Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of interim committee hearings with links to agendas.
December 20, 2024
House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
Topic: Criminal procedure related to capital punishment and new science writs under Article 11.073, Code of Criminal Procedure.
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.
December 9, 2024
House Committee on House Administration
Topic: Invited testimony only from any Member or Member-elect of the 89th Legislature who submits a proposal for a suggested rule change to the Committee on House Administration
December 11, 2024
Sunset Advisory Commission
Consideration and possible action on the new recommendations for the following agencies:
Staff presentation and public testimony:
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.
December 3, 2024
Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Grid Reliability
Review the implementation of legislation related to the regulation of the electricity market in Texas enacted by the 87th and 88th Legislatures.
New Sunset Staff Reports
2024-25 Review Cycle
The Sunset Advisory Commission staff released the following staff reports in November 2024:
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.
November 11, 2024
Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education
Charge: Higher Education - “Faculty Senates”: Review and analyze the structures and governance in higher education, focusing on the role of “faculty senates,” and like groups, in representing faculty interests to higher education institution administrations. Make recommendations to establish guidelines for the role and representation of faculty by “faculty senates,” and like groups, at higher education institutions in Texas.
Charge: Stopping DEI to Strengthen the Texas Workforce: Examine programs and certificates at higher education institutions that maintain discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Expose how these programs and their curriculum are damaging and not aligned with state workforce demands. Make recommendations for any needed reforms to ensure universities are appropriately educating students to meet workforce needs.
Charge: Improving K12-College Pathways: Review the availability of Advanced Placement and dual credit course offerings in high schools and examine the transfer requirements required for students to receive higher education course credit. Identify the current challenges to streamlining the transfer process, including adequate counseling for high school students. Make recommendations to ensure students receive credit for successful completion of these courses.
November 13, 2024
Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
Charge: Protecting Vulnerable Texans in Emergencies: Examine commercial residential settings for the elderly and individuals with intellectual disabilities, including assisted living facilities, boarding homes, group homes, and independent living communities. Identify emergency preparedness and response protocols required during severe weather for these populations. Make recommendations, if necessary, for the establishment and enforcement of emergency protocols to ensure vulnerable populations are protected.
Charge: Examining the links between Nutrition and Chronic Disease: Examine the role that food supply plays in chronic disease. Identify ways that Texas can support a healthier food supply, including ways to better inform consumers and incentivize food producers. Make recommendations for reforming the state’s health-related research efforts to improve public health through enhanced nutritional awareness, revised pharmaceutical development, and non-pharmacological interventions.
November 14, 2024
Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development
Charge: Enhancing Workforce Productivity: Study ways to increase the state’s workforce productivity, including access to childcare. Make recommendations, within existing resources, to maintain childcare availability to support a growing workforce.
Sunset Advisory Commission
Consideration and possible action on the new recommendations for the following agency:
Texas Real Estate Commission special-purpose review
Staff presentation and public testimony:
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.
November 7, 2024
Senate Committee on Local Government
Charge: Housing Affordability: Study issues related to housing, including housing supply, homelessness, and methods of providing and financing affordable housing. Make recommendations to reduce regulatory barriers, strengthen property rights, and improve transparency and accountability in public programs for housing.
Charge: Additional Property Tax Relief and Reform: Report on the effects of prior property tax relief and reform, including the $18 billion tax cut with the $100,000 homestead exemption authorized by the 88th Legislature. Focus particularly on the interaction between Senate Bill 2, 88th Legislature, 2nd Called Session, and Senate Bill 2, 86th Legislature. Make recommendations for further property tax relief and reform, including methods to improve voter control over tax rate setting and debt authorization, and mechanisms to dissolve taxing entities such as municipal management districts (MMDs) and tax increment reinvestment zones (TIRZs) when they have outlived their purpose.
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 21, 2024
House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
Topic: Criminal procedure related to capital punishment and new science writs under Article 11.073, Code of Criminal Procedure.
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 15, 2024
Senate Committee on State Affairs
Charge: Impeachment Reform: Evaluate the constitutional and statutory impeachment procedures in our state. Make recommendations to ensure a fair and transparent process.
Charge: Lottery: Study “lottery courier services,” which allow their clients to purchase lottery tickets over the internet. Report on the number of couriers and the magnitude of sales from such services in Texas. Determine whether courier services are operating legally in Texas and whether a change in law is needed to respond to technological advancements to protect children in our state and to maintain original legislative intent. Recommend legislation to clarify Texas’s laws regarding online lottery sales.
Charge: Addressing Homelessness: Study programs that address the homelessness crisis in Texas. Specifically, review programs like Haven for Hope and determine whether such programs could be a model throughout our state. Propose legislation to address the root causes of homelessness by expanding successful programs for cities of all sizes.
Charge: Public Trust in Government: Examine the current state of accountability, ethics, and transparency in local government. Recommend ways to bolster public trust in local government by strengthening the Public Information Act and Open Meetings Act.
October 16, 2024
House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
Topic: Criminal procedure related to capital punishment and new science writs under Article 11.073, Code of Criminal Procedure.
