This entry was posted on June 6, 2014 at 10:53 AM and has received 1521 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on May 8, 2014 at 8:06 AM and has received 645 views. Print this entry.

 Looking for a starting point to research Texas water issues?  Check out the Legislative Reference Library's new Water Resources Research Guide. 

This entry was posted on March 10, 2014 at 8:45 AM and has received 2501 views. Print this entry.

A new library exhibit invites visitors to get "Inspired by Texas." The exhibit area will feature revolving themes from Texas culture, literature, and history. This month we are highlighting legislators who also are artists.

 

Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls, 2001-present) has loaned the library one of his paintings for display. The Senator studied art in college and has long been recognized for his artistic accomplishments. His work is primarily abstract, and he has a great eye for design and color.

 

The exhibit also showcases drawings by Representative Neil Caldwell (D-Alvin, 1960-1977). Caldwell's images, both whimsical and astute, are as timely in Texas politics today as they were when he sketched them. He had a masterful way of capturing the essence of elected officials and staff through portraiture. A compilation of his art was published in 1969.

 

We invite you to come into the library to enjoy this art or check out our Pinterest Boards, New Acquisitions and Young Texans Collection, to see books highlighted in the exhibit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on February 24, 2014 at 8:41 AM and has received 1124 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on February 10, 2014 at 10:42 AM and has received 880 views. Print this entry.

Young readers visiting the library can learn about Texas through our Young Texans Collection. The collection includes a variety of children’s books for every age level, from picture books to chapter books. Visitors can learn all about Texas, (“L is for Lone Star”), discover events in Texas history (“Voices of the Alamo”), and read about Texas politicians and historical figures (Martín de León, Barbara Jordan, and Sam Houston, among many others).

The collection is accessible any time the library is open, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also view the collection on Pinterest, where we’ve included notes about reading levels and brief summaries of the books.

This entry was posted on September 5, 2013 at 8:01 AM and has received 1371 views. Print this entry.

The Texas Legislative Reference Library's Pinterest page, recipient of the Notable Online Resource award, uses the unique format of boards and pins to highlight books, photographs, art and other items that bring the Texas Legislature and its history into view. From historical 'tidbits' about the Texas Legislature to a full exhibit of state symbols, the page highlights a range of helpful information.

The Senate Research Center's Budget 101: A Guide to the Budget Process in Texas received a Notable Document on Fiscal Policy award. A useful primer on the biennial budget process in Texas, the guide provides a step-by-step description of what happens to the budget during the legislative session, and discusses the different agencies and offices involved in the process. In addition, the publication contains information on the current two-year budget, including when it was passed, total funding, and how funds were distributed by function.

This entry was posted on August 28, 2013 at 9:30 AM and has received 1046 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on October 15, 2012 at 8:21 AM and has received 7182 views. Print this entry.

The library's three initial pinboards highlight art in the library, books by or about Texas legislators, and links for the library's most popular online resources. We'll be pinning new items on an ongoing basis, so check back often!

This entry was posted on August 6, 2012 at 8:19 AM and has received 1631 views. Print this entry.

Over the last year, the library has worked hard to scan House and Senate journals to make them available on our website. Part of this project included scanning congressional journals from the Republic of Texas. These journals date to the period between 1836 and 1845, just before Texas became a state. At that time, the Republic of Texas had formed as a separate nation after gaining independence from Mexico.

Reading through the journals of the First Congress gives you a sense of how much things have changed:

• The Congress that year consisted of 14 senators and 29 representatives, as opposed to the 150 representatives and 31 senators that make up today's state legislative body.  
• Since no capital had yet been established, the First Congress met in Columbia, TX (today's West Columbia in Brazoria County).
•  In his State of the State address, ad interim President David C. Burnet told the members of Congress, "To you is committed the beginning of legislation, and as you shall lay the foundation, so will be reared the superstructure."  He stressed the importance of adopting a plan for "permanent and certain revenue," and for building up the military organization, whose "strength has been fluctuating on account of the frequent accession and discharges of volunteers under short enlistment."   

The journals include familiar names like Sam Houston, twice President of the Republic of Texas and later Governor of the State of Texas (1859-1861), and J. Pinckney Henderson, Attorney General and Secretary of State in the early years of the Republic, and later the State of Texas' first Governor (1846-47).

Journals for all nine congresses of the Republic of Texas are available online at:  http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/collections/journals/journals.cfm#republic

The library wishes to thank the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History (University of Texas at Austin), the Tarlton Law Library at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for generously lending us individual congressional journals not present in our own collection.

This entry was posted on May 23, 2012 at 4:39 PM and has received 5239 views. Print this entry.