In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.

• Explore economic policies in State of the State addresses from 44 state governors. (American Legislative Exchange Council, August 11, 2016)
• Read the draft environmental impact statement for the Texas–Oklahoma passenger rail study. (Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, available for public review and comment through August 29, 2016)
• See district profiles of Texas House and Senate districts. (Texas Legislative Council, accessed August 17, 2016)
• Review the Texas Education Agency's 2016 accountability ratings. (Texas Education Agency, August 15, 2016)
• Consider the state of transportation network companies in Texas. (Texas A&M Transportation Institute, July 2016)

 

• HB 4, Relating to prekindergarten, including a high quality prekindergarten grant program provided by public school districts.

• HB 2293, Relating to the certification by the comptroller to the commissioner of education of the taxable value of property in each school district.

• HB 2610, Relating to the minimum number of minutes of instruction for students to be provided by public school districts and the scheduling of the last day of school for students by public school districts.

• HB 2804, Relating to evaluation of public school performance.

• SB 507, Relating to the placement and use of video cameras in self-contained classrooms or other settings providing special education services.

• Briefing Book on Public Education Legislation, 84th Texas Legislative Session, Texas Education Agency, July 2015
• Highlights of the 84th Legislature, Volume 1 (Education - Public), Senate Research Center
• Highlights of the 84th Legislature, Volume 2, Senate Research Center
• Interim Charges, House Committee on Public Education
• Interim Charges, Senate Committee on Education
• Legislative Reports to the 84th Texas Legislature, Texas Education Agency
• Legislative Wrap-Ups, 84th Regular Session: Education, Legislative Reference Library
• Summary of Enactments: 84th Legislature (Public Education), Texas Legislative Council

Cover image by flickr user Province of British Columbia.

• Coastal Erosion Planning & Response Act: A Report to the 84th Texas Legislature, Texas General Land Office, 2015
• Texas Coastal Management Program: Biennial Report 2013-2014, Texas General Land Office, December 2014
• Texas Coastwide Erosion Response Plan: 2013 Update (including erosion rates), Texas General Land Office, December 2014
• Interim Report to the 81st Legislature (Charge 2 - Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act), Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Affairs & Coastal Resources, December 2008
• Interim Report to the 80th Legislature (Charge 2 - Effectiveness and funding of the Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Program, GLO), Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture and Coastal Resources, December 2006
• Interim Report to the 79th Texas Legislature (Charge 2 - Coastal hazard mitigation and coastal erosion funding), House Committee on Land and Resource Management, November 2004

• Committee Meeting Handouts - Natural Disasters, House Committee on County Affairs, May 16, 2016
• "New Technologies Aiding States' Disaster Response," Capitol Ideas, Council of State Governments, May/June 2016
• "Judge's Corner: Texas Should Invest More Funding for Natural Disasters," Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape, Austin American-Statesman, December 30, 2015
• Lessons From Texas: 10 Years of Disaster Recovery Examined, Texas Appleseed, September 15, 2015
• State of Texas Hazard Mitigation Plan: 2013 Update, Texas Department of Public Safety, 2013
• State of Texas Emergency Management Plan and Annexes, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Division of Emergency Management, May 2012
• Interim Report, Report to the 82nd Legislature, Senate Subcommittee on Flooding and Evacuations, January 2011
• Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature (Disaster preparedness), House Committee on Emergency Preparedness, December 2010
• Report to the 81st Legislature (Charge 3 - Disaster planning and first response), Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security, December 2008
• "Lessons We Don't Learn: A Study of the Lessons of Disasters, Why We Repeat Them, and How We Can Learn Them," 2 Homeland Security Affairs, Article 4, July 2006
• Interim Report to the 78th Legislature: Natural Disasters, Senate Interim Committee on Natural Resources, August 2002

• "New Management Districts Pave Way for Growth in Missouri City," Community Impact - Central Austin, August 5, 2015
• "The City with (Almost) No Limits," UrbanLand Magazine, April 20, 2015
• Texas Municipal League Economic Development Handbook, Texas Municipal League, Updated January 2015
• Invisible Governments: Special Purpose Districts in Texas (Municipal Management Districts, Tables), Texas Senate Research Center, October 2014 
• Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature (Charge 8 - MMDs; Appendices H-1 to H-2), Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations, December 2010
• Texas Local Government Code §§375.001-375.357, Municipal Management Districts In General
• Texas Government Code §313.006, Notice for Laws Establishing Municipal Management Districts

