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.
Charge: Veteran Treatment Courts: Review the effectiveness of diverting veterans from the traditional criminal justice system to veteran treatment courts. Make recommendations to strengthen veteran treatment court outcomes and expand access to locations not currently served by the courts.
Charge: Veteran Health Care: Examine the adequacy of long-term health care services and support options for veterans in Texas. Identify under-served areas and barriers to accessing quality care for both institutional as well as home and community based settings. Discuss the potential impact of federal reforms, such as the implementation of the Veterans Affairs MISSION Act on care delivery. Make recommendations to best leverage federal assistance and create greater efficiencies in veteran health care delivery.
Charge: Veteran Mental Health: Review suicide prevention strategies and programs identified by the federal Defense Suicide Prevention Office and make recommendations to connect at-risk individuals with available resources as they transition into veteran status.
Charge: Natural Disaster Funding: Review federal, state, and local eligibility and receipt of disaster funds from Community Development Block Grants - Disaster Relief and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Identify any barriers to the effective utilization of those funds and recommend any changes to statute, rule, or practice to promote the efficient deployment of those funds and expedite recovery by affected citizens, businesses, and communities.
- State of Texas CDBG Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) Action Plan: Building Stronger For a Resilient Future, Texas General Land Office, November 22, 2019
- Recovery Tracker, The Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas, updated May 3, 2019
- CDBG – Disaster Recovery Grant History 1992 – 2019, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, June 20, 2019
- CDBG Entitlement Program Eligibility Requirements, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Report, U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Disaster Relief Resources: Individuals and Families, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
Charge: Investment of State Funds: Review the investment strategies and performance of funds invested through the Teacher Retirement System, the Permanent School Fund, and university funds. Make recommendations to better coordinate and leverage Texas' purchasing power to maximize investment income to the state.
- Investment Policy Statement, Teacher Retirement System of Texas, September 20, 2019
- A Vision as Big as Texas: 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Teacher Retirement System of Texas, November 20, 2019
- Texas Permanent School Fund Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, Texas Education Agency, December 20, 2019
- Teacher Retirement System of Texas: Actuarial Valuation Report, November 14, 2019
- 19 Texas Administrative Code §§ 33.1-33.1001, Statement of Investment Objectives, Policies, and Guidelines of the Texas Permanent School Fund, Texas Education Agency
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 3384, relating to the authority of the comptroller to conduct a limited-scope review of an appraisal district located in an area declared by the governor to be a disaster area; and
- HB 4388, relating to the management of the permanent school fund by the School Land Board and the State Board of Education and a study regarding distributions from the permanent school fund to the available school fund;
- HB 4611, relating to certain distributions to the available school fund; and Contingent upon voter approval, study the implementation of HB 492 and HJR 34, relating to a temporary exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion of the appraised value of certain property damaged by a disaster.
Charge: Human Trafficking: Examine opportunities and make recommendations to reduce the profitability of and demand for human trafficking in Texas. Determine ways to increase public awareness on the proliferation of human trafficking, as well as resources for victims and survivors. Review the interaction between local, state, and federal agencies in responding to and prosecuting human trafficking and sex trafficking offenses in Texas' five most populous counties. Make recommendations to ensure law enforcement agencies and prosecutors have the tools necessary to promptly and thoroughly respond to these crimes.
- Improve the State Response to Human Trafficking, Staff Reports, Legislative Budget Board, April 2019
- State Summary: Texas, from 2018 Federal Human Trafficking Report, The Human Trafficking Institute, 2019
- Interim Report to the 86th Legislature (Charge 4 – Human trafficking awareness and prevention), Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, December 2018
- Interim Report to the 86th Legislature (Charge 7 – Attorney General jurisdiction, human trafficking), Senate Committee on State Affairs, December 2018
- Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force Report 2018 to the Texas Legislature, Office of the Attorney General, December 2018
Charge: Second Amendment: Examine Second Amendment legislation passed since the 84th Legislative Session including open carry, campus carry, and lowering the license to carry fee. Determine the impact these laws have made on furthering and protecting Second Amendment rights. Make recommendations that may further protect and enhance Texans' Second Amendment right to bear arms.
Charge: Personal Property Protections: Examine prosecution rates for thefts involving property valued under $1,000. Make recommendations to ensure law enforcement agencies and prosecutors have the tools necessary to thoroughly protect Texans' personal property from theft.
Charge: Safety: Study the primary causes for traffic-related accidents and fatalities, including fatality rates as a result of intoxicated driving. Make recommendations for effective strategies to improve roadway safety.
- The Ultimate List of Driving Statistics for 2020, Driving-Tests.Org, 2020
- Alcohol-Impaired Driving (2018 Data), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, December 2019
- Fatality Facts 2018: State By State, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute, December 2019
- Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics – 2018, Texas Department of Transportation, Processed as of May 6, 2019
- 2018 Update to the Texas Traffic Safety Information System Strategic Plan With MIRE Fundamental Data Element 9/30/2026 Implementation Plan, Texas Department of Transportation, May 2018
- Solutions for Saving Lives on Texas Roads: Texas Traffic Safety Task Force Report, Texas Department of Transportation, June 2016
- Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Encyclopedia (See State Traffic Safety Info), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Safety and Laws (Traffic Laws Designed to Ensure Safety), Texas Department of Transportation
Charge: Texas Department of Transportation Flight Services: Evaluate the current funding, maintenance procedures, and staffing levels at Texas Department of Transportation's Flight Services. Make recommendations to ensure the safest fleet and most efficient service.
- Internal Audit Follow-Up Report, Aviation: Flight Services, Texas Department of Transportation, May 2019
- State Passenger Aircraft Fleet Replacement Plan – UPDATE, Texas Department of Transportation, February 2019
- Internal Audit Follow-Up Report, Aviation: Flight Services, Texas Department of Transportation, November 2018
- Internal Audit Report, Aviation: Flight Services, Texas Department of Transportation, August 2017
- Texas Department of Transportation Staff Report 2016-2017, 85th Legislature (Issue 7 – State aircraft, flight services), Sunset Advisory Commission, November 2016
- State Aircraft Travel, Texas Department of Transportation
Charge: Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Transportation 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 1915, relating to the board of pilot commissioners for Harris County ports; and
- SB 2223, as it relates to two-way directional routes