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2020 General Election: Voting Resources

Sep 29

posted by TexasLRL in Resource highlights, Election

This year the general election will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Texas Secretary of State's website, VoteTexas.gov, has a listing of other important 2020 elections dates, including the last day to register to vote, the last day to apply for a ballot by mail, and the dates for early voting.

 

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published recommendations for election officials, poll workers, and voters on their webpage, Considerations for Election Polling Locations and Voters (updated June 10, 2020).

 

Below we've also compiled a list of resources from Texas state officials and other organizations related to the upcoming election, voting by mail, and voting and holding elections during a pandemic. Please use the contact information on the respective agencies' websites for any questions specific to their purposes.

 

Texas state resources:

  • Office of the Governor
    • General Proclamation (Ordering a general election on November 3, 2020), August 26, 2020
    • General Proclamation (Related to early voting by personal appearance and delivery of a marked mail ballot), June 27, 2020

Additional resources related to voting by mail and elections during a pandemic:

 

The tile image, "I Voted" by Ian Aberle, is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 / Resized from original.

 

This entry was posted on September 29, 2020 at 9:15 AM and has received 2088 views. Print this entry.

House Committee Resources: Aggregate Production Operations

Sep 28

posted by TexasLRL in Committee Resources, 86th Session

Committee Resources

The committee has requested written submissions on the following topic. Below are resources related to that topic.

 

House Interim Study Committee on Aggregate Production Operations

Topic: The impact of aggregate production operations (APOs), including, but not limited to, rock-crushing facilities, concrete batch plants, and hot-mix asphalt plants, across the state.

 

Examples of issues impacted by APOs include, but are not limited to:

 

(1) general enforcement of regulations;

(2) nuisance issues relating to dust, noise, and light;

(3) transportation safety and transportation integrity;

(4) air quality;

(5) blasting enforcement;

(6) reclamation efforts;

(7) distance of facilities from adjoining property lines;

(8) disruption of groundwater; and

(9) the impact of municipal ordinances;

 

 

This entry was posted on September 28, 2020 at 9:30 AM and has received 850 views. Print this entry.

Current Articles & Research Resources, September 24

Sep 24

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.

  • Read about the role of the President and the Senate Judiciary Committee in the appointment process of a U.S. Supreme Court justice. (Congressional Research Service, updated September 21 & 22, 2020)
  • Review the latest version of the Texas Legislative Council's Drafting Manual. (Texas Legislative Council, September 2020)
  • Register to vote before the October 5 voter registration deadline. (Texas Secretary of State, September 22, 2020)
  • Find information about the flu vaccine and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated September 21, 2020)

 

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

 

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

 

This entry was posted on September 24, 2020 at 3:15 PM and has received 920 views. Print this entry.

House Committee Resources: Driver's License Issuance and Renewal

Sep 21

posted by TexasLRL in Committee Resources, 86th Session

Committee Resources

The committee has requested written submissions on the following topics. Below are resources related to those topics.

 

House Select Committee on Driver's License Issuance & Renewal  

Charge 1: Examining opportunities to expedite the driver's license renewal processes, with a focus on long wait times, physician waivers for eye exams, redundant fingerprinting, and opportunities to complete the renewal online; Reviewing the feasibility of permanently transferring the licensing program from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) over to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

 

Charge 2: Monitoring the use of additional funds that were devoted to the Department of Public Safety in the 86th Legislature for the purposes of improving the driver's license renewal process, along with the construction of new driver's license service centers.

 

Charge 3: Monitoring the implementation of House Bill 1078 -- which waives driver's license and handgun license fees for individuals with certificates in cardiopulmonary resuscitation -- and determining whether the legislation is being implemented as intended.

 

Charge 4: Monitoring the implementation of Senate Bill 616 -- the DPS sunset bill -- which provides for the conditional transfer of licensing programs from DPS to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and reviewing the new workgroup's adoption of an implementation plan for the orderly transfer of programs.

 

This entry was posted on September 21, 2020 at 9:15 AM and has received 1153 views. Print this entry.

** UPDATED ** COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Texas Informational Resources

Sep 18

posted by TexasLRL in Resource highlights, COVID-19

This post is an update of blog posts dated March 17, 2020, and April 7, 2020.

 

Below is an updated list of resources from Texas leadership and Texas state agencies on the response to COVID-19 (coronavirus). Please use contact information on the respective agencies' websites for any questions specific to their purposes.

