concealed handgun licenses to legally carry in Texas primary and secondary schools. Texas Penal Code Sec. 46.03 and Sec. 46.035  currently ban handguns on school grounds as well as at school sporting events.
 
The library did not locate any past Texas legislation that attempted to allow teachers and administrators to carry handguns in primary and secondary schools. In the most recent session, SB 354 attempted to allow individuals who were licensed to carry concealed weapons to do so on higher education campuses. The bill did not pass. 
 
School Safety resources:
Information about state-required school safety standards can be found on the Texas School Safety Center website. Created in 2001 by SB 430, the Texas School Safety Center  is a good starting point for safety and security information pertaining to all independent school districts and junior college districts in Texas.  The site makes available the Texas Unified School Safety Standards as well as the latest survey of safety and security audits completed by Texas schools. 
 
Federal laws:
Two major federal statutes regulate the commerce in and possession of firearms: the National Firearms Act of 1934 (26 U.S.C. §5801 et seq.) and the Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended (18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, §921 et seq.).
 
A recent publication by the Congressional Research Service, Gun Control Legislation, discusses both of these acts, as well as the gun control debate in the context of recent mass shootings. In addition, the publication also provides a set of helpful data sources for firearm-related statistics.

This entry was posted on December 21, 2012 at 2:07 PM and has received 4028 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, December 13th

Dec 13

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 how the fiscal cliff will affect states. (Pew Center on the States, November 2012)
  • Examine ways to reduce students' burden of unmanageable debt upon graduating from college. (University of Texas System Student Debt Reduction Task Force, December 2012)
  • Explore state-by-state texting while driving laws and sobriety checkpoint laws. (Governors Highway Safety Association, December 2012)
  • Read about right to work laws. (Congressional Research Service, December 6, 2012)
SEASON'S GREETINGS TO ALL OUR READERS!
There will be no Week in Review for December 20 and 27, 2012.
Week in Review will resume January 3, 2013.

This entry was posted on December 13, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1595 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Week of December 17, 2012

Dec 12

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 82nd 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.

 

December 18th

House Interim Committee on Manufacturing, Interim

Topic: Recommendations for the House, invited and public testimony

 

Senate Committee on Natural Resources

Charge: Texas Emissions Reduction Program and National Ambient Air Quality Standards

 

Senate Committee on Transportation

Charge: Panama Canal expansion and Texas' cargo and shipping industry,  Houston Ship Channel Security

 

Charge: Oversize and overweight vehicles

 

Charge: Toll collection and enforcement tools to pursue toll scofflaws

 

Charge: Natural gas fueling infrastructure, electric vehicle charging stations and alternative-fueled vehicles

 

Charge: Sunset Advisory Committee recommendations; Proposition 12

 

December 19th

  • Public Testimony
    • Texas Facilities Commission
    • Department of Information Resources
    • Procurement and Support Services Division of the Comptroller of Public Accounts
    • Public Utility Commission of Texas
    • Railroad Commission of Texas
  • Commission Decisions
  • Texas Board of Architectural Examiners
  • Texas Education Agency
  • Texas Board of Professional Engineers
  • Self-Directed Semi-Independent Agency Project Act

 

December 20th          

House Committee on Appropriations

Topic: Program operations and funding considerations at the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and General Land Office

 

This entry was posted on December 12, 2012 at 7:58 AM and has received 2466 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, December 6th

Dec 6

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.
 

This entry was posted on December 6, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1706 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Weeks of December 3 and 10, 2012

Dec 3

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 82nd 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.

 

December 3rd

House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence

Charge: Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) enforcement

 

December 6th

Charge: Texas Red Tape Challenge

 

December 10th

Senate Committee on State Affairs

Charge: State authority and protection from federal overreach

 

Charge: Texas Workers' Compensation system

 

Charge: Monitor the implementation of legislation, specifically, SB 100, 82nd Regular Session, relating to implementation and impact of the Military Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act

 

December 11th

House Interim Committee on Response to Federal Sequestration

Topic: Possible actions by Texas in response to federal sequestration

 

Senate Committee on Economic Development

Charge: Unemployed return to work programs, long-term unemployed, job training  

 

Charge: Economic benefits of the 25 largest industries in this state, including energy, manufacturing, healthcare, tourism, etc.; economic development incentives for data centers, film incentives, or other specific industry clusters  

 

Charge: Financing for the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund

 

Charge: Monitor implementation of legislation, including SB 1048, 82nd Legislature, on public-private partnerships

 

This entry was posted on December 3, 2012 at 8:43 AM and has received 2558 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, November 29th

Nov 29

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 the projected rise in type 2 diabetes in youth. (American Diabetes Association, November 21, 2012)
  • See a list of the largest companies headquartered in Texas. (Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism, 2012)
  • Read about the effect of low natural gas prices on the economy. (Congressional Research Service, November 6, 2012)
  • Examine resources on fire science and arson. (LLRX.com, November 12, 2012)
  • Check out a state-by-state list of anti-price gouging laws. (Knowledge Problem, November 3, 2012)
  • Explore sequestration, federal spending cuts to federal programs over a ten-year period that would go into effect if Congress cannot agree on how to reduce the nation's debt by January 1. (Capitol Ideas, November/December 2012)

This entry was posted on November 29, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1658 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Weeks of November 19 and 26, 2012

Nov 16

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 82nd 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.

 

November 19th

Senate Committee on State Affairs

Charge: Workforce retention program or deferred retirement option plan (DROP) for Texas Department of Public Safety peace officers

 

Charge:  Health reimbursement accounts and Medicare exchanges for Medicare eligible participants currently covered by and receiving health coverage through the Employees Retirement System, the Teacher Retirement System, the University of Texas, and Texas A&M University

 

Topic: Long-term sustainability of the Employees Retirement System group insurance program and the Texas Public School Retired Employee group insurance program pursuant to 2012-2013 General Appropriations Act, Article I, Employees Retirement System Rider 13 and Article III, Teacher Retirement System Rider 16

 

Topic: Pension benefit studies submitted to the Legislature regarding Employees Retirement System and Teacher Retirement system pension plans pursuant to the 2012-2013 General Appropriations Act, Article IX, Section 18.03

 

November 26th

Senate Committee on Open Government

Charge: Public Information Act revisions

 

Charge: Security of electronic information

 

Charge: Government records retention

 

Charge: Frivolous or overly-burdensome open records requests

 

November 28th

Senate Committee on Natural Resources

Charge: Water rate jurisdiction

 

November 29th

House Committee on Ways & Means

Charge: Property and margins tax issues

 

Senate Committee on Government Organization 

Charge: Cost-effectiveness analysis in state agency rule making

 

Charge: Protection of state information and electronic data

 

This entry was posted on November 16, 2012 at 2:51 PM and has received 2877 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, November 15th

Nov 15

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.
  • Check out the latest from the American Community Survey. (U.S. Census Bureau, October 25, 2012)
  • Examine student loan debt and its economic effects. (Center for American Progress, October 25, 2012)
  • Get an explanation of the fiscal cliff. (The Atlantic, November 9, 2012)
  • See what consumers can expect now from the federal health care law. (Kaiser Health News, November 8, 2012)
  • Read about ship recycling in Brownsville. (Fast Company, October 24, 2012)
Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers!
There will be no Week in Review during the week of November 19.
The next Week in Review will be posted Thursday, November 29.

This entry was posted on November 15, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1846 views. Print this entry.

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