House Committee on Licensing & Administrative Procedures
Charge: 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:
The Committee will be hearing invited testimony only regarding the following agencies: Texas Racing Commission, State Office of Administrative Hearings, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and Texas Lottery Commission.
The Committee will also hear invited testimony only relating to the Texas Lottery Commission current rules and regulations regarding “lottery courier services,” and single buyer mass purchases.
House Select Committee on Securing Texas from Hostile Foreign Organizations
Charge: Study the threat posed by hostile foreign organizations and related entities on the Texas economy, security, and values.
Charge: Evaluate the ways in which hostile foreign organizations acquire property, including real property, in Texas as well as the attendant risks. Recommend policy changes to mitigate the risks posed by ownership of Texas assets by hostile foreign organizations
Charge: Examine rates of intellectual property (IP) theft in the state and identify the industries most impacted. Make recommendations to better secure the IP of government and businesses operating in the state and ensure Texas remains competitive in the face of economic aggression by hostile foreign organizations.
Senate Committee on State Affairs
Charge: Runoff Elections: Study the prerequisites, timing, and efficiency of runoff elections. Make recommendations to increase the efficiency and lower the costs of runoff elections. Examine the 50% vote threshold to avoid a runoff, particularly when four or more candidates are running for the same office. Report whether the vote percentage threshold should be lowered in some instances.
Charge: Stop Noncitizen Voting: Evaluate the current safeguards in place to prevent noncitizens from voting in elections. Recommend legislation to facilitate the removal of noncitizen voters from the voter rolls as well as legislation to prevent noncitizens from registering to vote in Texas.
Charge: Election Audit Reports: Evaluate the Secretary of State’s election audit reports. Make recommendations to secure our elections and ensure counties follow the law.
Charge: Unmasking Protestors: Study the use of face coverings and hoods designed to conceal the identity of those bent on committing crimes at protests. Recommend legislation to stop the chaos and destruction by those who attempt to commit crimes while concealing their identity during public gatherings.
Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on State Affairs passed by the 88th Legislature. Specifically, evaluate the impact of Senate Bill 2284, relating to the sale of distilled spirits to ultimate consumers by the holder of a distiller's and rectifier's permit. Report whether the increased sale of distilled spirits has had a positive impact on economic development and public safety in this industry.
October 17, 2024
Senate Committee on State Affairs
Charge: Social Media & Protecting Children: Study the impact of social media use on children. Review current mechanisms in place to protect minors online. Monitor the implementation of House Bill 18, 88th Legislature, relating to the protection of minors from harmful, deceptive, or unfair trade practices in connection with the use of certain digital services and electronic devices, including the use and transfer of electronic devices to students by a public school. Make policy recommendations to further protect Texas children online.
Charge: Responsible Investing: Study the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors on our state’s public pensions, with a focus on proxy voting services. Make recommendations to ensure our state’s pension systems vote and invest in accordance with their fiduciary responsibility to maximize profit. Additionally, monitor the implementation of Senate Bill 13, 87th Legislature, relating to state contracts with and investments in certain companies that boycott energy companies. Specifically, examine how a company is removed from the list of companies that boycott energy companies when the company ceases to boycott energy companies. Report on how frequently the list maintained by the comptroller is updated and make recommendations to ensure an ongoing accurate list.
Charge: Beverages with THC: Evaluate Texas laws and regulations concerning THC beverage manufacturing and delivery. Report on the current regulations and safeguards Texas may or may not have in place for drinks with any amount of THC. Recommend legislation to protect Texas consumers.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 30, 2024
House Committee on State Affairs
Charge: Securing the border: Conduct a review of functions and operations of state agencies involved with carrying out Operation Lone Star as they relate to securing the border and preventing transnational criminal activity. Evaluate whether agencies have sufficient resources and authority to carry out their prescribed duties. Make recommendations to increase the safety and wellbeing of personnel and efficiency of agency operations as needed.
October 1, 2024
House Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technologies
Charge: Determining the impact of the application of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies on various sectors of society, including transportation, healthcare, licensed industries, and unlicensed industries.
Charge: Formulating recommendations for legislative, policy, regulatory, and remedial actions needed to address the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
House Select Committee on Business & Commerce
Charge: Managing Texas Sized Growth: Evaluate the state's ability to keep pace with increasing electricity demand related to population growth and energy intensive technologies such as electric vehicles and data centers. Recommend ways to increase reliability via demand-side response programs. Study ERCOT's forecasting methodology and recommend ways to increase transparency. Monitor ongoing efforts at the Public Utility Commission related to energy efficiency programs and distributed energy resources, including the implementation of Senate Bill 1699, 88th Legislature.
Charge: Innovative Power Generation: Explore emerging technologies with the potential to add new dispatchable power to our electric grid including, but not limited, to small modular nuclear reactors, advanced batteries, and new developments in hydrogen and geothermal resources. Identify and recommend regulatory and policy actions required to deploy emerging technologies within the state's electric grid.