• Invisible Governments: Special Purpose Districts in Texas, Texas Senate Research Center, October 2014 
• Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature, House Select Committee on Special Purpose Districts, January 2011

• Unlicensed and Untapped: Removing Barriers to State Occupational Licenses for People with Records, National Employment Law Project, April 2016
• Occupational Licensing: A Framework for Policymakers, U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Economic Policy, Council of Economic Advisers, and Department of Labor, July 2015
• Bootstraps Tangled in Red Tape: How State Occupational Licensing Hinders Low-Income Entrepreneurship, Goldwater Institute, February 23, 2015
• Report to the 83rd Legislature (Charge 2 - Occupational licensing and regulation), Senate Committee on Business and Commerce, January 2013
• License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing, Institute for Justice, May 2012
• Occupational Regulation in Texas: Occupational Licenses and Statutory Penalties for Violations Relating to Occupational Licenses, Texas Legislative Council, October 2008; Addendum, June 2010

• Interim Report to the 82nd Legislature (Charge 1 - Review of committees, councils, and task forces across state government agencies and programs) , Senate Committee on Government Organization, December 2010
• Final Report, Legislative Proposals, and Summary, Joint Committee on Government Operations (Little Hoover Commission), 1975

• Powdered Alcohol - State Laws, Alcohol Justice, as of July 14, 2016
• "Powdered Alcohol Preemptively Banned in 31 States," Eater.com, April 29, 2016
• Powdered Alcohol 2015 Legislation, National Conference of State Legislatures, November 11, 2015
• "Powdered Prohibition," State Legislatures, National Conference of State Legislatures, June 2015

• Asset Forfeiture Policy Manual (Ch. 14 - Seizures by State and Local Law Enforcement), United States Department of Justice, 2016
• Policing for Profit: The Abuse of Civil Asset Forfeiture (Grades state and federal civil forfeiture laws), 2nd Edition, Institute for Justice, November 2015
• Civil Asset Forfeiture in the States, National Center for Policy Analysis, October 20, 2015
• Civil Asset Forfeiture: Good Intentions Gone Awry and the Need for Reform, Heritage Foundation, April 20, 2015
• Asset Forfeiture in Texas: DPS and County Interactions, Office of Court Administration, December 2014
• “Reverse Robin Hood: The Tale of How Texas Law Enforcement Has Used Civil Asset Forfeiture to Take From Property Owners and Pad the Pockets of Local Government – the Righteous Hunt for Reform is On,” 46 Texas Tech Law Review 1169 (Summer 2014)
• Taking Contraband Without Taking Our Liberties: Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform in Texas, Texas Public Policy Foundation, March 2014
• Texas  Code of Criminal Procedure Chapter 59, Forfeiture of Contraband

• Texas Anti-Bullying Laws and Policies (Other states), Stopbullying.Gov, United States Department of Health & Human Services, June 28, 2016
• "When the Teacher is the Bully," GreatKids, February 8, 2016
• State Cyberbullying Laws: A Brief Review of State Cyberbullying Laws and Policies, Cyberbullying Research Center, January 2016
• 2015 Cyberbullying Data, Cyberbullying Research Center, May 1, 2015
• 2015's Best & Worst States at Controlling Bullying, WalletHub, February 2015
• "Bullying Is No Longer Just on the Playground: How School Bullying is Evolving and How State Legislation is Trying to Keep Up," 14 Texas Tech Administrative Law Journal 1 (2013)
• "Bullying of Teachers Pervasive in Many Schools," NEAToday, May 16, 2012
• "How Public Schools Can Constitutionally Halt Cyberbullying: A Model Cyberbullying Policy That Considers First Amendment, Due Process, and Fourth Amendment Challenges," 46 Wake Forest Law Review 641 (October 2011)

• Overview: Tuition Deregulation and Tuition Set Asides, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, April 2016
• Texas Public Higher Education: Overview of Tuition and State Support Since Tuition Deregulation, Legislative Budget Board, April 2016
• Report on Student Financial Aid in Texas Higher Education for Fiscal Year 2014, Appendix M: Exemptions and Waiver Data from IFRS (Integrated Fiscal Reporting System) 2013-2014 (list of exemption programs, statutes, optional/mandatory, number of awards, and dollar amounts), Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, September 2015
• Interim Report to the 84th Texas Legislature (Charge 3 - Student financial assistance, financial aid, tuition assistance and waivers), House Committee on Higher Education, January 2015
• Interim Report (Charge 1 - Financial aid, efficacy of current exemptions and waivers), Senate Committee on Higher Education, December 2012
• Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature (Charge 2 - Financial aid, tuition and fee exemption programs), House Committee on Higher Education, January 2011
• Types of Financial Aid - Lists of Exemptions, Waivers, College for All Texans, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

