Following each legislative session in Texas, organizations, state agencies, and other entities publish "wrap-ups" summarizing new laws and key legislative developments in areas ranging from education to real estate to water conservation. Wrap-ups can range from a simple list of bills to a detailed report that includes background information and expert analysis.

The LRL tracks legislative wrap-ups, as we find them to be an excellent research tool and summary of the topics covered during a particular session. Listed below is a short selection. To find other wrap-ups on a topic that interests you, check the websites of organizations or state agencies that focus on the issue, or contact the library for assistance.

• State Agencies
• Associations & Organizations

State Agencies

Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS)
Summary of Legislative Action on ERS Programs and Operations

Hogg Foundation for Mental Health – University of Texas
Summary of Mental Health and Substance Use-Related Legislation

Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC)
Summary of the 88th Legislative Session

Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
2023 TRS-Related Legislation Summary

Texas Commission on Fire Protection
Fire Protection-Related Legislation, 2023 (88th Legislative Session)

Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ)
Summaries of Selected Legislation Passed by the 88th Legislature, Regular Session

Texas Department of Insurance (TDI)
Worker’s Compensation Legislation Enacted

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
88th Texas Legislature: TDLR Related Bills

Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
Texas Metals Program – 88th Legislation 2023

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
Delivering on Our Transportation Future: 88th Regular Legislative Session (2023) Summary of Enacted Transportation and General Government Legislation

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
The 88th Legislature: A Texas-sized Investment in Higher Education

Texas Judicial Council (TJC)
Texas Judiciary Legislative Update – 88th Legislature

Texas Pension Review Board
Pension Bill Summaries – 88th Legislative Session

Associations and Organizations

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas
The 88th Texas Legislature's Regular Session

Environment Texas
How the Environment Faired at the Texas Legislature (88th Regular Session)

Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT)
Legislative White Paper: An Executive Summary for Community Bankers, July 2023

LeadingAge Texas
88th Legislative Session Summary – Sine Die Edition

National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA)
Texas Legislature Ends Regular Session After Passing a Trio of Pro-Second Amendment Bills & Rejecting Gun Control Measures

Texas AFL-CIO
88th Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Texas Association of Business (TAB)
88th Results: 2023 Legislative Session

Texas Association of Dairymen (TAD)
Sine Die Report: 88th Texas Legislature

Texans Care for Children
Texas Children and the 2023 Legislative Session: What the Texas Legislature accomplished for children and where it fell short

• Review of Policy Progress During the 2023 Texas Legislative Session: Maternal and Child Health
• Review of Policy Progress During the 2023 Texas Legislative Session: Child Protection
• Review of Policy Progress During the 2023 Texas Legislative Session: Early Learning
• Review of Policy Progress During the 2023 Texas Legislative Session: Children's Mental Health

Texas Classroom Teachers Assocation (TCTA)
Final Bill Summaries – 2023

Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA)
Recap of the 88th Texas Legislative Session

Texas District & County Attorneys Association (TDCAA)
TDCAA Legislative Update: 88th Regular Session, Week 20.1 (Sine Die Edition)

Texas Gun Sense
Texas 88th Legislative Session Report

Texas Humane Legislation Network
2023 Legislative Session

Texas Land Title Assotication (TLTA)
Texas Legislature 88th Session Results

Texas Library Association (TLA)
88th Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Texas Medical Association (TMA)
2023 Legislative Wrap-Up

Texas Municipal League (TML)

• 88th Regular Session Concludes; Governor Calls Legislators Back for Overtime (Legislative Update No. 23)
• First Called Special Session Ends; Second Underway (Legislative Update No. 26)
• Texas Legislature Passes Property Tax Relief Package Ending Special Session (Legislative Update No. 28)

Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA)
88th Texas Legislative Session

Texas Realtors (TR)
Building a Better Texas: Broadband Improvements and Water Infrastructure Top the List of REALTOR wins at the 88th Texas Legislature

Texas Water Conservation Association (TWCA)
88th Legislative Wrap Up

This entry was posted on September 13, 2023 at 11:30 AM and has received 978 views. Print this entry.

