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Interim Hearings – Week of February 3, 2020

Jan 29

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

 

February 3

House Committee on House Administration

Topic: Budgets for recently appointed committees

 

February 5

House Committee on Ways & Means

Charge 1.2: HB 1525 and HB 2153, which relate to the collection of sales and use taxes by marketplaces and out-of-state businesses. Monitor the Comptroller of Public Accounts' rules regulating the collection of sales, use, and franchise tax to ensure compliance by marketplace providers and out-of-state businesses and monitor any revenue increases as a result of implementation of these bills.

Charge 5: Review the use of third-party tax collection firms, including law firms and tax specialty firms, by governmental units. Evaluate what methods other states use to collect taxes. Determine whether the use of those firms is cost-effective for the taxing jurisdiction or if the tax collection efforts should be performed by the taxing units directly.

Charge 6: Monitor the State Auditor's review of agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction. The Chair shall seek input and periodic briefings on completed audits for the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years and bring forth pertinent issues for full committee consideration.

 

February 6

Senate Committee on Business & Commerce

Charge: Electricity: Assess the electricity market in Texas. Examine changes in customer demand, such as on-site storage, distributed generation, and electric vehicles. Study the usage of "non-wires alternatives," including energy storage, and recommend legislative changes if needed. Identify barriers to the electric market at the state or local level. Make recommendations to maintain grid reliability and encourage the continued success of the electric market.

This entry was posted on January 29, 2020 at 3:30 PM and has received 987 views. Print this entry.

86th Legislative Session Summaries Available

Jan 27

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, 86th Session

After each legislative session, the House Research Organization (HRO), the Senate Research Center (SRC), and the Texas Legislative Council (TLC) publish overviews of the session's accomplishments. These reports provide summaries of enrolled bills and analysis of major legislation. All three are now available for the 86th Legislature: 

Each overview is organized by topic and gives a unique look at the session. The SRC overview provides brief summaries of all enrolled bills, including an analysis of the appropriations bill. The TLC overview offers summaries of all enrolled legislation, notes effective dates, and contains veto statements. The HRO overview highlights legislation on major topics, including bills that did not pass, and features extensive analysis and statements by supporters and opponents.  
 

The TLC additionally published New, Renamed, and Abolished State Governmental Entities: 86th Legislature and updated the online statutes and Texas Constitution to reflect the 86th Legislature's enactments and the November 2019 constitutional amendment election outcomes.
 

If you're looking for information on previous sessions, overviews back to the 48th Legislature can be found at the Legislative Reference Library's Session Summaries page.

This entry was posted on January 27, 2020 at 9:30 AM and has received 2184 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of January 27, 2020

Jan 22

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

 

January 28

Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (Brownsville)

Charge 1: Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program: Review existing regulations governing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program and the Qualified Allocation Plan to determine whether regulations exist that unnecessarily increase the cost of developing and maintaining affordable housing. Make recommendations to provide regulatory relief and provide greater development of affordable housing in Texas. 

Charge 2: Federal Housing Review: Study all federal housing programs accessible to Texas. Make recommendations that ensure the state maximizes the use of those programs.

Charge 3: Infrastructure Resiliency: Examine the authority special purpose districts have to generate natural disaster resilient infrastructure. Determine ways state government can work with special purpose districts to mitigate future flooding and promote more resilient infrastructure. Make recommendations on how special purpose districts may use their statutory authority to assist in mitigating damage from future natural disasters.

Charge 4: Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations passed by the 86th Legislature, as well as relevant agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction. Specifically, make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of the following:

 

January 30

House Committee on State Affairs   

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:

  • SB 14, HB 1960, and HB 2422, which relate to broadband services provided by electric cooperatives. Monitor the implementation of the legislation, including the status of rural electric cooperatives deploying broadband fiber in underserved areas. Monitor the efforts of the Texas Department of Transportation in executing state coordination of certain broadband development projects in rural areas.

  • SB 475 and SB 936, which relate to the security of the state's electric grid. Monitor the creation of the Texas Electric Grid Security Council and its efforts to facilitate the aggregation, coordination, and dissemination of best security practices for the electric industry, including generation, transmission, and delivery of electricity. Evaluate the efforts between the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), electric utilities, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to ensure collaboration related to cybersecurity issues and make recommendations to achieve the highest level of security within the state's electric grid.
  • SB 1497, which relates to the registration and regulation of brokers by the Public Utility Commission. Evaluate the effects of requiring registration with the Public Utility Commission of a person providing electric brokerage services and whether these efforts have assisted with customer complaints and corrective measures, deterred entities acting in bad faith, and increased customer protections in the retail electric market.

