Looking for a starting point to research Texas water issues? Check out the Legislative Reference Library's new Water Resources Research Guide.
Looking for a starting point to research Texas water issues? Check out the Legislative Reference Library's new Water Resources Research Guide.
This comprehensive bibliography of resources related to water includes lists of water-related agencies, organizations, databases, and research aids as well as citations to articles and reports published between 2008 and 2014.
The Guide focuses on water resources development, management, and use; water rights and allocation; and water planning and research.
In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
- Explore tables and reports on educational attainment in the U.S. (U.S. Census Bureau, accessed March 5, 2014)
- Examine statistics on crime against persons with disabilities. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, February 2014)
- See election night returns by county for the Republican Party and Democratic Party primary elections. (Texas Secretary of State, accessed March 5, 2014)
- Consider the effect of a widely-used weed killer on monarch butterflies. (National Resources Defense Council, February 24, 2014)
Interim Hearings – Week of March 10th
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.
March 10th
House Committee on County Affairs
Charge 1: Population growth and impact on housing, available land resources, businesses, and the state's economy
- The State of the Nation's Housing 2013, Chapter 3, Demographic Drivers, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Harvard University, June 2013
- Texas Population Projections Program, including population projections for individual Texas counties by age group and single years of age for 2010-2050, Texas State Data Center
Charge 2: Oversight of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, jail issues including mental health
- Texas Commission on Jail Standards, including County Population Reports updated February 26, 2014
- Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons, 2000-2011 Statistical Tables, Bureau of Justice Statistics, August 2013
- Texas County Resources, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
Charge 3: Monitor health advisory panel from HB 3793, 83rd Legislature
- "Mental Health Advisory Panel to Create a Statewide Plan," Texas Association of Counties
- House Bill 3793 - 83(R), advisory panel meetings and agendas, Texas Department of State Health Services
Charge 4: Cite-and-summons policy and effect on overcrowding in county jails
- Costly Confinement & Sensible Solutions: Jail Overcrowding in Texas, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, 2010
Charge 5: Veterans courts and implementation of SB 462, 83rd Legislature (Joint Charge with House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs)
- "Iraq War Vet Talks About Experience in Veterans Court at Lubbock Conference," Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, February 20, 2014
- "From PTSD to Prison: Why Veterans Become Criminals," The Daily Beast, July 28, 2013
- Veterans Courts, Resource Guide, National Center for State Courts
- Veterans Courts in Texas (County Directory), Texas A& M University System
Charge 6: Legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 83rd Legislature
In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
- Examine the air quality standards for ozone. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, February 2014)
- Consider the effects of a minimum wage increase. (Congressional Budget Office, February 2014)
- Review recent state laws on prescription drug identification. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed February 2014)
- Read about the steep decline in the obesity rate in young children over the last decade. (The New York Times, February 25, 2014)

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.
In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other healpful research tools.
- Read about rail transport of crude oil. (Congressional Research Service, February 6, 2014)
- Check out a state-by-state overview of the tech trade. (TechAmerica Foundation, 2014)
- Consider debit and prepaid cards offered to students by colleges. (U.S. Government Accountability Office, February 2014)
- Explore state and county health insurance coverage estimates from the American Community Survey. (State Health Access Data Assistance Center, 2014)
- Examine the School Breakfast Program and its impact on low-income children. (Food Research and Action Center, January 2014)
Interim Hearings - Week of February 24th
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.
February 28th
House Committee on Technology
University Technology Commercialization
- The Innovative and Entrepreneurial University: Higher Education, innovation & Entrepreneurship in Focus, U.S. Department of Commerce, October 2013
- Technology Development and Transfer, FY 2011 and FY 2012, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, January 2013
Charge 5: Texas' competitiveness with other states in recruiting and cultivating the software industry, including entertainment software
- The Texas IT Services Industry, Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism, 2013
- The Economic Impact of the Creative Sector in Austin, 2012 Update, TXP, Inc. for the City of Austin, February 2012
- Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2010 Report, Entertainment Software Association, 2010
In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.
