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.
September 6, 2022
House Committee on Insurance
Charge: Review existing state laws, administrative regulations, and agency practices to identify barriers to competition in the insurance marketplace. Examine existing business practices in the industry to determine if additional laws or regulations are needed to promote competition, lower premiums, and protect consumers.
- Review consumer rights and appraisal in automotive and homeowner policies. Review trade industry practices and interaction with insurers and consumers.
- Review current regulatory landscape for Healthcare Sharing Ministries, County Mutual Insurance Agencies, and Farm Mutual Insurance Agencies.
- Annual Legislative Report on Market Conditions: Calendar Year 2021, Texas Department of Insurance, revised May 5, 2022
- 2022 State of the Texas Property & Casualty Insurance Market, Insurance Council of Texas, 2022
Charge: Monitor the implementation compliance and enforcement of legislation related to freestanding emergency rooms to determine whether patients are adequately protected and if further safeguards and disclosures are needed.
- Senate Bill 1264: 2021 Midyear Report, Texas Department of Insurance, July 2021
- Balance Billing Protections: Senate Bill 1264 Biennial Report, Texas Department of Insurance, December 2020
- Freestanding Emergency Medical Care Facilities, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Charge: Review Texas' insurance anti-rebating laws and model legislation related to rebates. Make recommendations for legislation that would preserve the purpose of the current statute while allowing certain services for and benefits to insurance consumers.
- Unfair Trade Practices Act (Model Law #880, Section 4, H. Rebates), National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Spring 2021
- Project History – 2021: Unfair Trade Practices Act (#880) (Rebating issues), National Association of Insurance Commissioners, 2021
- Summary: Time to Dust Off the Anti-Rebate Laws, Journal of Insurance Regulation, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, November 2019
- Time to Dust Off the Anti-Rebate Laws, Journal of Insurance Regulation, National Association of Insurance Commissioners, 2017
- Rebating and Referral Fees, Independent Insurance Agents of Texas
September 8, 2022
House Committee on Appropriations
1. Space Exploration and the Space Economy
Topic: Explore potential state, federal, and industry partnerships to advance the role of Texas in the space economy.
- Environmental Concerns Challenge States' Space Ambitions, Stateline, June 6, 2022
- Space Economy, Bureau of Economic Analysis, last modified on June 2, 2022
- The Future of the Low Earth Orbit Space Economy, Newsweek, March 11, 2022
- United States Space Priorities Framework, White House, December 2021
- Commercial Space Transportation: FAA Continues to Update Regulations and Faces Challenges to Overseeing an Evolving Industry, U.S. Government Accountability Office, June 16, 2021
- Commercial Human Spaceflight, Federal Aviation Administration
- NASA Partnerships, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
2. Employee Retirement System of Texas
Topic: Provide an overview of the ERS Fund and implementation of SB 321.
- Actuarial Valuation Reports for Pension Plans Administered by ERS as of August 31, 2021 (Summary), Employees Retirement System, December 8, 2021
- Interim Report to the 87th Legislature (Charge 4 – ERS and TRS pension funds), House Committee on Pensions, Investments and Financial Services, January 2021
- ERS Actuarial Valuation Reports, Employees Retirement System of Texas
3. Teacher Retirement System of Texas
Topic: Provide an overview of the TRS fund, and examine the current status of TRS Care and TRS ActiveCare.
- Rooted in Texas: 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, Teacher Retirement System of Texas, November 20, 2021
- TRS-Care Retirees Health Care Plan Teacher Retirement System of Texas, GASB Statement No. 74, Financial Reporting for Postemployment Benefit Plans Other Than Pension Plans, Actuarial Valuation for Fiscal Year Ending August 31, 2021, Teacher Retirement System of Texas, November 1, 2021
- Interim Report to the 87th Legislature (Charge 4 – ERS and TRS pension funds), House Committee on Pensions, Investments and Financial Services, January 2021
4. Department of Family and Protective Services
Charge 4: Monitor efforts by the Department of Family and Protective Services to implement Section 11, HB 5 (87S2), relating to foster care capacity improvement.
- Request for Applications (RFA) For HB5 Foster Care Capacity, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, May 6, 2022
- Department of Family and Protective Services: Historical Appropriations and Expenditures (Presented to Senate Select Committee on Child Protective Services), Legislative Budget Board, March 2022
Topic: Examine the current status of children without placement in the State's care.
