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.
October 8, 2024
Texas Energy Fund Advisory Committee
Topic: Review the operation, function, and structure of the Texas Energy Fund.
- Texas Lawmakers Question Agency’s Ability to Oversee $5 Billion Energy Loan Program After Initial Glitch, Texas Tribune, September 16, 2024
- Public Utility Commission of Texas Denies Application for Texas Energy Fund Loan Program (Press Release), Public Utility Commission of Texas, September 4, 2024
- Interim Hearings – Week of August 26, 2024 (Blog), August 27 – Senate Committee on Business & Commerce, Legislative Reference Library, August 21, 2024
- Public Utility Commission of Texas Receives 72 Applications for Texas Energy Fund Loan Program (Press Release), Public Utility Commission of Texas, July 29, 2024
- Public Utility Commission of Texas Sees Strong Industry Response to Texas Energy Fund Loan Program (Press Release), Public Utility Commission of Texas, June 1, 2024
October 9, 2024
Senate Committee on Finance
Charge: Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program: Review the expenditure of funds appropriated to the Texas Film Commission for the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP) by the 88th Legislature and assess the effectiveness of the program in promoting media production and stimulating local economies through job creation and business growth. Analyze application trends before and after the appropriation, with attention to high_profile or large-budget productions. Additionally, review other states and international incentive programs and evaluate Texas's workforce and educational needs in media production. Provide recommendations to improve the TMIIIP’s transparency and enhance Texas's competitive position.
- Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP) Paid Projects through August 31, 2024, Economic Development and Tourism Division, Office of the Governor, September 1, 2024
- Amid ‘Yellowstone’ and ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ Success, Texas Aims to Lasso In More Film Biz With New Grant and Boosted Crew Base, Variety, May 16, 2024
- Texas Has Set Aside $200M of Incentives Towards Media Production. How Did We Get Here?, KERA News, July 18, 2023
- Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program, Economic Impact, Texas Film Commission
Charge: School Enrollment Trends: Study post-pandemic student enrollment trends, and examine the possible causes behind the shift in student enrollment, including the rise in homeschooling, micro-schools, and other parental choice options. Make recommendations to ensure parents and educators have the tools and resources needed to respond to the projected enrollment changes and ensure that every child has the best educational options available to learn.
- Demographic Trends and Their Implications for Public Schools, Texas Demographic Center / Texas Association of School Boards, June 13, 2024
- Public School Enrollment in Texas, The Annie E. Casey Foundation (Goes up to the 2022-2023 school year)
- Where Are They? Enrollment Trends in K-12 Education, Texas Public Policy Foundation, August 2022
- Enrollment Trends (Annual reports), Texas Education Agency
- Student Enrollment Reports (Campus, district, region, or state), Texas Education Agency
- Homeschooling Growth in Texas (In the Press) and Texas Home School Map (Analytics tool with student withdrawal data from public schools), Texas Home School Coalition
- Texas Student Enrollment Dashboard, Commit Partnership
October 10, 2024
House Committee on Transportation
Monitoring: Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 88th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
- HB 718, relating to the issuance of certain tags, permits, and license plates authorizing the movement of vehicles and the transfer and renewal of certain license plates.
- HB 1885, relating to the authority of the Texas Transportation Commission to establish variable speed limits.
- HB 2170, relating to toll collections by a toll project entity.
- HB 3288, relating to notice of transfer of a used motor vehicle.
- SB 505, relating to imposing an additional fee for the registration of an electric vehicle.
Charge: Port Infrastructure and Maritime Industry: Study long-term needs of the maritime industry in Texas. Evaluate the implementation status of the Maritime Port Mission Plan and make recommendations to improve port planning, safety measures, and project delivery. Examine status of TxDOT seaport projects that received funding during the 88th Legislature.
- How Would a Longshoremen Strike Affect Houston’s Economy? It Depends How Long It Lasts, Houston Landing, September 27, 2024
- Governor Abbott Announces Historic $240 Million for Texas Seaports (Press Release), Office of the Governor, September 29, 2023
- Interim Report to the 88th Legislature (Charge 7 – Seaport Infrastructure Needs), House Committee on Transportation, November 2022
- Interim Report to the 87th Legislature (Charge 4 – Ports), House Committee on Transportation, December 2020
- 2024-2025 Texas Port Mission Plan 88th Legislative Session (Executive Summary), Port Authority Advisory Committee, Texas Department of Transportation
- Texas Maritime Ports (Port websites and port profiles), Texas Department of Transportation
- Maritime Division’s Project Dashboards (Including Seaport Connectivity & Maritime Infrastructure projects), Texas Department of Transportation
Charge: Bridge Safety: Evaluate the current status of state-maintained bridges, existing safety standards related to bridges, and long-term financial needs for bridge planning, construction, maintenance, and inspection. Examine ways to improve bridge project delivery.
