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.
July 11, 2022
House Investigative Committee on The Robb Elementary Shooting
The committee will meet to hear invited testimony from law enforcement authorities and other affected parties related to the facts and circumstances of the events relating to the violent acts, shootings, and murders at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Because of the quasi-judicial nature of the committee's investigation and pursuant to House Rule 4, Section 12, witnesses may be examined in executive session.
Senate Committee on Finance
Charge: Federal Funds: Report on the state use of federal COVID-19 relief funds provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, the American Rescue Plan Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts, and similar federal legislation. Examine local use of federal relief funding, including funding provided to school districts through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. Evaluate the overall fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on state agencies, including costs incurred due to federal mandates. Identify barriers to the effective utilization of funds and make recommendations on the expenditure of unappropriated funds. In addition, evaluate and report on the spending by state agencies that have been utilizing "one-time" federal funding (temporary enhancements, e.g. FMAP and ESSER) sources, where federal funding will likely be significantly reduced in future biennia.
- Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending, Congressional Research Service, updated May 3, 2022
- Federal Funds Watch: Federal Fiscal Year 2022 Appropriations Bill, Legislative Budget Board, April 2022
- State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, submitted by the Texas Education Agency to the U.S. Department of Education, April 21 2021
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Guidance (District Waivers, Finance & Grants), Texas Education Agency
- COVID-19 Reporting, Legislative Budget Board
- Education Stabilization Fund: Texas, U.S. Department of Education
- Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant Programs, Texas Education Agency
July 12, 2022
House Committee on Appropriations
Update on the Texas Economy
- Outlook for the Texas Economy, Texas Real Estate Research Center, June 22, 2022
- Texas Economy, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
- Key Economic Indicators, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Uvalde Response: Mental Health and School Safety
- Governor Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, Speaker Phelan, Senate Finance, House Appropriations Committee Chairs Announce Additional $105.5 Million For School Safety, Mental Health Initiatives (Budget Execution Order), Office of the Governor, June 28, 2022
Interim Charge #3: Evaluate the history of appropriations and revenues for GR-D Accounts 5010 (Sexual Assault Fund) and 0469 (Crime Victims Compensation Fund).
- Fiscal Size-Up 2022-23 Biennium (Crime Victims' Services), Legislative Budget Board, March 2022
- Crime Victim Services: 2021 Annual Report, Office of the Attorney General, December 9, 2021
- Summary of Budget Recommendations - House (Victims Assistance), Office of the Attorney General, February 17, 2021
Interim Charge #5: Review the information technology supporting the Texas Medicaid Program.
- Technology Innovation in Medicaid: What to Expect in the Next Decade, California Health Care Foundation, February 2021
- HHS Information Technology and Data Services Modernization Plan, As Required by 2020-21 General Appropriations Act, House Bill 1, 86th Legislature, Regular Session (Article II, Health and Human Services Commission, Rider 175), Texas Health and Human Services, October 2020
- Medicaid Information Technology: Effective CMS Oversight and States' Sharing of Claims Processing and Information Retrieval Systems Can Reduce Costs, United States Government Accountability Office, September 2020
Interim Charge #7: Make funding recommendations for the phased installation of climate control equipment in state correctional facilities.
- Agency Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2023-2027, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, June 1, 2022
- TDCJ Units with Full, Partial, or No Air-Conditioning, Texas Prisons Community Advocates, April 2022
- Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2022, Texas Department of Criminal Justice, December 1, 2021
- Humane Temperatures Potential Cost Savings Report, Texas Prisons Community Advocates, February 4, 2021
- Tougher Than the Rest: No Criminal Justice Reform "Miracle" in Texas, Prison Legal News, January 1, 2021
- Unit Directory, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Interim Charge #8: Examine the long-term capital needs of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, including deferred maintenance and planned land acquisitions for new state park land.
- Natural Agenda: A Strategic Plan for Texas Parks and Wildlife, Fiscal Years 2023-2027, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, June 1, 2022
- Fiscal Size-Up 2022-23 Biennium (Texas Parks and Wildlife – Capital Improvements), Legislative Budget Board, March 2022
- Future Parks, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Interim Charge #9: Monitor the use of appropriated funds by the Texas Water Development Board from the Flood Infrastructure Fund.
- Staff Report with Commission Decisions (Texas Water Development Board), Sunset Advisory Commission, July 2022
- Fiscal Size-Up 2022-23 Biennium (Texas Water Development Board), Legislative Budget Board, March 2022
- Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF), Project Reporting Dashboard, Texas Water Development Board
Update on Operation Lone Star
- Border Security: Appropriations and Reporting Requirements (Presented to House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety), Legislative Budget Board, May 3, 2022
- Operation Lone Star, Texas Tribune
Senate Committee on Finance
Charge: Operation Lone Star: Monitor appropriations and spending supporting Operation Lone Star. Evaluate and report on the effectiveness of spending to secure the southern border. Identify and report on resources needed to ensure support for the State National Guard, as well as overall resources necessary for border security for future legislative consideration.
- How Federal Pandemic Aid Helped Texas Pay for Greg Abbott's Border Mission, Texas Tribune, May 9, 2022
- Border Security: Appropriations and Reporting Requirements (Presented to House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety), Legislative Budget Board, May 3, 2022
- Operation Lone Star, Texas Tribune
Charge: Bail Bond Reform: Monitor the implementation of recent bail bond reform legislation along with its economic impact on the judicial and correctional system. Assess any barriers to implementation, the law’s effect on pretrial release and jail populations, and ways to further promote public safety and efficiency.
- Monitoring Pretrial Reform in Harris County: Fourth Report of the Court-Appointed Monitor, O'Donnell Monitor, April 18, 2022
- Bail, Crime & Public Safety, Harris County District Attorney's Office, September 2, 2021
- 2021 Legislative Analysis Report (Criminal Procedure), Texas Association of Counties, August 2021
- Current Population Report, Texas Commission on Jail Standards
- Official Website of the Independent Monitor for the O'Donnell v. Harris County Consent Decree Regarding Misdemeanor Bail Practices, O'Donnell Monitor
July 14, 2022
House Committee on Urban Affairs (Houston)
Charge #2: Evaluate the availability of workforce housing to support the dynamic economic growth of the state. Study the use of public-private partnerships and other tools to incentivize the development of housing that meets Texas’ expanding workforce demands. Develop and include measures to ensure accountability and transparency associated with these tools.
- Texas Housing Insight, Texas Real Estate Research Center, July 1, 2022
- The State of The Nation's Housing 2022, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, June 22, 2022
- The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, National Low Income Housing Coalition, April 2022
- Here's One Way States Are Boosting Affordable Housing, Stateline, March 2, 2022
- Paycheck to Paycheck Database, National Housing Conference
Charge #3: Review the Municipal Management District Legislative Template with respect to representation and accountability. Make recommendations for improving the template.
- Economic Development Handbook (Municipal Management Districts), Texas Municipal League, updated January 2020
- Interim Report to the 86th Texas Legislature (Charge 4 – MMD Template Language), House Committee on Special Purpose Districts, December 2018
- Interim Report to the 86th Legislature (Charge 4 – Municipal Management District Uniformity), Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, November 2018
July 17, 2022
House Investigative Committee on The Robb Elementary Shooting (Uvalde)
The committee will meet to consider a preliminary report.