In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community. 

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.

 

Charge: Infrastructure and design of Texas schools to reduce security threats, proposals to harden school facilities, including limiting access points, improving screening and detecting of weapons, retrofitting school facilities with improved locks, emergency alarm systems, and monitoring cameras

 

Charge: School security options and resources, including, but not limited to, the school marshal program, school police officers, armed school personnel, the Texas School Safety Center, and other training programs

House and Senate committee minutes are a valuable resource for understanding the work that goes into crafting legislation. House standing committee minutes in the Legislative Reference Library collection from before 1973 have been scanned and are available in the LRL's committee minutes database. 

 

The LRL database also allows users access to committee documents from House, Senate, and Joint committees, 63rd–77th Legislatures (1973–2001), as well as to search for minutes from the 78th–85th Legislatures that are available through Texas Legislature Online.

 

The digitization of the Senate standing committee minutes prior to 1973 is in process.

 

In this weekly post, we feature helpful research tools and recent articles of interest to the legislative community. 

• June 4
  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs
• June 5
  • House Committee on Culture, Recreation & Tourism
  • House Committee on Natural Resources
  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs
• June 6
  • House Committee on County Affairs
• June 7
  • House Committee on Higher Education and House Committee on Public Education, Subcommittee on Teacher Quality
  • House Committee on Higher Education

 

Charge: Regulatory framework of groundwater conservation districts and river authorities

Charge: Agricultural fees

 

Charge 1 (Partial):  Economic, recreational, and biological impacts and needed repairs from Hurricane Harvey and the following areas and industries:

e. Travel and tourism

f. Recommendations for timely recovery from Harvey, and mitigation of future natural disasters

Charge 4: Monitor agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction and implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature:

 

Charge 3: Groundwater policy in Texas, including the following issues:

a. Progress and challenges in encouraging coordination and consistency in aquifer-wide management and permitting practices;

b. Developments in case law regarding groundwater ownership and regulation;

c. Potential improvements to the existing groundwater permitting process, including those contemplated in HB 31, 85th Legislature, R.S.;

d. The appropriate consideration of the service area of a water supplier when groundwater resources are allocated based on surface ownership;

e. The designation of brackish groundwater production zones and related research;

f. Groundwater data and science needs

 

Charge: Streamlining water permitting

Charge: Monitoring, including, but not limited to:

 

• Preparedness, Response, and Rebuilding: Lessons from the 2017 Disasters (Testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security), Reed Clay, Chief Operating Officer for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, March 15, 2018
• Vulnerable Communities are Using Innovative Financing to Prepare for Natural Disasters: Spending on Mitigation Now Will Save Lives and Taxpayer Dollars, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Updated March 23, 2017
• Interim Report to the 85th Texas Legislature (Charge 1 – Prevention and mitigation of natural disasters), House Committee on County Affairs, January 2017
• Interim Report to the 85th Texas Legislature (Charge 1 – Natural disaster preparedness), House Committee on State Affairs, January 2017
• Interim Report to the 85th Texas Legislature (Charge 1 – Disaster preparedness planning), House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, December 2016
• Interim Report to the 85th Texas Legislature (Charge 1 – State preparedness and response to natural disasters), House Committee on Land & Resource Management, December 2016
• Interim Report to the 85th Legislature (Charge 3 – Disaster preparedness planning and coordination, background on process to rebuild housing and efficiency of disaster recovery), Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, November 2016
• Floodplain Management & Watershed Protection Order, Commissioners' Court of Aransas County, Texas, February 17, 2016
• Hurricane Harvey Response (Various rules, notices, and reports concerning storm damage), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Texas Government Code §§ 418.101-418.1102, Local and Interjurisdictional Emergency Management

Top

 

Charge: Educator preparation programs

 

Charge: Efforts of 2-year and 4-year institutions to implement innovative and non-traditional models of education delivery

Peruse the results of the May 22, 2018, primary runoff election for the Texas Legislature in our charts below (runoff results bolded), and see who will be on the ballot for the midterm election on November 6, 2018.

 

 

 

--- indicates that the party did not run a candidate in that district

Source: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/index.shtml, https://apps.texastribune.org/elections/2018/runoff-election-results/, https://apps.texastribune.org/elections/2018/primary-election-results/; Data accessed on March 6 and May 29, 2018. See our previous 2018 primary election results post here.

Addressing the marketing of prescription opioid drugs is just one instance of the DTPA at work...and the Legislative Reference Library has a wealth of information about the Act. The 63rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session, created the DTPA in 1973 through HB 417 and its companion bill SB 75. In 2004, Joe K. Longley and Philip K. Maxwell donated documents to the LRL relating to the DTPA and its private remedies amendments.

 

In 2016, the DTPA collection was enhanced by the addition of the Mark L. Kincaid Papers. Kincaid, who was known as "The Policyholder's Lawyer," had a reputation for crafting public policy for the protection of insurance policy holders who had little or no ability to prevent abuses in the claims process. His records showcase efforts to curb tort reform and document the intent behind key legislation, and to monitor and influence changes to the DTPA.

 

Explore the LRL's Deceptive Trade Practices Act collection to view legislative drafts, transcripts of hearings, correspondence, news clippings, talking points, and other commentary, to gain a better understanding of the Act's legislative intent and history. You can search for specific keywords, types of documents, and by date ranges and/or bill numbers, or you can simply browse the collection.