Charge: Addressing the Rising Cost of Insurance: Assess the impact of rising property and casualty insurance costs on Texas property owners, real estate lenders, and commercial and industrial development. Identify ways to increase consumer transparency to better inform coverage decisions and make recommendations to ensure a competitive and affordable insurance market for consumers.
Charge: Non-Compete Agreements: Examine the impact of the Federal Trade Commission’s final rule on non-compete agreements on Texas employers including, but not limited to, contractual exceptions and limitations on independent contractors, for-profit and non-profit businesses, and senior executives. Identify ways to address balancing legitimate business interests of employers while also protecting employment mobility, increasing innovation, and fostering new business formation. Report on whether any changes should be made to existing law on the criteria, procedures, and remedies on enforcing non-compete and alternative agreements.
October 2, 2024
House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
Examine proposals to increase judicial compensation.
Review proposed modifications allowing paraprofessionals to provide limited legal services.
Review the current use and misuse of the Texas Citizens Participation Act.
Discuss the use of civil nondisclosure agreements in settlements involving the sexual abuse of a child.
Discuss the use of court orders seeking to change an individual's sex on government documents.
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 24, 2024
House Committee on Appropriations
1. Review the state finance implications of the implementation of House Bill 3447 as it relates to the Texas Space Commission and the Space Economy.
2. Review the state finance implications of the implementation of House Bill 5174 as it relates to the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium and Fund.
3. Review the state finance implications of the implementation of Senate Bill 2627 and potential opportunities to expand the allowable uses of the Texas Energy Fund.
4. Review the state finance implications of the implementation of House Bill 9 as it relates to the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund.
5. Review the state finance implications of future population growth trends.
6. Review the state finance implications of the implementation of Senate Bill 1648 as it relates to the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund.
7. Interim Charge 2: Examine cross-article funding streams within the Texas Education Agency, such as School Health and Related Services (SHARS), determine where overlapping programs are best fit and funded, and make policy recommendations to improve transparency and accountability between agencies.
House Committee on Natural Resources
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:
Water Reuse Expansion: Examine opportunities to expand the reuse of waters in Texas as an additional water supply and identify funding deficiencies for water reuse projects and regulatory impediments that make expansion of water reuse difficult in Texas.
Reliability of Clean Water Access: Evaluate the causes, durations, and incidence of boil water notices issued by public water systems. Identify solutions to keep critical water infrastructure online during public water system failures and consider whether policy changes are necessary to prevent interruption to the public’s access to clean, reliable drinking water.
Groundwater Infrastructure: Examine Texas groundwater data infrastructure, data collection, and monitoring practices and identify policy solutions for improvement in the areas of understanding local groundwater conditions; groundwater modeling for planning and decision-making; and resource management
Senate Subcommittee Higher Education
Charge: Public Junior College State Finance Program: Monitor the implementation of the new community college funding model as recommended by the Texas Commission on Community College Finance. Report on whether the rulemaking process is being successfully completed to focus on student outcomes and enhancing the role of public junior colleges in workforce training and preparation.
Charge: Innovation and Technology in Higher Education: Investigate the opportunities and challenges of emerging technology on teaching and learning, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), online education, and digital resources. Examine aspects of intellectual property as they relate to the development of AI programs and platforms by institutions of higher education and explore the ethical issues institutions of higher education should contemplate when developing AI programs and platforms. Make recommendations to responsibly and ethically utilize emerging technology to enhance learning in higher education
Charge: Core Curriculum Course Accessibility: Review student access to core curriculum courses at Texas institutions of higher education. Examine the availability of these courses both online and in-person, as well as any issues that would prevent or reduce in-person access. Make recommendations for any needed reforms to ensure that all students have equal in-person access to core courses.
September 26, 2024
House Committee on Ways and Means
Charge: 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 5, the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Act, relating to agreements authorizing a limitation on taxable value of certain property to provide for the creation of jobs and the generation of state and local tax revenue; authorizing fees; authorizing penalties; and
HB 796, relating to the creation and maintenance by an appraisal district of a publicly available Internet database of information regarding protest hearings conducted by the appraisal review board established for the district.
House Committee on Ways and Means and House Select Study Committee on Sustainable Property Tax Relief (Joint Hearing)
Charge: Review the impact of HJR 2/SB 2 (88S2), which provides property tax relief through various mechanisms, on achieving the goal of providing sustainable property tax relief for Texas property owners.
Charge: Evaluate the effects of tax rate compression, limits on taxable value, and homestead exemption increases to maximize savings to property owners, and evaluate whether Texas’ economic performance and state tax revenues support further compression of school district tax rates.
Charge: Study the viability and sustainability of eliminating maintenance and operations taxes by 2035.
Charge: Examine historical rates of appraisal increases, and methods to reduce the tax burden of appraisal increases on all real property. Evaluate whether to extend the limitation on appraised value of certain non-homestead real property past the current expiration date of December 31, 2026, and whether to further reduce the limit on appraised value of homesteads.
Charge: Examine the long-term value of homestead exemptions to Texas homeowners in conjunction with the impact of appraisal increases and evaluate whether to maintain the homestead exemption at its current rate.