• Fiscal Size-Up 2016-2017, Chapter 6, Agencies of Education, Texas Education Agency funding sources, Legislative Budget Board, May 2016
• Summary of Recommendations - House, Texas Education Agency: Non-FSP Program and Administration 2010-11 to 2016-17, House Introduced, Legislative Budget Board, February 13, 2015

• Interim Hearings - Week of May 30, 2016 (Topic 1), House Committee on Defense & Veterans’ Affairs, Legislative Reference Library, June 2, 2016

• Using GPS to Track Batterers: At Least 23 States Using GPS to Keep Track of High-Risk Domestic Violence Offenders, Domestic Shelters.Org, July 15, 2015
• "Contact That Can Kill: Orders of Protection, Caller ID Spoofing and Domestic Violence," 90 Chicago-Kent Law Review 1157 (2015)
• Report to the 84th Legislature: The Texas Family Violence Program - A Statewide Report, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, November 2014        
• Report on the Availability of Appropriate Technology to Monitor Domestic Violence Offenders and Their Victims, Office of the Attorney General of New Jersey, 2014
• "Strengthening the Guard: The Use of GPS Surveillance to Enforce Domestic Violence Protection Orders," 2 Tennessee Journal of Race, Gender, & Social Justice 129 (2013)
• Navigating the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program: A Guide for State and Territorial Administrators, United States Department of Health & Human Services, November 2012
• GPS Monitoring Technologies and Domestic Violence: An Evaluation Study, University of Illinois at Chicago, June 2012 
• Texas Code of Criminal Procedure §17.49, Conditions For Defendant Charged With Offense Involving Family Violence

• Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the Year Ended December 31, 2015, Brownsville Navigation District, April 15, 2016
• "Deepening, Widening Channel Project May Start This Year," Port Aransas South Jetty, January 28, 2016
• Texas Ports 2015-2016 Capital Program Executive Summary (Economic impact – Galveston cruise terminal expansion project), Port Authority Advisory Committee, November 11, 2015
• The Contribution of the International Cruise Industry to the U.S. Economy in 2014, Cruise Lines International Association, October 2015
• "Cruise Ship Home Ports - Not Always the Goldmine They Promise," GADLING, April 3, 2011
• Tapping the Invisible Market: The Case of the Cruise Industry (Dissertation), Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A & M University, August 2006

 

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.

• Examine the state of national and domestic security. (The Atlantic, September 2016)
• Consider the regulatory shortcomings related to raw materials that can be used to make a dirty bomb. (The Center for Public Integrity, August 4, 2016)
• Review legal challenges from states related to federal immigration laws and enforcement. (Congressional Research Service, August 1, 2016)
• Read about how immigrants have contributed to Texas' robust economy. (New American Economy, August 2016)
• See the latest figures on household debt and credit. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, August 2016)
• Explore Shakespeare's references to the natural world. (OUP Blog, August 6, 2016)

 

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

 

• Texas Government Code Chapter 2261, State Contracting Standards and Oversight
• Senate Bill 20: Centralized State Purchasing Study - Background (Timeline), Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts 
• Contract Management Guide, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Updated March 1, 2016
• Senate Bill 20 (84R) - Frequently Asked Questions (State contracting), Texas Department of Information Resources, Updated February 18, 2016
• A Report on Recent Contracting Audits, Texas State Auditor's Office, January 23, 2015
• Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature (Charge 2 - State contracting), Senate Committee on Government Organization, December 2014
• "When is a State Contract Too Big to Fail?," Texas Tribune, May 2, 2014

• Texas Utilities Code Chapter 36, Electric Utilities - Rates (Subchapter C - procedures for rate changes)
• 16 Texas Administrative Code §25.475, General Retail Electric Provider Requirements and Information Disclosures to Residential and Small Commercial Customers
• "There and Back Again: the Return of Water and Wastewater Rates and CCNs to the Public Utility Commission," TCAA Newsletter (Texas City Attorney Association), July 2016
• "How Utilities Determine Generation and Distribution Rates (Ratemaking)," Electric Choice Blog, May 12, 2016
• Comparative Analysis of PUC Ratemaking Authority as Required by House Bill 1600, Public Utility Commission of Texas, January 27, 2015
• Tariff Development: Review of the Basic Ratemaking Process, Public Utility Commission of Texas

