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Legislative Reference Library of Texas
your partner in legislative research

Week in Review, October 4th

Oct 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.
  • Examine current levels of state and local government debt in Texas. (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, September 2012)
  • View projected state tax growth for fiscal year 2013. (National Conference of State Legislatures, September 25, 2012)
  • Read about the 2012 long-term projections for the Social Security program's revenues and outlays. (Congressional Budget Office, October 2012)
  • Consider how SAT performance gauges college and career readiness of high school seniors graduating in 2012. (College Board, September 24, 2012)
  • Explore state laws and regulations related to the collateral consequences of conviction. (American Bar Association, 2012)
  • Try a new data tool for searching information on employment, demographics, occupations, and more. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed October 2012)

This entry was posted on October 4, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 2496 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Weeks of October 1 and 8, 2012

Oct 1

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, and a list of upcoming Budget Hearings.

 

October 5th

House Committee on Higher Education

Charge:  Research funding

 

October 8th

House Committee on Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII and Urban Affairs (Joint Hearing) Charge: Homelessness

 
House Committee on Business & Industry 

Charge:  Adverse possession

 

Charge: Deed restrictions

Charge: Monitor agencies and 82nd legislation, including changes to homeowners associations

House Committee on Urban Affairs

Charge:  Monitor agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction and implementation of legislation by the 82nd Legislature (upon adjournment of Joint Hearing with House Committee on Appropriations - S/C on Articles VI, VII, & VIII)

 

Senate Committee on Education   

Charge: Virtual schools

 

October 9th

House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs and Elections (Joint Hearing)

Charge: Implementation and impact of the Military Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act

 

House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Charge: Workforce transition, occupational licensing

 

Charge: Suicide prevention

Senate Committee on Business & Commerce (see the Committee's blog for written testimony, witnesses, and updates, as well as Twitter)

Agency quarterly updates

Charge: Telecommunications market, specifically the Universal Service Fund

 

Charge: Smart meters

 

Charge: Monitor implementation of legislation in the 82nd Regular and Called Sessions, specifically HB 2592 and 2594 relating to payday lending

 

Senate Committee on Government Organization CANCELED

Charge: Cost-effectiveness analysis in state agency rule making

 

Charge: Protection of state information and electronic data

 

UPCOMING BUDGET HEARINGS

October 2nd

Funeral Service Commission

Licensing and Regulation, Texas Department of

 

October 3rd

Stephen F. Austin State University

 

This entry was posted on October 1, 2012 at 8:13 AM and has received 3159 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, September 27th

Sep 27

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.
  • Explore how the obesity epidemic will affect America's future. (Trust for America's Health, September 2012)
  • Read about the Affordable Care Act penalty tax for being uninsured. (Congressional Budget Office, September 2012)
  • Try the new Congress.gov, a source for United States legislative information. (Library of Congress / United States Copyright Office, launched September 19, 2012)
  • Review the 2011 numbers for poverty in the United States. (Congressional Research Service, September 13, 2012)

This entry was posted on September 27, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1666 views. Print this entry.

School Finance Lawsuits - 2011/2012

Sep 24

posted by Admin in Court cases

Since October 2011, six lawsuits have been filed against the State of Texas regarding the system of school finance in Texas. The cases have been consolidated and are scheduled to go to trial in the Travis County District Court on October 22, 2012. Judge John K. Dietz will preside.
 
If you are following the school finance lawsuits, the following resources may be helpful.
Here are the six cases scheduled for Oct. 22 trial (as Cause No. D-1-GN-11-003130) :
  1. Texas Taxpayer & Student Fairness Coalition, et al. v. Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education, et al.; Plaintiffs' original petition and request for declaratory judgment, list of school districts (Cause No. D-1-GN-11-003130). (Filed October 10, 2011) [View ] [View Texas' answer]
  2. Texas School Coalition v. Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education, et al.; Plaintiff's original petition, list of school districts (Cause No. D-1-GV-11-001917). (Filed December 9, 2011) [ View ]
  3. MALDEF - Edgewood Independent School District, et al. v. Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education, et al.; Plaintiff's original petition, press release (Cause No. D-1-GV-11-001972). (Filed December 13, 2011) [ View ]
  4. Fort Bend Independent School District, et al. (63 school districts including Austin, Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth) v. Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education, et al.; Plaintiff's original petition, press release, and list of school districts (Cause No. D-1-GV-11-002028). (Filed December 22, 2011) [ View ]
  5. (Petition to intervene ) Texans for Real Efficiency and Equity in Education  - Fort Bend Independent School District, et al. v. Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education, et al.; (Cause No. D-1-GV-11-002028). (Filed February 22, 2012) [ View ]
  6. Texas Charter School Association, et al., v. Robert Scott, Texas Education Agency Commissioner, et al.; Plaintiffs' original petition (Cause No. D-1-GN-12-001923, charter school limit unconstitutional) (Filed June 26, 2012)  [ View ]
 
The Texas Tribune offers a good infographic summarizing the legal arguments made in each of the six cases. They also offer a longer analysis of the cases.
To see a list of Texas school districts participating in the litigation as of May 9, 2012, please go here.  (Provided by the Red Apple Project)
 
 
 
 
 
 

This entry was posted on September 24, 2012 at 8:15 AM and has received 5297 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, September 20th

Sep 20

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.
  • Examine driver's license renewal provisions for older drivers state by state. (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, September 2012)
  • Read about the economic effects of the Great Recession on American workers. (Economic Policy Institute, September 2012)
  • Find information, statistics, and maps on drought throughout the United States. (National Integrated Drought Information System, September 2012)
  • Track voter turnout statistics from previous elections. (United States Elections Project, accessed September 2012)
  • Consider the effects of opening federal lands to oil and gas leasing. (Congressional Budget Office, August 2012)
 

This entry was posted on September 20, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1605 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings - Week of September 24, 2012

Sep 18

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, and a list of upcoming Budget Hearings.