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

• Explore a database of litigation involving artificial intelligence, including machine learning. (George Washington University, accessed September 6, 2023)
• Consider Customs and Border Protection (CBP) targets for scanning airline passengers at airports with facial recognition technology. (404 Media, September 5, 2023)
• Track changes to forests across the globe. (Global Forest Watch, accessed September 6, 2023)
• Review steps attorneys and staff should take if a threat is received. (Attorney At Work, August 1, 2023)
• Read a recent health alert related to a confirmed measles case. (Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), August 29, 2023)

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 September 7, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 406 views. Print this entry.

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

• Examine findings of recent data collection related to fatalities in the oil and gas extraction (OGE) industry. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, September 1, 2023)
• Explore teacher shortages in the U.S. by region and state. (Tuan D. Nguyen, et al., accessed August 29, 2023)
• Review guidance for state, local, and tribal leaders on extreme temperature weather incidents. (Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), August 2023)
• Read about characteristics of social media users who share misinformation online. (Harvard Kennedy School, Misinformation Review, August 25, 2023)
• Consider the U.S. housing market and whether it is in recession. (Congressional Research Service, August 21, 2023)

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 August 31, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 3300 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.

September 1, 2023
House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety and Work Session (Eagle Pass) CANCELED
Topic: Invited testimony only on Operation Lone Star, including from the following state and federal agencies:

Texas Department of Public Safety
Texas Military Department
Texas Division of Emergency Management
Office of the Governor
U.S. Customs & Border Patrol

• Interim Report 2022: A Report to the Texas Senate, 88th Texas Legislature, Senate Committee on Border Security, January 2023
• Interim Report to the 88th Texas Legislature (Charge II – Caseloads on the Texas-Mexico border), House Committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues, January 2023
• Interim Report to the 88th Legislature (Charge 9 – Operation Lone Star), Senate Committee on Finance, December 2022
• Interim Report to the 88th Texas Legislature (Charge 2 – Caseloads on the Texas-Mexico border), House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence, December 2022
• Interim Report to the 88th Texas Legislature (Charge II – Border county operations), House Committee on County Affairs, November 2022
• Interim Report to the 88th Texas Legislature (Topic 1 – Monitor the activities of the Texas State Guard and the Texas National Guard participating in Operation Lone Star), House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs, November 2022
• Border Crisis Update (Operation Lone Star), Office of the Texas Governor
• Operation Lone Star Border Support Mission, Texas Military Department
• Operation Lone Star, Texas Tribune

This entry was posted on August 29, 2023 at 10:45 AM and has received 492 views. Print this entry.

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

• Explore state and federal laws related to video cameras in the courtroom. (Radio Television Digital News Association, © 2023)
• Consider prohibitions and exceptions related to broadcasting federal criminal proceedings. (Congressional Research Service, August 14, 2023)
• Read about how geology has shaped American history. (Library of Congress, accessed August 23, 2023)
• Review the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) final rule on “Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure.” (Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, August 17, 2023)

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 August 24, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 299 views. Print this entry.

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

• Examine the STAAR results for grades 3-8 for 2023. (Texas Education Agency, August 16, 2023)
• Review back-to-school traffic safety tips. (Texas Department of Transportation, ©2023)
• Read about smartphone surveillance. (lifehacker, July 20, 2023)
• Consider ways to reduce urban heat island effects. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, updated July 17, 2023)
• Explore the potential legal consequences of Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment. (University of Pennsylvania Law Review, August 14, 2023)

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 August 17, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 823 views. Print this entry.

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

• Review current and proposed state laws related to artificial intelligence (AI). (Electronic Privacy Information Center, August 3, 2023)
• Read about federal and state courts. (Congressional Research Service, August 2, 2023)
• Track heat-related illness throughout the country by jurisdiction and county. (HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity / DOT National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, released August 9, 2023)
• Find ballot language and explanatory statements for the November 7, 2023, Constitutional Amendments Election. (Texas Secretary of State, accessed August 9, 2023)

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 August 10, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 430 views. Print this entry.

