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.

• December 9, 2024
  • House Committee on House Administration
• December 11, 2024
  • Sunset Advisory Commission

December 9, 2024
House Committee on House Administration
Topic: Invited testimony only from any Member or Member-elect of the 89th Legislature who submits a proposal for a suggested rule change to the Committee on House Administration

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December 11, 2024
Sunset Advisory Commission
Consideration and possible action on the new recommendations for the following agencies:

• Texas Department of Criminal Justice
• Correctional Managed Health Care Committee
• Windham School District
• Board of Pardons and Paroles

Staff presentation and public testimony:

• Angelina and Neches River Authority
• Lower Neches River Authority
• Trinity River Authority of Texas
• Texas Ethics Commission

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This entry was posted on December 4, 2024 at 4:00 PM and has received 21 views. Print this entry.

The Library is continually adding new books to its collection. Below are the titles from our December 2024 New & Noteworthy list.

Check out and delivery of New & Noteworthy titles is available to legislative staff in Capitol and District offices. To arrange check out and delivery of any of these items, you can submit an online request through the New & Noteworthy page on our website or contact the library at 512-463-1252.

1. Bill Hobby: A Life in Journalism and Public Service
By Don Carleton and Erin L. Purdy
Presents the biography of former Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, Jr. through his youth; careers in journalism, politics, and higher education; and retirement. Details the work he accomplished as the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Texas from 1973 to 1991. Discusses his handling of such issues as the 1974 Constitutional Convention, the Killer Bees' quorum break, and the relationship between the Senate and the House of Representatives. Includes discussion of his contributions as a journalist with the Houston Post and as chancellor of the University of Houston.
Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas Press, 2024, 428 pages
976.4063092 C281B 2024

 

 

2. Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health
By Marty Makary
Examines the blind spots of modern medicine perpetuated within the medical community and the consequences to public health. Criticizes the medical “groupthink” mentality that has led to worse health outcomes for patients. Provides examples of bad medical advice related to peanut allergies, the opioid crisis, and the development of super bacteria from the overuse of antibiotics. Calls for changes to the way society approaches health by using good scientific evidence and allowing open dissent from mainstream medical opinions.
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024, 265 pages
362.1 M235 2024

 

 

3. Higher Admissions: The Rise, Decline, and Return of Standardized Testing
By Nicholas Lemann
Explores the role of the Scholastic Aptitude Test, now known as the SAT, in higher education admissions. Questions the logic of linking SAT success with merit and chronicles the “birth of the American meritocracy” around the exam. Considers the effect of high-stakes standardized testing on college access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Princeton University Press, 2024, 160 pages
378.161 L547 2024

 

 

4. Politics Under the Radar: From LBJ to George W. Bush
By Monte Akers and Robert D. Spellings
Presents the political and personal memoir of Robert D. Spellings, chief of staff of former Lieutenant Governor Ben F. Barnes. Provides an insider's account of the political workings and legislative actions during Barnes' speakership and service as lieutenant governor. Includes details of the 1971 redistricting process and the Sharpstown scandal. Reflects on state and federal politics from the 1970s to the present.
Independently Published, 2024, 280 pages
976.4 SP743P 2024

 

 

5. The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers
By Josh Cowen
Traces the history of school tax-funded school choice programs in the America. Links the drive for voucher programs to ultra-wealthy conservative stakeholders using school choice as an ideological and political battleground. Argues as such programs have expanded in the U.S., so too has the evidence-informed case against them.
Harvard Education Press, 2024, 200 pages
379.1 C874 2024

 

 

6. Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects Our Minds and How to Build Immunity
By Sander van der Linden
Argues that misinformation has reached a crisis level that has led to a worldwide infodemic. Focuses on the psychological effect of misinformation on the human brain along with how to defend against false information. Offers the new science of “prebunking” as a psychological vaccine for building immunity to combat against fake news, propaganda, and conspiracy theories.
W.W. Norton & Company, 2023, 358 pages
302.3 V228 2023

 

 

This entry was posted on December 4, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 27 views. Print this entry.

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.

