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Governor Executive Orders in Texas

Executive Order from 1950
A recent article by the Sunlight Foundation evaluated all 50 states on the accessibility of their governor's executive orders. Texas earned an A, scoring high marks in categories such as machine readability, use of non-proprietary formats, availability of executive orders for current and prior administrations, and timeliness of availability (how quickly executive orders are posted after they are issued).
 
While the study focused on the executive orders available through Gov. Perry's site, it's worth noting that the library has an extensive collection of Texas executive orders, and has made them available online through our Governor Documents database. You'll find all executive orders from Gov. Rick Perry, as well as those in our collection from previous governors. Our oldest executive order dates to 1950 (Gov. Robert Allan Shivers), and concerns state disaster relief and civil defense. 
 
While you're exploring the executive orders, it might interest you to take a look at some of the other documents available in the database, including disaster declarations, 2001-present, and emergency matters submitted in past legislative sessions.
 
 

Week in Review, August 7th

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Read about household debt in America. (Urban Institute, July 2014)
  • Consider the history of financial aid in higher education. (Journal of Student Financial Aid, 2014)
  • Review findings on the college preparedness of low income students. (ACT, July 17,  2014)
  • See maps of death sentences and executions by state over time. (The Washington Post, July 24, 2014)
  • Examine how school administrators are adapting campus anti-tobacco policies to include e-cigarettes. (Education Week, July 29, 2014)
  • Look at where different generations are choosing to live throughout the country. (Governing, July 31, 2014)
 
 
 

Interim Hearings – Week of August 11, 2014

Interim Hearings – Week of August 11th

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.

August 12th Top

House Select Committee on Economic Development Incentives

Topic: Texas Enterprise Fund, Emerging Technology Fund, and incentives which help to stimulate innovation and creativity

 

Senate Committee on Finance   

Topics: Budget process, General revenue outlook, Texas economy, Constitutional spending limits, Economic Stabilization Fund, Methods of finance, Border related issues impacting state budget

 

August 13th Top

Topic: Commission decisions

House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Topic: Effectiveness and responsibilities of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission (TMPC), Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Task Force (SB 1200, 83rd R.S.)

 

August 14th Top

Senate Committee on Government Organization

Charge: State agency training, policies, and procedures for monitoring and reporting performance of state contracts

 

Senate Committee on Health & Human Services

Charge 7: Implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, including Medicaid long-term care; reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in Texas Medicaid and other programs; Dental Board reforms; and Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

 

Charge 4: Cost-effective alternatives to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act to better connect low income individuals to health care services through private market-based solutions, including Medicaid block grants and waivers

 House Committee on House Administration

Topic: Select committee budgets

 

August 15th Top

Senate Committee on Health & Human Services

Charge 2: Implementation of programs created or expanded by the 83rd Legislature to improve mental health and substance abuse services

 

Charge 6: Current state of prescription drug abuse and strategies for reducing prescription drug abuse in Texas

 

Charge 5: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program structure

 

Week in Review, July 31st

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Review statistics on Texas roadways and transportation networks. (TRIP, July 2014)
  • Map where unaccompanied immigrant children have been housed. (Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2014)
  • Read about pre-baccalaureate health care occupations. (Brookings, July 25, 2014)
  • Explore historical statistics about commercial airline crashes. (CNN, July 28, 2014)
  • Consider how wastewater may help states struggling with drought. (Stateline, July 23, 2014)
  • Examine the financial outlook for Medicare. (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, July 28, 2014)

New to Our Website

This monthly post highlights new content recently added to the library's website.
 
Interim Charges
The library's interim charges page is updated with all House and Senate interim charges that have been issued for the 83rd Legislature.
 
Session Laws of the 83rd Legislature:
  • Session laws and chapter numbers for legislation from the 83rd Legislature are now available within the Legislative Archive System (LAS).
Committee Minutes:
Scanned versions of committee minutes can be accessed on our website. Recent additions include:
 

Interim Hearings – Weeks of July 28 and August 4, 2014

Interim Hearings – Weeks of July 28th and August 4th

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 29th Top

House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence

Charge 2: Effectiveness of deferred adjudication and orders for non-disclosure; extending use of expunction of criminal records history

 Charge 4: Association between co-occurring serious mental illness and substance use disorders and parole revocation among TDCJ inmates; dual mental health diagnosis

 Charge 5: Current pecuniary loss thresholds associated with graffiti offenses; existing Graffiti Abatement Programs

 Charge 7: Utilization of community supervision in state jail felonies and effectiveness of state jail in light of its original purpose

August 4th Top

Joint Committee on Coastal Barrier System

Topic: Feasibility and desirability of creating and maintaining a coastal barrier system

 

 

August 5th Top

Topic: Storage of ammonium nitrate and authority of first responders to inspect and respond to safety concerns

 Topic: Driver Responsibility Program

 Topic: Update regarding ongoing border operations

Topic: Potential revenue from new and existing sources

Topic: Report and testimony from the Comptroller of Public Accounts regarding the financial condition of the state

 

August 7th Top

Topic:  Study the implementation of all legislation from the 83rd Regular Session that seeks to develop a model to require state agencies regulating occupational licenses which require an apprenticeship to credit veterans' relevant military experience toward the apprenticeship requirements.

 

Topic:  Alternative certification programs that give returning military service men and women credit for skills learned and time served while on active duty.

 

Week in Review, July 24th

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Read a report about jury participation in Texas. (Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, June 2014)
  • Listen to a discussion about the recent surge in numbers of unaccompanied immigrant children from Central America and Mexico. (Migration Policy Institute, June 25, 2014)
  • Review recent data on court appearances of unaccompanied immigrant children. (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, Syracuse University, July 15, 2014)
  • Consider two court rulings that will impact subsidies for buying health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. (Kaiser Health News, July 22, 2014)

Week in Review, July 17th

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • See how much each state taxes a gallon of gasoline. (The Washington Post, July 9, 2014)
  • Track air pollution in the United States over the past decade. (NASA, June 26, 2014)
  • Explore how drought is affecting California and other western states. (National Geographic, July 15, 2014)
  • Consider how drought can affect public health over time. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, July 14, 2014)
  • Examine the safety of vaccines used to immunize children in the United States. (Pediatrics, July 1, 2014)
  • Find out where Texas ranks among the states for food and drink. (Thrillist, July 6, 2014)

Interim Hearings – Weeks of July 14 and 21, 2014

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 16th Top

House Committee on House Administration

Topics: Personnel matters, committee budgets, and administrative oversight of technology changes for the House of Representatives

 

House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations

 

July 22nd Top

Senate Committee on Higher Education

Charge: Improvements in teacher preparation and certification programs

 

Charges: Impact of technology on education instruction

 

July 23rd Top

House Select Committee on Economic Development Incentives

Topic: Overall examination of the use of incentives as an economic development tool

 

House Select Committee on Child Protection

 

Topic: Child welfare system: regulatory policy and contract oversight

Topic: Foster and kinship families

 

Topic:  Child welfare system: reporting maltreatment

 

Joint Committee on Human Trafficking

Topics: Ways to further combat human trafficking along the Texas border and region, Services available to victims

 

Week in Review, July 10th

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
  • Read about unaccompanied immigrant children and the recent surge in their numbers at the border with Mexico. (Congressional Research Service, June 23, 2014)
  • See why blood pressure monitoring kiosks aren't always accurate. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, June 24, 2014)
  • Track the status of the legality of gay marriage in the states. (The Washington Post, June 25, 2014)
  • Examine programs that prepare teachers for the classroom. (National Council on Teacher Quality, 2014)

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