- Bridge Inspection Manual, Texas Department of Transportation, revised September 2024
- Bridge Condition by County 2024 (Texas), Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, June 15, 2024
- Bridge Preservation Guide, Texas Department of Transportation, March 2024
- Bridge Design, Construction, Maintenance, Inspection, and Management, Bridge Publications, Texas Department of Transportation
- National Bridge Inventory: Texas, American Road & Transportation Builders Association
Charge: Alleviating Road Traffic: Identify the state's most congested roadways and review state forecasts for future congestion and the expected impact on economic activity. Evaluate TxDOT plans for alleviating congestion and consider the necessity of additional options to ensure economic development, congestion, and safety goals are achieved in a timely manner with reduced cost to public tax dollars.
- 2023 INRIX Report: Texas Cities Are Some of the Worst in U.S. for Traffic Gridlock and Safety – We Need Rail More Than Ever, Texas Rail Advocates, July 18, 2024
- Which Texas Cities Are Worst for Traffic?, Texas Public Policy Foundation, July 2, 2024
- INRIX 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard, INRIX, June 2024
- 2023 Urban Mobility Report, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, June 2024
- Interim Report to the 87th Texas Legislature (Charge 2 – Safety), House Committee on Transportation, December 2020
- The Challenge: Congestion, Texas Department of Transportation
- Texas “Top 100” Congested Road Segments, Texas Department of Transportation
Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
Charge: Retail Theft: Study the effects of organized retail crime in Texas and in other states. Evaluate the reporting and legislative suggestions from the statewide Organized Retail Theft Task Force. Make recommendations to protect the safety of retail employees and business owners in Texas.
- Criminal Justice Data: Organized Retail Crime, Congressional Research Service, May 2, 2024
- Myth vs. Reality: Trends in Retail Theft, Brennan Center for Justice, March 7, 2024
- Organized Retail Crime: An Assessment of a Persistent and Growing Threat, National Retail Federation, updated November 29, 2023
- Shoplifting Trends: What You Need to Know, Council on Criminal Justice, November 2023
- The Rise of Organized Retail Crime in America, Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy, Texas A&M University, October 2023
- Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar Makes Appointments to Statewide Task Force to Combat Organized Retail Theft (News Release), Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, September 5, 2023
- Detecting and Reporting the Illicit Financial Flows Tied to Organized Theft Groups (OTG) and Organized Retail Crime (ORC): A Comprehensive Educational Guide for Law Enforcement and Financial Crime Investigators, ACAMS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2022
Charge: Financial Crimes: Evaluate financial criminal activity trends in Texas, including the fiscal impact on consumers, financial institutions, local economies, and businesses. Determine the extent of payment fraud by transnational criminal gangs. Study the impact of the Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC). Make recommendations that enhance penalties for check and payment fraud and identify ways to strengthen financial crime investigations in Texas.
- Tyler-based Financial Crimes Intelligence Center Prevents $171.5 Million in Losses in First Two Years, KLTV, February 18, 2024
- Financial Crimes Intelligence Center at a Glance, Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation, October, 2023
- What Is the Financial Crimes Intelligence Center?, Texas District & County Attorneys Association, May-June 2023
- Financial Crimes Intelligence Center
Charge: Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault: Examine the collection and processing of “rape kits” by law enforcement agencies and testing laboratories. Make recommendations to ensure that forensic evidence collected from victims of sexual assault is processed in a timely manner.
- San Antonio Police Department: Audit of Property & Evidence Room, Project No. AU23-029 (Audit of sexual assault nurse examiner kits or “rape kits,” agenda item 4, Audit Committee, June 11, 2024), Office of the City Auditor, City of San Antonio, May 16, 2024
- 88th Legislative Session Update: Sexual Assault Reform: Closing Gaps in Services and in the Criminal Justice System, Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, September 2023
- Austin Police Department Review: Reported Sexual Assault Comprehensive Evaluation: Final Report, Police Executive Research Forum, November 7, 2022
- End the Backlog: Texas (Rape kit reform), Joyful Heart Foundation
- Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) Audits (Including 2020 Report on the HB 8 Audit of Unanalyzed Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits and 2024 Quarterly HB 8 Audit Report Updates), Texas Department of Public Safety