Charge 2: Receive an update on the 2020 electric reliability forecasts announced by ERCOT and review operational successes and issues from the summer of 2019. The Committee will receive invited testimony from the PUC, ERCOT and other interested parties. Study the electric market to determine potential barriers in attracting sufficient energy supply; examine the obstacles and/or incentives for the development and deployment of new energy supply technology and peak system energy demand management technology; evaluate opportunities for competitive development of energy supply microgrids and the potential for enhancing reliability by transitioning municipally owned utilities to focus on transmission and distribution functions. Examine the enhancement of retail customers' energy supply management capability through promotion of greater retail price transparency. Examine and

make recommendations concerning the build-out of necessary infrastructure to support the increased proliferation of electric vehicles, considering impacts to consumers.

This entry was posted on January 22, 2020 at 10:30 AM and has received 896 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of January 20, 2020

Jan 15

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

 

January 21

House Committee on Elections

Charge 1: Oversight of rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure intended legislative outcome of the following legislation:

  • HB 933, which requires election information to be posted on the Secretary of State's (SOS) and each county's internet website. Monitor the costs associated with implementing the legislation. Work with the SOS to determine which office elections should be included in the website.
  • HB 1421, which strengthens the cybersecurity of the state's election infrastructure. Review the program required under the bill to train county election officers in the best practices for identifying and reducing cybersecurity threats.
  • HB 2504, which modifies ballot access requirements for non-major party nominees. Review the provision requiring the SOS to establish rules implementing the fees and petitions.
  • HB 4130, which requires the SOS to develop procedures for adequately certifying electronic poll books. Review the provision requiring the secretary of state to adopt rules mandating real-time updates for electronic poll book use during the early voting period or under the countywide polling place program. Monitor and report on countywide polling. Examine the number and location of polling places, polling booths, and wait times for voting

 

House Committee on Redistricting (Plano) 

Topic: 2021 legislative redistricting process and 2020 Census data

 

 

January 22

House Committee on Redistricting (Arlington) 

Topic: 2021 legislative redistricting process and 2020 Census data

 

Senate Committees on Natural Resources & Economic Development and Water & Rural Affairs (Joint Hearing) 

Charge: Future Water Supply: Examine current laws, processes, and water storage options and availability. Make recommendations promoting the state's water supply, storage, availability, valuation, movement, and development of new sources.

Charge: Groundwater Regulatory Framework: Study the state's groundwater regulatory framework and make recommendations to improve groundwater regulation, management, and permitting.

This entry was posted on January 15, 2020 at 12:00 PM and has received 1213 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of January 13, 2020

Jan 8

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

 

January 15

House Committee on Insurance (Rockport) 

Texas Windstorm Insurance Association

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 1900, which amends the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) operations and funding practices. Review the rulemaking process by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) and the adoption of an updated plan of operation by TWIA. Monitor whether the purchase of reinsurance has increased or declined and determine whether this provision of the legislation has had any impact on premium rates. Monitor the appointment and work of the Legislative Funding and Funding Structure Oversight board.

This entry was posted on January 8, 2020 at 9:00 AM and has received 812 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of January 6, 2020

Dec 31

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

 

January 9

House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety (El Paso)

Duties:

(1) Examine options for strengthening enforcement measures for current laws that prevent the transfer of firearms to felons and other persons prohibited by current law from possessing firearms 

(2) Examine impediments and challenges to the timely reporting of relevant criminal history information and other threat indicators to state and federal databases 

(3) Examine the role of digital media and technology in threat detection, assessment, reporting, and prevention, including the collaboration between digital media and law enforcement 

(4) Evaluate the ongoing and long-term workforce needs of the state related to cybersecurity, mental health, law enforcement, and related professionals  

(5) Evaluate current protocols and extreme risk indicators used to identify potential threats and consider options for improving the dissemination of information between federal, state, and local entities and timely and appropriate intervention of mental health professionals 

House Committee on Redistricting (El Paso) 

Topic: 2021 legislative redistricting process and 2020 Census data

 

January 10

House Committee on Redistricting (El Paso) 

Topic: 2021 legislative redistricting process and 2020 Census data

This entry was posted on December 31, 2019 at 10:00 AM and has received 1359 views. Print this entry.

Texas Recognition Months, Weeks, and Days

Dec 30

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, 86th Session

Recognition months, weeks, and days call attention to health issues, industries, people, and more. Some are codified in Government Code § 662. In addition, senators and representatives pass resolutions in each session to commemorate even more awareness dates. Below is a sampling of recognition months, weeks, and days observed with resolutions and bills by the 86th Legislature; click here to see a list of all the recognition dates from this past session.