- Monthly Data (Children in DFPS Care), Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
- CPS Dashboard: Key Performance Metrics, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
5. Health and Human Services Commission
Topic: Review the Texas Medicaid Program including the status of the 1115 Waiver, end of the Public Health Emergency, and implementation of HB 133.
- Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Extension Tracker, Kaiser Family Foundation, August 25, 2022
- Medicaid Waiver Tracker: Approved and Pending Section 1115 Waivers by State, Kaiser Family Foundation, August 19, 2022
- Unwinding the PHE: What We Can Learn From Pre-Pandemic Enrollment Patterns, Kaiser Family Foundation, May 10, 2022
- Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee and Department of State Health Services Joint Biennial Report, As Required by Texas Health and Safety Code, Section 34.015, Texas Health and Human Services and Texas Department of State Health Services, revised February 2022
- Interim Report to the 87th Legislature?(Charge 1?– Health Care Costs), Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, January 2021
- Medicaid 1115 Waiver, Texas Department of Health and Human Services
Topic: Explore the goals of and eligibility for the Alternatives to Abortion Program and opportunities for enhancing services across the state.
- Alternatives to Abortion Report for Fiscal Year 2021, As Required by 2022-23 General Appropriations Act, Senate Bill 1, 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021 (Article II, Health and Human Services Commission, Rider 68), Texas Health and Human Services, December 2021
- An Anti-Abortion Program Will Receive $100 Million in the Next Texas Budget, But There's Little Data on What's Being Done With the Money, Texas Tribune, June 8, 2021
- Alternatives to Abortion, Texas Health and Human Services
House Committee on Transportation (Brownsville)
Charge: Discuss tools available to reduce the unprecedented increase in fatalities on Texas roads.
- Self-Reported Risky Driving in Relation to Changes in Amount of Driving During the COVID-19 Pandemic, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, February 2022
- The Safe System Approach: How States and Cities Are Saving Lives, Public Roads, Federal Highway Administration, Winter 2022
- Deadly Crashes on Rural Roads Prompt New Safety Efforts, PEW Charitable Trusts, August 17, 2021
- Traffic Safety Trends | State Legislative Action 2020, National Conference of State Legislatures, July 2, 2021
- Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths: 2015-2019 Fact Sheets, Texas Department of State Health Services, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, January 2021
- Examining the Increase in Pedestrian Fatalities in the United States, 2009-2018, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, January 2021
- Annual Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics (2021), Texas Department of Transportation
Charge: Study policies impacting truck transportation, a key link in the supply-chain, including utilizing state property and right-of-way for natural gas fueling stations and truck parking, the potential shortage of drivers and sellers of commercial trucks, the shortage of truck parking options to accommodate hours of service regulations, and ways to reduce border crossing wait times. Examine regulatory and statutory impediments to connected vehicle and autonomous technologies aimed at improving the safety and efficiency of trucking in Texas.
- How Free-Wheeling Texas Became the Self-Driving Trucking Industry's Promised Land, Reuters, June 17, 2022
- Drivers Wanted: Texas Trucking Strives to Stay on the Move, Fiscal Notes, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, April 2022
- Texas-Mexico Border Transportation Master Plan 2021, Texas Department of Transportation, March 19, 2021
- Impacts of Global Supply Chain Changes in the Post-Pandemic Environment in Texas, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, January 2021
- Texas Statewide Truck Parking Study, Texas Department of Transportation, April 2020
- Is the U.S. Labor Market for Truck Drivers Broken?, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 2019
Charge: Examine the ability of the state’s seaports to promote the public purposes of state economic growth, diversification, and commerce through development of port-owned properties within their boundaries. Review the investments needed for Texas ports to remain competitive in handling increased cargo volumes and ensuring a resilient supply chain.
- 2021 Survey of State Funding Practices for Coastal Port Infrastructure (Texas), Texas A&M Transportation Institute, October 2021
- Texas Port Profiles, Texas Department of Transportation, updated March 2020
- Port Authority Transportation Reinvestment Zone: Executive Summary (Land Development Within Port-Owned Property), Texas A&M Transportation Institute, March 2017
- 2022-2023 Texas Port Mission Plan, Port Authority Advisory Committee
House Committee on Ways & Means
Charge: Actively oversee associated rulemaking and agency actions to ensure the intended legislative outcome of:
- HB 2404, relating to creating and maintaining a database of information regarding certain local economic development agreements;
- SB 2 (86R - the Texas Property Tax Reform and Transparency Act of 2019) and related property tax reform legislation passed by the 87th Legislature, including HB 1869, HB 2429, HB 2723, and SB 1438.