• Texas Utilities Code, §§182.101-182.104, Rights of Utility Customers - Testing of Meters
• 16 Texas Administrative Code §§25.121-25.133, Metering
• Smart Metering, Public Utility Commission of Texas
• "Amid Health, Privacy Fears, States are Letting People Reject 'Smart Meters'," Stateline (Pew Charitable Trusts), February 5, 2016
• "Texas House Erupts in Heated Debate Over 'Smart Meters' for Electricity," Dallas Morning News, March 20, 2013
• The Need for Essential Consumer Protections: Smart Metering Proposals and The Move to Time-Based Pricing, National Consumer Law Center, August 2010

• "And Then There Were Twelve" (District  of Innovation designation process under HB 1842), Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, Texas Education Agency, July 21, 2016
• Interim Report to the 84th Legislature (Charge 3 - School board governance), House Committee on Public Education, December 2014
• Framework for School Board Development, State Board of Education/Texas Education Agency, Revised July 2012
• Eight Characteristics of Effective School Boards: Full Report, Center for Public Education, January 28, 2011
• Interim Report to the 82nd Texas Legislature (Charge 3 - Improving student achievement and leadership models for improving low-performing campuses), House Committee on Public Education, December 2010
• Campus Turnaround Guidance and Resources and HB 1842 Transition Chart, Texas Education Agency
• Governance, Education Commission of the States

• Briefing Book on Public Education Legislation, 84th Texas Legislative Session, Texas Education Agency, July 2015
• House Bill 4 High-Quality Prekindergarten Grant Program (overview, timeline, commissioner's rules, prekindergarten guidelines), Texas Education Agency
• Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability (meeting schedule and presentations on assessment and accountability in Texas), Texas Education Agency

• "Wisconsin to Weigh Moving to Online Public Notices," WiscNews (WI), July 17, 2016
• State of the News Media 2016, Pew Research Center, June 15, 2016
• Insult to Injury: The Disappearance of Public Notices in US Newspapers, Public Policy and Funding the News, a project of the University of Southern California Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, July 2015
• "Newspapers Take Notice of Legislative Threat to Revenue," Crain's Detroit Business (MI), July 5, 2015
• "Printed Public Notices Boost Accountability," The Gonzales Inquirer (TX), April 24, 2015
• Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature (Charge - The Texas red tape challenge, providing public notice), House Committee on Government Efficiency and Reform, January 2013

 

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.

• Consider medical marijuana's effects on prescription medication use. (Health Affairs, July 2016)
• Examine reports related to people who have died in custody in Texas between 2005 and 2015. (Texas Justice Initiative, ©2016)
• Explore how the Affordable Care Act has affected high risk pools. (Kaiser Family Foundation, August 1, 2016)
• Read about public pension funding practices. (The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government, June 2016)

 

A newly revised and expanded list of Senate Presidents Pro Tempore is now available on the library website. The page provides a list of legislators who have held this position, as well as a narrative history highlighting the changing nature of the position through the years.

 

As outlined in the Texas Constitution, the Senate President Pro Tem performs the duties of the Lieutenant Governor in his or her absence. Senate tradition also calls for the President Pro Tempore to be sworn in as "Governor for a Day", a 60+-year tradition that includes ceremonies and celebrations honoring the President Pro Tem and showcasing his or her district. 

 

During the 84th Texas Legislature in 2015, Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa served as  Senate President Pro Tem for the Regular Session, and Sen. Kevin Eltife was elected at the close of the Regular Session for the legislative interim.

 

 

Did you know?

 

Before 1876, there was no constitutional requirement for electing a Senate President Pro Tem at the beginning and close of each session. Instead, Art. V, Sec. 13 of the 1845 Texas Constitution provided that:

 

"Whenever the If the lieutenant governor shall...die, resign, or be absent from the State during the recess of the legislature, it shall be the duty of the secretary of State to convene the Senate for the purpose of choosing a president for the time being."

 

In this weekly post, we feature online articles and policy reports published recently, and other helpful research tools.