December 3, 2024
Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Grid Reliability
Review the implementation of legislation related to the regulation of the electricity market in Texas enacted by the 87th and 88th Legislatures.

• PUCT Approves Rule Requiring Registration of Virtual Currency Mining Facilities (Press Release), Public Utility Commission of Texas, November 21, 2024
• Public Utility Commission of Texas Approves First Utility ‘Resiliency Plan’ to Further Strengthen Electric Reliability (Press Release), Public Utility Commission of Texas, November 14, 2024
• 88th Legislative Session – ERCOT Status, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, November 2024
• ERCOT Ancillary Services Study: Final Whitepaper, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, September 2024
• 2023 State of the Market Report for the ERCOT Electricity Markets, Independent Market Monitor for ERCOT, Potomac Economics, May 2024
• 87th Legislative Session – ERCOT Status, Electric Reliability Council of Texas, June 2023
• 2022 State of the Market Report for the ERCOT Electricity Markets, Independent Market Monitor for ERCOT, Potomac Economics, May 2023
• Interim Report to the 88th Legislature (Charge 4 – Electricity), Senate Committee on Business and Commerce, January 9, 2023
• Biennial Agency Report to the 88th Texas Legislature (Electricity, Electricity: Resilience and Market Design, Electricity: Interconnection), Public Utility Commission, January 2023
• PUC Interchange Filer, Public Utility Commission of Texas
  • Filings for 55999: Reports of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, updated November 21, 2024
  • Filings for 53911: Aggregate Distributed Energy Resource (ADER) ERCOT Pilot Project, updated November 20, 2024
  • Filings for 55421: Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group, updated November 18, 2024
  • Filings for 54037: Reports to the 88th Legislature, updated June 11, 2024
  • Filings for 55156: Implementation Activities 88th Legislature (R.S.), updated April 23, 2024

New Sunset Staff Reports
2024-25 Review Cycle
The Sunset Advisory Commission staff released the following staff reports in November 2024:

1. Trinity River Authority of Texas
2. Angelina and Neches River Authority / Lower Neches River Authority
3. Texas Ethics Commission
4. River Authority Uniformity Study

This entry was posted on November 26, 2024 at 2:00 PM and has received 173 views. Print this entry.

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

• Read about the need for civil rights and civil liberties protections in the context of data collection, sharing, and use. (Government Accountability Office, November 19, 2024)
• See how much Americans spend weekly on groceries by state. (Visual Capitalist, November 13, 2024)
• Consider Americans’ trust in scientists. (Pew Research Center, November 14, 2024)
• Explore annual tariff data. (U.S. International Trade Commission, accessed November 20, 2024)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on November 21, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 152 views. Print this entry.

In Texas, the House Rules (Rule 8, Section 7) and the Senate Rules (Rule 7.04(a)) allow legislators to prefile bills "beginning the first Monday after the general election preceding the next regular legislative session."

Prefiling for the 89th Texas Legislature began on Tuesday, November 12, 2024. A total of 1,511 bills and resolutions were filed in the House and Senate on November 12, a record number for the first day of the prefiling period.

Below are statistics comparing all bills and resolutions filed during the prefiling period for the 71st Legislature (1989) to the 89th Legislature (2025).

For a general overview of bill prefiling, see our previous blog post, Bill Prefiling FAQs.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025, is the first day of the 89th Texas Legislature.

Friday, March 14, 2025, is the deadline for the unrestricted filing of bills and joint resolutions other than local bills, emergency appropriations, and emergency matters submitted by the governor.

This entry was posted on November 15, 2024 at 11:30 AM and has received 741 views. Print this entry.

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

• Consider the 2024 housing trends for buyers. (Zillow, October 1, 2024)
• Review the presidential transition resources provided by the Government Accountability Office. (Government Accountability Office, accessed November 13, 2024)
• Explore the I-35 Capital Express Central Project. (Texas Department of Transportation, © 2024)
• Read about hunter education in Texas. (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, accessed November 13, 2024)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on November 14, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 138 views. Print this entry.