 

• Examine data sets and maps related to wind turbines in the U.S.  (The United States Wind Turbine Database, accessed May 16, 2018)
• Explore the comprehensive online source for information about voting in Texas. (Texas Secretary of State, accessed May 16, 2018)
• Find out about air quality in your area. (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, accessed May 16, 2018)
• Read about President Trump's federal court nominations during the first year of his term. (Congressional Research Service, May 2, 2018)

Members of the Texas legislative community may request the articles below here or by calling 512-463-1252.

• "Oil and gas rebound powers GDP growth." By Daniel Salazar. Austin Business Journal, May 11, 2018, p. 12.
  Reports strong mining and construction sectors fueled Texas' gross domestic product [GDP] growth in the fourth quarter of 2017, leading all other states. Estimates GDP will grow about 4.2 percent in 2018, but warns policy missteps in international trade could hurt export-dependent states. Related information at: https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/qgdpstate_newsrelease.htm.
• "Helping manufacturing-intensive communities: What works?" By Timothy J. Bartik. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, May 9, 2018, pp. 1-17.
  Discusses economic development in communities with above-average shares of manufacturing. Outlines three cost-effective ways to promote manufacturing job growth, including expansion of services to small and medium-sized manufacturers, infrastructure and land investment, and public spending on job training programs.
• "In Kentucky, a test of Medicaid rules." By Henry Gass. Christian Science Monitor, May 7, 2018, pp. 18-20.
  Examines the procedures and rules Kentucky is using to re-design its Medicaid program and become the first state to enforce work and community engagement requirements on a portion of Medicaid recipients. Related information at: https://kentuckyhealth.ky.gov/Pages/index.aspx.
• "A university in Texas promised scholarships to 50 Nepali students. Then it revoked the offer." Chronicle of Higher Education, May 11, 2018, pp. A20-A21.
  Highlights the recent "oversight" that caused the University of Texas at Tyler to rescind offers to 50 Nepali students of full-ride scholarships the university could not afford.
• "Efforts to stop human trafficking." By Beth A. Williams. Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, Spring 2018, pp. 623-629.
  Explains the federal government's approach to stopping human trafficking. Describes efforts across the country to apprehend and prosecute human traffickers and provide assistance to human trafficking victims.
• "Renewable power cos. see potential home in Houston." Houston Business Journal, May 3, 2018, pp. 18-19.
  Examines Houston's future as the home of leading companies in the renewable energy industry.
• "EIA's estimates for Texas crude oil production account for incomplete state data." By Emily Geary and Jess Biercevicz. Internet Resource, March 26, 2018, pp. 1-2.
  Reports that there are differences in the data published by the United States Energy Information Administration and by the Texas Railroad Commission for crude oil and lease condensate production, which indicates differences in the treatment of incomplete and lagged data. Includes an example of recently reported data and explains why this may occur. Related information at: https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/supply/monthly/.
• "Hurricane Harvey: The experiences of immigrants living in the Texas Gulf Coast." By Bryan Wu, et al. Internet Resource, March 2018, pp. 1-12.
  Surveys immigrants living in the Texas Gulf Coast region to better understand their experiences with Hurricane Harvey and improve ongoing and future disaster recovery efforts among this particularly vulnerable population.
• "Rating teacher-preparation programs: Can value-added make useful distinctions?" By Paul T. von Hippel and Laura Bellows. Internet Resource, Summer 2018, pp. 1-8.
  Examines the effectiveness of ranking teacher-preparation programs based on teachers' "value-added" to student testing scores. Re-analyzes prior evaluations of teacher-preparation programs from six locations, including Texas.
• "Weather alert: Move forward on clean energy." By Jim Murphy. Natural Resources & Environment, Spring 2018, pp. 52-53.
  Observes that weather-related disasters around the world are becoming more common and more severe. Suggests that relying more on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar provides for a more stable and secure energy supply.
• "Emergency preparedness: Resiliency is key to effective disaster planning." By Sarah A. Deslauriers. Opflow, March 2018, pp. 26-28.
  Argues that water utilities need to develop contingency plans to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events that could negatively impact operations and reliable service. Refers to a resource from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Related information at: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/drinkingwater/homeland_security/disasterprep/disasterprep.html.
• "Powering into the future." By Glen Andersen. State Legislatures, May 2018, pp. 24-25, 27.
  Considers the costs and challenges involved in modernizing existing electricity distribution infrastructure to accommodate technological advancements and a rapidly changing energy market.
• "This jobs program just might get people back to work." By Sophie Quinton. Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts), May 9, 2018, pp. 1-6.
  Discusses new federal law, part of the Bipartisan Budget Act, which will require states participating in the reemployment grant program to create evidence-based programs that improve employment outcomes of people who receive unemployment compensation and reduce their time receiving benefits. Highlights Nevada's successful model. Related information at: http://evidencebasedprograms.org/document/nevada-rea-program-evidence-summary/ and https://www.congress.gov/115/bills/hr1892/BILLS-115hr1892enr.pdf#page=64.
• "Finding ways to save new moms." By Sean Price. Texas Medicine, May 2018, pp. 36-38.
  Explores work by the Texas Medical Association's Maternal Health Congress, the Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force, and the Texas Department of State Health Services, to understand better Texas' maternal mortality rate and identify proposed actions.
• "The interview: The map master Michael Li." By Michael Barajas. Texas Observer, April/May 2018, pp. 10-11.
  Interviews Michael Li, Senior Counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program and author of the Texas Redistricting and Election Law blog, on the upcoming Texas redistricting case to be heard by the United States Supreme Court. Provides background information on redistricting litigation in Texas.