• Consider policy recommendations related to full-time virtual charter schools. (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, June 16, 2016)
• Read a study related to seismic activity in North Texas. (Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, July 17, 2016)
• Examine why lead levels in some schools' drinking water can get so high. (Governing, July 26, 2016)
• Explore public input on school assessment and accountability. (Texas Education Agency, July 2016)

 

• Pocket Edition: 2014-15 Texas Public School Statistics, Texas Education Agency, January 2016
• 2014 Comprehensive Biennial Report on Texas Public Schools: A Report to the 84th Legislature from the Texas Education Agency, Texas Education Agency, January 2015
• Texas Public Schools Sesquicentennial Handbook: 1854-2004, Texas Education Agency, 2004
• Interim Report to the 76th Legislature (Charge 1 - Efficiency of public schools), House Committee on Public Education, December 1998

• Texas Education Code § 11.301, Application of Former Law
• Vernon's Texas Codes Annotated, Texas Education Code, Volume 2, Title 2 - Appendix - Former Chapters with Continued Application (Former Education Code Chapter 17, County Administration and Chapter 18, Countywide Equalization Fund or County Unit System of Equalization Taxation), Library Call Number: LAW-TEX

• Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2015, Harris County Department of Education, January 22, 2016
• An Audit Report on Selected State Contracts and Grants at the Harris County Department of Education, Texas State Auditor's Office, September 2015
• Interim Report to the 84th Legislature (Charge 6 - Harris County Department of Education), House Committee on Public Education, December 2014
• Harris County Department of Education, District Legal Status, Texas Association of School Boards, January 20, 2011
• Op. Tex. Att’y Gen. No. JC-0055 (1999), Whether the Harris County Auditor must audit the Harris County Department of Education; reconsideration of Letter Opinion No. 93-83 (1993) concerning reimbursement of county for expense of audit (RQ-991), Attorney General of Texas, May 26, 1999
• History of HCDE, Harris County Department of Education/Internet Archive

• Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended June 30, 2015, Dallas County Schools, March 31, 2016
• History, Dallas County Schools

• House Bill 2610: Frequently Asked Questions, Version 4, Texas Education Agency, February 9, 2016
   

• Committee Meeting Handouts - County Cybersecurity, House Committee on County Affairs, July 7, 2016
• Committee Meeting Handouts - County Cybersecurity, House Committee on County Affairs, June 10, 2016  
• "Senators Propose Help for Hacking the Hackers" (Blog), National Association of Counties, April 8, 2016 and State and Local Cyber Protection Act of 2016, S.2665, 114th Cong. (2015-2016)
• Moving Forward: Leadership Toolkit for State CISOs, National Association of State Chief Information Officers, 2015
• Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (in response to Executive Order 13636), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Cybersecurity Framework, February 12, 2014
• "Why Cybersecurity Matters to You," County News, National Association of Counties, January 14, 2013
• Cyber for Counties Guidebook v1.0, National Association of Counties, Center for Internet Security, 2013
• Building a More Secure And Prosperous Texas: A Report, Texas Cybersecurity, Education, and Economic Development Council, December 1, 2012

• Agency Strategic Plan for the Fiscal Years 2017 to 2021, Texas Commission on Jail Standards, June 23, 2016
• 2014 Annual Report, Texas Commission on Jail Standards, January 31, 2015
• Interim Report to the 84th Legislature (Charge 2 - Oversight of Texas Commission on Jail Standards), House Committee on County Affairs, January 2015
• Interim Report to the 83rd Texas Legislature (Charge 3 - County jails), House Committee on County Affairs, January 2013
• The Texas Commission on Jail Standards: The State's Solution for Implementing a Strong County Jail System, While Protecting Counties From Liability, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, 2012
• An Audit Report on Performance Measures at the Commission on Jail Standards, Texas State Auditor's Office, August 2011
• Texas Commission on Jail Standards: Final Report, Sunset Advisory Commission, July 2009
• Texas Commission on Jail Standards (Technical Assistance Bulletins, Non-Compliant Jails, Budget Reports, County Population Reports, 84th Legislature Information and Documents)

• Mug Shots and Booking Photo Websites (Overview and 2012-2016 state legislation), National Conference of State Legislatures, April 13, 2016
• Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, 2014, U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, December 2015
• Criminal Records in the Digital Age: A Review of Current Practices and Recommendations for Reform in Texas, William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law, The University of Texas School of Law, March 2013

• Guide to Texas Laws for County Officials, 2016 (Sheriff and Constable), Prepared by David B. Brooks for Texas Association of Counties, June 2016
• Sheriffs' and Constables' Fees, Texas Ahead, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Effective December 15, 2015

• Committee Meeting Handouts - Child Protective Services, 1115 Transformation Waiver, House Committee on County Affairs, July 7, 2016
• Committee Meeting Handouts - Child Protective Services, House Committee on County Affairs, June 10, 2016
• Committee Meeting Handouts - 1115 Transformation Waiver, Child Protective Services, House Committee on County Affairs, May 16, 2016