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

• See election returns for the November 5 general election. (Texas Secretary of State, accessed November 6, 2024)
• Track the Consumer Price Index. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed November 6, 2024)
• Consider issues related to affordable housing in the U.S. (Pew Research Center, October 25, 2024)
• Review autonomous vehicle legislation by state. (National Conference of State Legislatures, updated November 1, 2024)
• Explore the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, accessed November 6, 2024)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on November 7, 2024 at 4:00 PM and has received 237 views. Print this entry.

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.

• November 11, 2024
  • Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education
• November 13, 2024
  • Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
• November 14, 2024
  • Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development
  • Sunset Advisory Commission

November 11, 2024
Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education
Charge: Higher Education - “Faculty Senates”: Review and analyze the structures and governance in higher education, focusing on the role of “faculty senates,” and like groups, in representing faculty interests to higher education institution administrations. Make recommendations to establish guidelines for the role and representation of faculty by “faculty senates,” and like groups, at higher education institutions in Texas.

• Community College Faculty Roles in Shared Governance, Electronic Theses and Dissertations, West Texas A&M University, December 2022
• Shared Governance at the University of Texas System Institutions: A White Paper, University of Texas System Faculty Advisory Council, Spring 2016
• How to Evaluate a Faculty Governance Structure, Academe, American Association of University Professors, May–June 2013
• Shared Governance (Resources on Governance), American Association of University Professors
• Proceedings, Texas Council of Faculty Senates

Charge: Stopping DEI to Strengthen the Texas Workforce: Examine programs and certificates at higher education institutions that maintain discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Expose how these programs and their curriculum are damaging and not aligned with state workforce demands. Make recommendations for any needed reforms to ensure universities are appropriately educating students to meet workforce needs.

• The State of Higher Education 2023, Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Harrison Keller, Ph.D., Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2023
• Building a Talent Strong Texas: 2022-2030 Strategic Plan, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, March 2022
• Linking Education and Workforce: Spurring Economic Growth across Texas, Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative, January 2022

Charge: Improving K12-College Pathways: Review the availability of Advanced Placement and dual credit course offerings in high schools and examine the transfer requirements required for students to receive higher education course credit. Identify the current challenges to streamlining the transfer process, including adequate counseling for high school students. Make recommendations to ensure students receive credit for successful completion of these courses.

• Dual Credit (Student data and research studies), Texas Education Agency
• Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate (Data and reports), Texas Education Agency

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November 13, 2024
Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
Charge: Protecting Vulnerable Texans in Emergencies: Examine commercial residential settings for the elderly and individuals with intellectual disabilities, including assisted living facilities, boarding homes, group homes, and independent living communities. Identify emergency preparedness and response protocols required during severe weather for these populations. Make recommendations, if necessary, for the establishment and enforcement of emergency protocols to ensure vulnerable populations are protected.

• Disaster Manual: Section 18 – Disability Rights in a Disaster, State Bar of Texas, Texas Legal Services Center, last updated November 5, 2024
• How Improving Emergency Management for IDD Community Will Help All, Texas A&M University’s College of Education and Human Development, October 27, 2021
• Texas Guide to Supports and Services for Individuals With Disabilities and Their Families Affected by Disasters, Texas A&M University’s Center on Disability & Development, last revised September 2017
• Disaster Resilience, Disability Rights Texas
• Emergency Preparedness, Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities

Charge: Examining the links between Nutrition and Chronic Disease: Examine the role that food supply plays in chronic disease. Identify ways that Texas can support a healthier food supply, including ways to better inform consumers and incentivize food producers. Make recommendations for reforming the state’s health-related research efforts to improve public health through enhanced nutritional awareness, revised pharmaceutical development, and non-pharmacological interventions.

• Map the Meal Gap 2024: A Report on County and Congressional District Food Insecurity and County Food Cost in the U.S. in 2022, Food Insecurity among the Overall Population in Texas (Interactive map), Feeding America, May 14, 2024
• Obesity Prevention Priority Strategies: Obesity Prevention Program, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, May 2023
• Texas Food Access Study, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Texas Department of Agriculture, December 31, 2022
• Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity: Data, Trends and Maps: Texas, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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November 14, 2024
Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development
Charge: Enhancing Workforce Productivity: Study ways to increase the state’s workforce productivity, including access to childcare. Make recommendations, within existing resources, to maintain childcare availability to support a growing workforce.