 

From Texas leadership:

 

Texas state agency resources:

 

Information on this page is provided as a public service by the Legislative Reference Library. The Legislative Reference Library makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy and makes no warranty in regard to its use. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site.

 

This entry was posted on September 18, 2020 at 8:30 AM and has received 1352 views. Print this entry.

Current Articles & Research Resources, September 17

Sep 17

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.

  • Read about how diet can affect hearing ability. (Consumer Reports, September 14, 2020)
  • Consider the current climate related to state legislation about internet gambling. (National Conference of State Legislatures, September 2020)
  • Review some of the federal and state responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Law Library of Congress, September 2020)
  • Track wildfires and how far wildfire smoke travels. (AirNow.gov, home of the U.S. Air Quality Index, accessed September 16, 2020)

 

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

 

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

 

This entry was posted on September 17, 2020 at 3:15 PM and has received 955 views. Print this entry.

Sunset Commission Meeting, September 23, 2020

Sep 16

posted by TexasLRL in Sunset review

 

This entry was posted on September 16, 2020 at 11:15 AM and has received 708 views. Print this entry.

Contact Tracing

Sep 15

posted by TexasLRL in COVID-19, Research Resources

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes contact tracing as "an effective disease control strategy that involves identifying cases and their contacts then working with them to interrupt disease transmission." In the public health world, contact tracing has long been used in response to infectious diseases. Currently the strategy includes interviewing affected individuals, monitoring cases, providing instructions on isolation and quarantine, and assisting in crisis management. Below are background resources on the principles and concepts involved in contact tracing and state implementation of contact tracing programs.

 

Tile image, "Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2," by NIAID is licensed under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped and resized from original.

This entry was posted on September 15, 2020 at 9:00 AM and has received 1223 views. Print this entry.

House Committee Resources: Licensing & Administrative Procedures

Sep 11

posted by TexasLRL in Committee Resources, 86th Session

Committee Resources

The committee has requested written submissions on the following topics. Below are resources related to those topics.

 

 

House Committee on Licensing & Administrative Procedures                     

Charge 1: Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 86th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:  

  • HB 892, which relates to county regulation of game rooms. Monitor the status of counties statewide who have chosen to regulate game rooms and implement their own regulatory structure to combat illegal gambling activity via registration and permitting requirements, fees, disclosure of ownership, inspection schemes, and civil and criminal penalties.

  • HB 1545, which is the sunset legislation for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). Monitor the implementation of the legislation and the agency's progress in the consolidation, repeal, and creation of certain licenses and permits and the adoption of new fees.
  • HB 2847, which is the omnibus occupational licensing legislation. Monitor the implementation of revisions relating to the licensing and regulation of certain occupations by the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation, including the length of a license term, a fee for the issuance or renewal of a license, and any continuing education required to renew a license.
  • SB 1450, which authorizes alcohol delivery to consumers. Monitor the implementation and permitting process by TABC for consumer delivery of alcohol.

 

Charge 2: Study efforts by the TABC to combat human trafficking at all licensed locations. Make recommendations to increase the TABC's ability to rescue victims and successfully prosecute permit holders that have been identified as participating in human trafficking, and to make regulatory or statutory changes needed to prevent human trafficking in this state. 

 

Charge 3: Examine "control label" products and their impact on the three-tier system and alcoholic beverage industry in the state. Make recommendations to regulate control label products in a way that promotes economic growth, benefits the consumer, and stabilizes the three-tier system. 

 

Charge 4: Evaluate the Texas wine industry and the current labeling requirements associated with the use of "Texas" as an appellation. Determine if current regulations and permitting rules are adequate to support the industry's development. 

 

This entry was posted on September 11, 2020 at 9:00 AM and has received 950 views. Print this entry.

Current Articles & Research Resources, September 10

Sep 10

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.

  • Read about the use of face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19. (Consumer Reports, September 4, 2020)
  • See when and were to view fall foliage. (smokymountains.com, ©2020)
  • Track statistics related to e-cigarette sales over the last six years. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 9, 2020)
  • View the progress of the sunset review schedule through late August of this year. (Sunset Advisory Commission, August 26, 2020)

 

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

 

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on September 10, 2020 at 3:15 PM and has received 965 views. Print this entry.

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