- Monitor legislation relating to reform of the property tax appraisal system, including HB 988, HB 2941, HB 3971, SB 63, SB 916, and SB 1919.
Charge: Study Texas' property tax appraisal system and make appropriate recommendations to improve the appraisal system. The study should include:
- Assessing the accuracy of appraised values and operational effectiveness of appraisal districts;
- Evaluating methods of selecting chief appraisers, appraisal review boards, and appraisal district directors;
- Evaluating existing appraisal protections for taxpayers and ease of taxpayer participation in the appraisal process.
- Interim Report, Senate Committee on Property Tax, November 2020
- Appraisal Review Boards, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
- Valuing Property, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Charge: Conduct a comprehensive review of the impact of not renewing Chapter 313, Tax Code. Evaluate tax incentives offered by other states and make recommendations for incentivizing manufacturers and other capital-intensive businesses to locate to Texas.
- Next Chapter: A Point/Counterpoint Examination of an Incentive, Site Selection Magazine, September 2021
- Take It To the Limit: Benefits and Costs of Chapter 313 Tax Limitations, Texas Real Estate Research Center, March 11, 2021
- Understanding Chapter 313: School Property Tax Limitations and the Impact of State Finances, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, January 27, 2021
- Report of the Texas Economic Development Act 2021, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. January 2021
- Most Business Incentives Don't Work. Here's How to Fix Them, Brookings Institution, November 4, 2019
- Who Benefits from Economic Development Incentives? How Incentive Effects on Local Incomes and the Income Distribution Vary with Different Assumptions about Incentive Policy and the Local Economy, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, March 1, 2018
- Interim Report to the 85th Legislature (Charge 3: Economic Development Incentives), Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development, November 2016
- Tax Code Chapter 313 — Value Limitation and Tax Credits, Texas Comptroller for Public Accounts
September 9, 2022
House Committee on Appropriations
1. Texas Education Agency
Charge 6: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Expenditures
- Federal Funding Overview: COVID-19 Funding and Other Major Legislation (Presented to Senate Finance Committee), Legislative Budget Board, July 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
- Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Grant Programs, Texas Education Agency
2. Higher Education: Access and Affordability
Topic: Examine options for increasing access to and affordability of successfully obtaining post-secondary degrees and credentials.
- Access and Affordability: An Update on Higher Education in Texas, Every Texan, April 21, 2022
- Today's College Student and the Rising Costs of Higher Education, LegisBrief, National Conference of State Legislatures, February 2, 2022
- 60x30TX Progress Report, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, July 2021
- Texas: College Affordability Profile, Southern Regional Education Board, January 2021
- Legislator's Guide to the Issues 2021-2022: Higher Education Affordability, Texas Public Policy Foundation, September 21, 2020
- A New Course for Higher Education: Strengthening Access, Affordability, and Accountability, Bipartisan Policy Center, January 2020
3. Higher Education: Excellence and Research Funding
Topic: Review current Texas research and endowment funds and explore opportunities for enhanced state investments.
- Research Funding in Texas Overview: Fiscal Year 2022, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- Fiscal Reports (Includes Research Expenditures Fiscal Years 2018-2021, Expenditures under Texas Comprehensive Research Fund and Core Research Support Fund, Fiscal Years 2019-2020), Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
4. Texas Juvenile Justice Department
Topic: Explore the role of appropriations in the agency's current efforts to improve staff recruitment and retention.
- Almost 600 Texas Youths Are Trapped in a Juvenile Prison System on the Brink of Collapse, Texas Tribune, August 2, 2022
- Adult and Juvenile Correctional Population Projections: Fiscal Years 2022 to 2027, Legislative Budget Board, July 2022
- Texas Juvenile Justice Department and Office of the Independent Ombudsman: Sunset Staff Report (Issue 1: TJJD's Critical Staffing Issues), Sunset Advisory Commission, May 2022