• Interim Hearings – Week of September 16, 2024 (Blog), September 17 – Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development, Legislative Reference Library, September 12, 2024
• The Texas Workforce Is Resilient and Undervalued, Every Texan, August 12, 2024
• Access to Affordable High-Quality Child Care is Scarce, Children at Risk, May 1, 2024

Sunset Advisory Commission
Consideration and possible action on the new recommendations for the following agency:
Texas Real Estate Commission special-purpose review

Staff presentation and public testimony:

• Texas Department of Criminal Justice
• Correctional Managed Health Care Committee
• Board of Pardons and Paroles
• Windham School District

Top

This entry was posted on November 6, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 357 views. Print this entry.

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

• Review early voting information by date or county and check the status of your ballot-by-mail. (Texas Secretary of State, accessed October 30, 2024)
• Read about how America has historically handled compulsory voting. (Harvard Law Review, February 2024)
• Examine aspects of the process of denial of coverage by health insurance companies. (ProPublica, October 23, 2024)
• Explore information about invasive and exotic species in North America. (Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, accessed October 30, 2024)
• Consider levels and causes of stress in the United States. (American Psychological Association, October 2024)

Librarians review and select articles from more than 1,000 print and online sources to compile a weekly annotated list of Current Articles of interest to the legislative community. View this week's Current Articles.

Members of the Texas legislative community may request articles by using our online form or by calling 512-463-1252.

This entry was posted on October 31, 2024 at 3:15 PM and has received 168 views. Print this entry.

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.

November 7, 2024
Senate Committee on Local Government
Charge: Housing Affordability: Study issues related to housing, including housing supply, homelessness, and methods of providing and financing affordable housing. Make recommendations to reduce regulatory barriers, strengthen property rights, and improve transparency and accountability in public programs for housing.

• The Limitations of Land Use Deregulation for Housing Affordability, Texas Housers, October 8, 2024
• The Housing Affordability Challenge, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, August 2024
• The Gap 2024 Highlights the Deep Shortage of Affordable Housing in Texas and What Must Change, Texas Housers, March 14, 2024
• The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, National Low Income Housing Coalition, March 2024
• Homelessness in Texas on the Rise Amid High Housing Costs, Federal Estimates Show, Texas Tribune, January 11, 2024
• From the House to the Ground: Insights into the Challenges of Implementing State Housing Policies, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, September 2023
• Affordable Housing Challenges and Opportunities in Texas (Prepared for the 88th Texas Legislature), The University of Texas at Austin, February 2023

Charge: Additional Property Tax Relief and Reform: Report on the effects of prior property tax relief and reform, including the $18 billion tax cut with the $100,000 homestead exemption authorized by the 88th Legislature. Focus particularly on the interaction between Senate Bill 2, 88th Legislature, 2nd Called Session, and Senate Bill 2, 86th Legislature. Make recommendations for further property tax relief and reform, including methods to improve voter control over tax rate setting and debt authorization, and mechanisms to dissolve taxing entities such as municipal management districts (MMDs) and tax increment reinvestment zones (TIRZs) when they have outlived their purpose.

• Who Benefits from the 2023 Property Tax Relief?, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, February 2024
• Property Tax Cuts as Large as Texas: Unprecedented Revenues Lead to Historic Property Tax Legislation, Fiscal Notes, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, December 2023
• Texas' Property Tax Puzzle, Texas Real Estate Research Center, Texas A&M University, June 2, 2023
• Interim Report to the 88th Texas Legislature (Charge 1.4 – Implementation and Monitoring: SB 2 (86R) and Related Legislation), House Committee on Ways & Means, January 2023
• Interim Report: A Report to the Texas Senate, 88th Legislature (Charge 1 – Property Tax Reform), Senate Committee on Local Government, 2022
• Interim Report (Charge – Senate Bill 2, relating to ad valorem taxation), Senate Committee on Property Tax, November 2020

This entry was posted on October 29, 2024 at 4:30 PM and has received 250 views. Print this entry.