 

September 24th

House Committee on Elections

Charge: Mobile voting

 

Charge: Voter registration

 

Charge: Monitor agencies and programs under committee jurisdiction, implementation of 82nd legislation

 

House Committee on  Land & Resource Management

Charge: Texas Private Real Property Rights Preservation Act

 

Charge: Municipal regulatory authority in extraterritorial jurisdictions

 

Joint Committee on Public School Finance System

Charge: Public school finance system

 

September 25th

House Committee on Public Education

Charge: Review of the University Interscholastic League (UIL)

 

Senate Committee on Finance

Charge: Budget process - efficiency and transparency

 

Charge: Cash management - timing of receipts of state revenues and expenditures, short-term and intrafund borrowing, and cash needs for upcoming biennium

 
Briefing on Certificates of Obligation

Joint Committee on Human Trafficking

Charge: Services for victims of human trafficking

 

Charge: Services for minor sex trafficking victims

 

September 26th

House Committee on Environmental Regulation 

Charge: Federal 8-hour ozone standard under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards program and its impact on the State Implementation Plan

 

Charge: Dam safety, impact of HB 2694, 82nd Legislature

 

Charge: Environmental Protection Agency rules that may impact permits for Texas facilities

 

Charge: Monitor agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction and implementation of legislation by the 82nd Legislature

 

September 27th

House Committee on State Affairs  

Charge: Businesses' interactions with state agencies

 

Upcoming Budget Hearings

September 24th

General Land Office and Veterans' Land Board

Higher Education Coordinating Board

Insurance, Department of

Public Community/Junior Colleges

 

September 25th

Angelo State University

Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Texas Tech University System

 

September 26th

Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas

 

September 27th

Midwestern State University

Texas Woman's University

University of North Texas

University of North Texas - Dallas

University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth

University of North Texas System

 

This entry was posted on September 18, 2012 at 9:00 AM and has received 2621 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, September 13th

Sep 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.
  • Explore recent figures on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage. (U.S. Census Bureau, September 12, 2012)
  • Examine worker displacement. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 24, 2012)
  • Consider the steadily increasing Hispanic student college enrollment. (Pew Hispanic Center, August 20, 2012)
  • Track diabetes down to the county level. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012)

This entry was posted on September 13, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1599 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of September 17, 2012

Sep 11

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, and a list of upcoming Budget Hearings.

 

September 17th

House Committee on Human Services

Charge: Managed care in South Texas

 

Charge: Foster care redesign

 

September 18th

House Committee on County Affairs

Charge: Population growth in unincorporated areas

 

Charge: County jails

 

Charge: Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction; update on Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program Medicaid 1115 Waiver

 

Upcoming Budget Hearings

 

September 17th

Arts, Commission on the

Library and Archives Commission

Nursing, Board of

 

September 18th

Information Resources, Department of

The University of Texas - Arlington, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Health Center at Tyler, Health Science Center at San Antonio, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Medical Branch at Galveston, System Administration

 

September 19th

Finance Authority, Public

Governor, Office of the

Housing and Community Affairs, Department of

Insurance Counsel, Office of Public

Lottery Commission, Texas

Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor

The University of Texas - Brownsville, Health Science Center at Houston, Pan American, Permian Basin, San Antonio, Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Tyler

Water Development Board

 

September 20th

Comptroller of Public Accounts, Fiscal Programs

Employees Retirement System

State Health Services, Department of

Workforce Commission, Texas

 

September 21st

Health and Human Services Commission

Texas Facilities Commission

Texas Southern University

University of Houston - Clear Lake, Downtown, System Administration, Victoria

 

This entry was posted on September 11, 2012 at 12:24 PM and has received 2369 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, September 6th

Sep 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.
  • Examine racial, ethnic, and gender gaps in post-secondary educational participation and attainment. (National Center for Education Statistics, August 2012)
  • Read about metropolitan labor markets. (Brookings, August 29, 2012)
  • Consider the shrinking middle class. (Pew Research Center, August 22, 2012)
  • Take a look at requirements for replacement windows' energy savings claims. (Federal Trade Commission, August 29, 2012)
  • Find out how much food is wasted throughout its journey from farm to table. (National Resources Defense Council, August 2012)
  • Explore data from cities all over the country in one place. (Cities.Data.Gov, 2012)

This entry was posted on September 6, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1447 views. Print this entry.

Week in Review, August 30th

Aug 30

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 whether retaining elementary students in the same grade for another year for remedial purposes is helpful to the students. (Center on Children and Families at Brookings, August 2012)
  • Review a study about the effects of school vouchers on college enrollment. (The Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings / Harvard's Program on Education Policy and Governance, August 2012)
  • Explore how new models for offering online college courses are changing college education. (Smithsonian.com, August 27, 2012)
  • Pinpoint metro areas where college students live. (The Atlantic, Cities, August 27, 2012)
  • Check out a graphic on Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (The Journal of the American Medical Association, August 22/29, 2012)
  • Read about health insurance exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. (Congressional Research Service, August 15, 2012)

This entry was posted on August 30, 2012 at 3:15 PM and has received 1615 views. Print this entry.

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