The Library is continually adding new books to its collection. Below are the titles from our August 2023 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. Border Water: The Politics of U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Water Management, 1945-2015
By Stephen Paul Mumme
Chronicles the development of transnational water management between the United States and Mexico over a 70 year period, starting with The Water Treaty of 1944. Discusses the establishment of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) in 1945, environmental concerns due to pollution and increased salinization, and the impact on the international water border from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as well as the 9/11 attacks. Addresses the various perspectives of the diplomatic process, the evolution of border water politics, and the importance of a binational relationship with Mexico.
University of Arizona Press, 2023, 414 pages
333.91009721 M962 2023

 

 

2. Final Results of Sunset Reviews, 2022-2023
By Sunset Advisory Commission
Summarizes actions taken by the 88th Legislature on 21 entities that were reviewed by the Sunset Commission. Includes the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD), and a limited scope re-review of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). Provides the Sunset bill number, authors, and final actions taken on each of the entities reviewed. Lists Sunset Review schedule for 2024-25.
Sunset Advisory Commission, 2023, 40 pages
S1500.8 AN79F 2023

 

 

3. The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet
By Jeff Goodell
Presents a comprehensive survey of the current and future effect of rising temperatures on humanity. Includes sections relating to the impact of heat on the human body and public health, its role in migration and inequality, and the catastrophic combination of drought and hot weather on agriculture. Warns that immediate action, like the reconstruction of cities, is necessary to reduce the effects of rising temperatures, particularly in air-conditioning dependent areas like Texas.
Little, Brown and Company, 2023, 385 pages
363.738 G648 2023

 

 

4. Lone Stars Rising: The Fifty People Who Turned Texas into the Fastest-Growing, Most Exciting, and, Sometimes, Most Exasperating State in the Country
By Texas Monthly, editors
Profiles 50 people who helped shape Texas into the state it is today. Reflects back at 50 years of Texas Monthly reporting and highlights the most significant and influential people within each decade starting with the 1970s. Includes Lieutenant Governors Bob Bullock, Bill Hobby, and Dan Patrick; Governors Rick Perry and Ann Richards; U.S. Representative Barbara Jordan; and President George W. Bush.
Texas Monthly, 2023, 239 pages
976.4 L847 2023

 

 

5. Texas Government in a Nutshell
By Randy Erben
Provides an overview of state government in Texas, including its foundation, structure, and how it functions. Focuses on the role of the executive branch and its interaction with the legislative and judicial branches. Covers the constitutional and statutory powers of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, and other officials and agencies. Delves into the legislative process, separation of powers, the state budget, agency rules, and litigation authority. Mentions former legislative and executive officials, as well as Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan, and Governor Greg Abbott.
West Academic Publishing, 2023, 430 pages
320.476 ER65 2023

 

 

6. Unwired: Gaining Control over Addictive Technologies
By Gaia Bernstein
Suggests a blueprint for curbing technology addiction and overuse. Discusses the negative impact of addiction-inducing algorithms on users and the value of government intervention, drawing on lessons from the tobacco and junk food industries. Argues the moral responsibility and accountability for solutions should be on corporations and not individual users. Describes a grassroots movement in the U.S. pushing for action in courts and legislation along with international efforts for change.
Cambridge University Press, 2023, 233 pages
616.85 B535 2023

 

 

This entry was posted on August 8, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 476 views. Print this entry.

This entry was posted on August 3, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 316 views. Print this entry.

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

• Consider the IRS’s development of a new free-file tax return system. (PBS News Hour, July 20, 2023)
• Explore the Texas Bond Review Board (BRB) Data Center. (Bond Review Board, accessed July 26, 2023)
• Find information via CAROL about the NTSB’s investigations and recommendations. (National Transportation Safety Board, accessed July 26, 2023)
• Read about how internal migration in the U.S. shows more people are moving into disaster-prone areas instead of away. (Redfin News, July 24, 2023)

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 July 27, 2023 at 3:15 PM and has received 378 views. Print this entry.