- Examine U.S.–Mexico relations. (Congressional Research Service, January 30, 2014)
- Consider the effect of child passenger restraint laws on child passenger fatalities and whether children are buckled up. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, February 2014)
- See how a college degree affects earnings over a lifetime. (Pew Research Center, February 11, 2014)
- Track the increasing number of earthquakes in the central and eastern U.S. (U.S. Geological Survey, January 17, 2014)
Interim Hearings - Week of February 17th
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.
February 21st
House Committee on International Trade & Intergovernmental Affairs
Topic: Trade and transportation infrastructure
- Tracking Freight Traffic Trends at the U.S.-Mexico Border, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, December 1, 2013
- "Top States for Global Trade" and "Top Cities for Global Trade," Global Trade Magazine, October 2013
- "El Paso’s International Bridges: Lack of Federal Investment Leaves Locals to Support International Trade and Security," NewspaperTree, October 16, 2013
- Texas Freight Transportation Needs and Challenges, Texas Department of Transportation, August 22, 2013
- "Texas Ports of Entry Tapped for Federal Pilot Program," Texas Tribune, August 2, 2013
- U.S.-Mexico Border: CBP Action Needed to Improve Wait Time Data and Measure Outcomes of Trade Facilitation Efforts, U.S. Government Accountability Office, July 2013
- Realizing the Strategic National Value of Our Trade, Tourism and Ports of Entry With Mexico, 21st Century Border Project, May 2013
February 19th
Topics: Overview of sunset process; organizational information; approval of review schedule, operating budget, and Commission rules; person-first respectful language in statutes; project to repair health and human services agencies' statutes
- Sunset in Texas, 2013-2015, Sunset Advisory Commission
- Sunset Agency Review Schedule, 2014-2015, Sunset Advisory Commission
- Texas Government Code, Chapter 392, Person First Respectful Language Initiative
- Person First Respectful Language, Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, November 2013
February 20th
Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
Charge: Child Protective Services
- DFPS Safety Plan for Children in Foster Care, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, October 24, 2013
- An Audit Report on Caseload and Staffing Analysis for Child Protective Services at the Department of Family and Protective Services, Texas State Auditor's Office, May 2013
- Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature (see Charge 6 on CPS Caseworkers, p. 66), Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, December 2012
- Improving Child and Youth Placement Outcomes: A System Redesign (Foster Care Redesign) Report, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, January 2011 (Released February 14, 2011)
- Foster Care Redesign (Improving Child and Youth Placement Outcomes: A System Redesign), Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
Charge: Women's health
- Abortion Incidence and Service Availability in the United States, 2011, Guttmacher Institute, February 3, 2014
- Interactive: Track Texas' Spending on Primary Care for Women, Texas Tribune, January 14, 2014
- Improving Women’s Health Challenges, Access and Prevention, National Conference of State Legislatures, June 2013
- Texas Women's Health Program Provider Survey: Patient Capacity Report, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, January 7, 2013
- Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health
- Resources (Women's Healthcare; Funding; Preventative Care; Contraception), Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition
- Tribpedia: Women's Health Program, Texas Tribune
This monthly post highlights new resources recently added to the library's website.
The following House and Senate Journals have been added to our online collection:
- 32nd Regular Session (1911) - House journal
- 48th Regular Session (1943) - House journal
- 64th Regular Session (1975) - House and Senate journals
- 66th Regular Session (1979) - Senate journal
- 67th Regular and Called Sessions (1981-82) - Senate journal
- 69th Regular and Called Sessions (1985-86) - House journal
- 70th Regular and Called Sessions (1987) - House and Senate journals
- 72nd Regular and Called Sessions (1991-92) - House and Senate journals
We recently added House interim charges for the 83rd Legislature to our Legislative Reports database. The list of charges also includes Senate charges that have been issued so far for the 83rd.
Recent additions to this online database of gubernatorial materials include governor speeches and messages from the 39th-46th Legislatures (1925-39), going back to Governor Miriam Ferguson.
A new webpage that lists current Texas legislators who have accounts on Twitter and provides a single feed where you can view Texas legislators' posts to Twitter.
New online collection of inaugural invitations, programs, and brochures.
Recent additions from the 65th Legislature (1977) include minutes from the Joint Advisory Committee on Educational Services to the Deaf and Senate Committee to Study Texas Beaches