 

January

Sexual Assault Survivors Day (January 28)—HB 2298

Community College Day (January 30)—SR 84

 

February

American Heart Month—HR 2140

Texas Homemade Pie Day (February 16)—HR 617

 

March

National Athletic Training Month—HR 1180

Master Sergeant Jonathan J. Dunbar Day (March 30)—HB 295

 

April

Minority Cancer Awareness Month—HR 1391

National Donate Life Month—HR 2141

 

May

Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month—HR 2142, SR 528

International Internal Audit Awareness Month—HR 1514, SR 698

 

June

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Awareness Month—HB 405

Veteran Suicide and PTSD Awareness Month—HCR 148

 

July

Space Exploration Day (July 20)—HB 3084

First Lady Frances Cox Henderson Bicentennial Day (July 21)—SR 163

 

September

Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month—HR 137, HR 2144

Quanah Parker Day (second Saturday of September)—SCR 7

 

October

Veterinary Technician Week—HB 2471

 

November

American Diabetes Month—HR 2145

Municipal Courts Week (first week of November)—HR 1658

 

The year 2020

"The Year to Embrace the Gulf"—HCR 140

This entry was posted on December 30, 2019 at 9:00 AM and has received 1479 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of December 16, 2019

Dec 16

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

 

December 20

House Committee on General Investigating

Topic: Consideration and action on the investigation into the circumstances, events, and allegations in connection with a June 12, 2019 meeting between Members of the House and representatives of a Texas nonprofit corporation

This entry was posted on December 16, 2019 at 10:50 AM and has received 815 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of December 9, 2019

Dec 4

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

 

December 10

Topic: The State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) Advisory Committee advises the Texas Water Development Board on the administration of SWIFT funds. This committee will review the overall operation, function, and structure of the fund at least semi-annually and advises the board on any water related matter.

Topic: The Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund Advisory Committee (TIRF) will meet at 2:15 p.m. or upon recess/adjournment of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee (SWIFT). The advisory committee shall review the overall operation, function, and structure of the resiliency fund at least semiannually and may provide comments and recommendations to the board on any matter.

 

December 13

House Committee on Redistricting (Edinburg) 

Topic: 2021 legislative redistricting process and 2020 Census data

 

December 14

House Committee on Redistricting (Harlingen) 

Topic: 2021 legislative redistricting process and 2020 Census data

This entry was posted on December 4, 2019 at 10:30 AM and has received 1057 views. Print this entry.

Interim Hearings – Week of December 2, 2019

Nov 26

posted by TexasLRL in Interim hearings, 86th Session

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.

 

For recent posts on Interim Hearings, see Interim Hearing Resources on the LRL homepage. The "Recent Entries" list on the left provides quick access to interim hearings posts from previous weeks.

December 3

Senate Committee on Finance

Charge: Spending Limit: Examine options and make recommendations for strengthening restrictions on appropriations established in Article VIII, Section 22, of the Texas Constitution, including related procedures defined in statute. Consider options for ensuring available revenues above spending limit are reserved for tax relief.

Charge: Business Personal Property Tax: Study the economic dynamics of the current business personal property tax. Consider the economic and fiscal effects of increased exemptions to the business personal property tax, versus its elimination. Following such study, make recommended changes to law. 

Charge: Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Finance passed by the 86th Legislature, as well as relevant agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction. Specifically, make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of the following:

  • HB 1525, 86th Legislature, Regular Session, relating to the administration and collection of sales and use taxes applicable to sales involving marketplace providers 

 

Senate Committee on Health & Human Services

Public Health

Charge: Examine the emerging public health concerns from the rise in e-cigarette use and "vaping," especially among minors. Determine if additional policies or laws are needed to protect the public's health.

Charge: Monitor the implementation of SB 21, 86th Legislature, Regular Session, including strategies to address tobacco and nicotine use, including e-cigarettes and vaping, by adolescents  

Health Care Costs

Charge: Examine the current status and future direction of the following programs: The Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver, including the DSRIP Transition Plan, and the Healthy Texas Women Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver. 

 

December 4

Charge: Assess how state and local law enforcement agencies, fusion centers, mental health providers, digital platforms and social media companies such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., can better collaborate to detect, prevent, and respond to mass violence and terroristic activity. Examine what resources, staffing and protocols are necessary to enhance these partnerships and whether state funding is needed to assist local authorities in this endeavor.

 

December 5

Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations

Charge 1: Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program: Review existing regulations governing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program and the Qualified Allocation Plan to determine whether regulations exist that unnecessarily increase the cost of developing and maintaining affordable housing. Make recommendations to provide regulatory relief and provide greater development of affordable housing in Texas.

Charge 2: Federal Housing Review: Study all federal housing programs accessible to Texas. Make recommendations that ensure the state maximizes the use of those programs. 

Charge 3: Infrastructure Resiliency: Examine the authority special purpose districts have to generate natural disaster resilient infrastructure. Determine ways state government can work with special purpose districts to mitigate future flooding and promote more resilient infrastructure. Make recommendations on how special purpose districts may use their statutory authority to assist in mitigating damage from future natural disasters. 

Charge 4: Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations passed by the 86th Legislature, as well as relevant agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction. Specifically, make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of the following: 

  • SB 1303, relating to landowner rights in a city's extraterritorial jurisdiction;
  • SB 1474, relating to private activity bonds; and
  • HB 2330, relating to simplifying disaster assistance.

This entry was posted on November 26, 2019 at 9:30 AM and has received 2658 views. Print this entry.

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