Committee minutes record the proceedings of legislative committees. They are the permanent record of what occurred at a committee hearing, and can be a helpful guide when viewing video or listening to audio of past hearings.

 

Minutes contain procedural information like roll call, record votes, bills considered, and witness information, and at times they include other research valuable items, such as transcripts of testimony, research reports, and correspondence.

 

The Legislative Reference Library makes committee minutes from the 63rd Legislature (1973) through the 74th Legislature (1995) available online through its committee minutes page, and also linked to bills in its Legislative Archive System. For committee minutes from the 75th Legislature (1997) - present, check the Texas Legislature Online's Committees webpage.

 

Table: Committee minute availability

 

(LRL = Legislative Reference Library; TLO = Texas Legislature Online)

Legislature	House	Senate	Joint
63rd - 71st	Online via LRL	Online via LRL	Online via LRL
72nd - 74th	Online via LRL	In hard copy at the LRL (scanning in progress)	In hard copy at the LRL (scanning in progress)
75th - present	Online via TLO	Online via TLO	Online via TLO

1. Legislative Reference Library (2nd floor, Rm. 2N.3): The library space is original to the building, and has been in continuous use as a library since 1889. There is much to see, including books, paintings, sculptures, and exhibits that will appeal to all ages, even the young ones. While you're in the library, check out Santa Anna's Chair, and learn about some of the artwork on permanent display. We are open to the public, M-F, 8am-5pm.
2. House and Senate Chambers (2nd floor, east and west wings): Though the Texas Legislature is not in session this year, try not to miss the House and Senate chambers. Both are open to the public, and you'll be able to see where Texas lawmakers debate legislation. In addition, both chambers boast an impressive collection of paintings and photos of early legislatures.
3. Capitol Rotunda (1st floor): Many an Instagram pic has been taken in the Capitol Rotunda, and for good reason. The space offers some of the best views of the Capitol dome interior. In addition, the Rotunda is lined with portraits of former Texas governors, going all the way back to the early days of Texas statehood (spans four floors). 
4. The Capitol Visitors Center: Located in its own building in the southeast corner of the Capitol grounds, the Capitol Visitors Center has ongoing exhibits, and serves as a good jumping off point for your visit at the Capitol. They also offer guided tours.
5. Texas Supreme Courtroom and Texas Appeals Courtroom (3rd floor, north wing): In their early history, the Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Appeals heard cases in the Texas Capitol. Both courts have since moved to new spaces outside of the building, but the rooms are still there, and have been restored to their historic appearance. 

Photo courtesy of the Texas State Preservation Board.

The library has created a new research guide that provides an overview of the 1965 revision of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.  Included in the guide is a timeline and overview of the revision process, an annotated list of legislation that lead to the enactment of the new Code of Criminal Procedure in 1965, links to previous versions of the Code, and documents available for each year of the revision process. The guide serves as an excellent resource for discovering materials in the library collection that are relevant to the Code of Criminal Procedure's revision, and may aid researchers in tracing the reasoning and intent of specific statutory language.  

 

On January 20, Greg Abbott will be sworn in as Texas' 45th governor. 

 

Like his predecessors, he will deliver an inaugural address to a joint session of the House and Senate, and festivities will be held throughout the day to celebrate his inauguration.

 

To commemorate this event, the Library has prepared a new exhibit highlighting Greg Abbott's inaugural festivities, as well as those of former Texas governors Rick Perry, Ann Richards, and W. Lee 'Pappy' O'Daniel.  Many of the items featured in the exhibit can be seen in our online collection of gubernatorial inauguration materials.

 

 

If you are interested in the work of past governors, the library's governor documents database is a good place to start. You can find things like:

If you're looking for something specific and are unable to find it, the library can provide further assistance.  Please contact us at (512) 463-1252.

 

A photo from the exhibit showing Congress Avenue during the inauguration of W. Lee 'Pappy' O'Daniel in 1939.

The library invites you to view its latest exhibit: Legislative Desk of Rep. Charles B. Metcalfe.

The library adds new books to its collection every week. Here are six books recently added.

Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison, by Nell Bernstein (2014).
"In this clear-eyed indictment of a failed institution—the juvenile detention facility—award-winning journalist Nell Bernstein shows that there is no right way to lock up a child."

Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics are Remaking America, by William H. Frey (2014).
"Through a compelling narrative and eye-catching charts and maps, eminent demographer Frey interprets and expounds on the dramatic growth of minority populations in the U.S. He finds that without these expanding groups, America could face a bleak future: this new generation of young minorities, who are having children at a faster rate than whites, is infusing our aging labor force with vitality and innovation."

In the Common Interest: Embracing the New American Community, by John Carona (2014).
"[This book] explains how the modern community association benefits not only residents but also the country at large. [The author] outlines the pros and cons of these communities, plus prescriptive advice for how we can make them even better."

Lone Star Nation: How Texas Will Transform America, by Richard Parker (2014).
"Richard Parker takes the reader on a tour across today's booming Texas, an evolving landscape that is densely urban, overwhelmingly Hispanic, exceedingly powerful in the global economy, and increasingly liberal."

A Race for the Future: How Conservatives Can Break the Liberal Monopoly on Hispanic Americans, by Mike Gonzalez (2014).
"[This book] reveals exactly how bureaucratic decisions that encourage public assistance and discourage assimilation hinder Hispanics and allow them to be politically monopolized by progressives."

A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico, by Amy Greenberg (2012).
"It is a story of Indian fights, Manifest Destiny, secret military maneuvers, gunshot wounds, and political spin. Along the way it captures a young Lincoln mismatching his clothes, the lasting influence of the Founding Fathers, the birth of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and America’s first national antiwar movement."

The library adds new books to its collection every week. Here are six Texas-themed books recently added.

Going to Texas: Five Centuries of Texas Maps, presented by the Center for Texas Studies at TCU (2007).
"These maps tell us much about the geography of Texas, but also about its economics, social milieu, history, politics, foreign policy and politics at given moments in history … In doing so, they provide a window into the things that make Texas unique." (Website)

Historic Texas: An Illustrated Chronicle of Texas' Past, by Archie P. McDonald (1996).
"This is a look at the events, the cultures, the well-known and perhaps not-so-well-known happenings, politics and actions that influenced the growth and changes that have become your area." (Website)

Texas: Mapping the Lone Star State Through History, by Vincent Virga and Don Blevins (2010).
"Combining 50 rare, beautiful, and diverse maps of Texas from the collections of the Library of Congress, informative captions about the origins and contents of those maps, and essays on Lone Star State history, this book is a collectible for cartography buffs and a celebration of state history for residents, former residents, and visitors." (Website) [Book does not circulate]

Notable Men and Women of Spanish Texas, by Donald E. Chipman and Harriett Denise Joseph (1999).
"By combining dramatic, real-life incidents, biographical sketches, and historical background, the authors bring to life famous (and sometimes infamous) people of Spanish Texas." (Website)

Texas: Crossroads of North America, by Jesús F. de la Teja, Paula Marks, and Ron Tyler (2004).
"Incorporating the latest scholarship, this text chronicles the development of the political, economic, and social identity of Texas through the unique insight of three authors. The thematically arranged text covers the full scope of Spanish exploration and colonization efforts, as well as the transformation of the Texas economy and society in the 20th century." (Website)

William Barret Travis: A Biography, by Archie P. McDonald (1995).
"[This book] is the first scholarly biography of the legendary Alamo commander … [It] is an in-depth study that searches for an understanding of Travis' character and multifaceted personality. The result is an exciting and entertaining, but above all contemplative analysis of Travis and the Texas War for Independence." (Website)

The library is pleased to announce the addition of Texas Penal Code Revision Research Guide to our online collection of statutory revision material. The guide provides information on sources available for legislative intent research for the Texas Penal Code as enacted in 1973. That enactment was the culmination of a substantial revision process conducted by the Texas Penal Code Revision Project, a collaborative effort of the Texas Bar Association and the Texas Legislative Council, from 1965 to 1973. The Guide includes information about the revision process; a timeline; a chronological list of documents related to the revision; a list of documents organized by Penal Code section; and other resources.

The library adds new books to its collection every week. Here are several books recently added.

Getting Life: An Innocent Man's 25-Year Journey from Prison to Peace, by Michael Morton (2014).
"He spent twenty-five years in prison for a crime he did not commit. He lost his wife, his son, and his freedom. This is the story of how Michael Morton finally got justice—and a second chance at life." (Publisher's website)

The Second Amendment: A Biography, by Michael Waldman (2014).
"At a time of renewed debate over guns in America, what does the Second Amendment mean? This book looks at history to provide some surprising, illuminating answers." (Publisher's website)

 

Constitutional Brinksmanship: Amending the Constitution, Russell L. Caplan (1988).
"In this first systematic study of the legal problems relating to the convention clause, Russell Caplan shows that repeated constitutional crises have given rise to state drives for a national convention nearly every twenty years since the Constitution was enacted." (Publisher's website)

Texas Law of Streets and Alleys: A Handbook, by Kenneth L. Bennight, Jr. (2014).
"Who owns the streets? Is there a difference between streets and alleys or between urban streets and rural roads? ... What limits are there on cities' discretion? These questions and more are answered in this convenient handbook. If you represent a city or are a city official or if you deal with cities or represent people who do, this handbook will help you in your work." (Publisher's website)

Rough Country: How Texas Became America's Most Powerful Bible-Belt State, by Robert Wuthnow (2014).
"Tracing the intersection of religion, race, and power in Texas from Reconstruction through the rise of the Religious Right and the failed presidential bid of Governor Rick Perry, Rough Country illuminates American history since the Civil War in new ways, demonstrating that Texas’ story is also America’s." (Publisher's website)

A Great Aridness: Climate Change and the Future of the American Southwest, by William DeBuys (2013).
"The Southwest continues to be the fastest-growing and one of the most urban regions in the country--the book addresses whether or not its oasis-based culture will be able to continue. " (Publisher's website)