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.
May 23, 2022
Senate Committee on Finance
Charge: Property Tax Relief: Examine and recommend ways to reduce Texans' property tax burden. Review and report on proposals to use or dedicate state revenues in excess of the state spending limit to eliminate the school district maintenance and operations property tax.
- Relief from Rising Values: 2019 Property Tax Reforms Cutting Tax Rates at a Record Pace, Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, April 2022
- 2022 State Business Tax Climate Index, Tax Foundation, December 16, 2021
- Property Tax Relief for Homeowners, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, November 2021
- Total State and Local Business Taxes: State-by-State Estimates for FY20, Ernst & Young LLP, Council of State Taxation, State Tax Research Institute, October 2021
- 50-State Property Tax Comparison Study: For Taxes Paid in 2020, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, June 2021
- State Tax Actions Database, National Conference of State Legislatures, February 2, 2021
Charge: Tax Exemptions: Examine Texans' current tax exemptions and report on whether adjustments are merited because of inflation or any other factors.
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May 24, 2022
House Committee on Public Education
Charge 1: Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
- HB 1525 and HB 3 (86R), relating to public school finance and public education;
- HB 4545, relating to assessment of public school students and providing accelerated instruction;
- SB 1365, relating to public school organization, accountability, and fiscal management; and
- SB 1716, relating to supplemental special education services and instructional materials for certain public school students.
Charge 2: Study the effects of COVID-19 on K–12 learning loss and best practices that exist to address learning loss. Monitor the implementation of state and local plans to address students' achievement gaps. Make recommendations for supporting the state and local efforts to increase academic development.
- Tracking COVID Learning Loss, Texas 2036, last updated July 27, 2021
- 2021 STAAR Analysis, Texas Education Agency, June 28, 2021
- Public Education's Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, National Conference of State Legislatures, March 15, 2021
- Restarting and Reinventing School: Learning in the Time of Covid and Beyond, Learning Policy Institute, August 2020
Charge 3: Examine the impact of COVID-19 on students' mental health, including the availability and workload of mental health professionals across the state and their role in the public school system. Make recommendations to reduce or eliminate existing barriers to providing mental health services in a traditional classroom setting or through teletherapy.
- States Take Action to Address Children's Mental Health in Schools, National Academy for State Health Policy, February 14, 2022
- Student Mental Health Legislative Trends, State Legislatures News, National Conference of State Legislatures, August 25, 2021
- Mental Health and Behavioral Health, Texas Education Agency, updated June 18, 2021
- Enhancing School Capacity to Support Children's Mental Health, National Conference of State Legislatures, January 19, 2021
- Statewide Plan for Student Mental Health: Senate Bill 11, Texas Education Agency, December 2020
- Year 1 Report (COVID-19 Specific Recommendations), The Collaborative Task Force on Public School Mental Health Services, Texas Education Agency, November 2, 2020
Charge 4: Examine the causes and contributors for chronic absenteeism in public schools and its impact on student outcomes. Consider techniques and approaches that have been utilized by public schools to identify students who are chronically absent and return these students to classrooms.
- Compulsory Attendance & Truancy, Texas Association of School Boards, updated February 2022
- Chronic Absenteeism in Texas, Children at Risk, February 26, 2021
- Ensuring Safe and Supportive School Climates in Texas, The Education Trust, November 10, 2020
- Data Matters: Using Chronic Absence to Accelerate Action for Student Success, Attendance Works, updated December 2018
- Why Do Students Miss School? The Central Texas Absence Reasons Study, Education Equals Economics [E3] Alliance, June 2015
- Chronic Absenteeism in Academic Accountability, Texas Education Agency
Senate Committee on Education
Charge: COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Educator Talent Pipeline: Examine the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the public school educator talent pipeline, staffing patterns and practices, and declining student enrollment and attendance. Review any policies and regulatory actions that prevent students from receiving instruction from a highly effective teacher. Monitor the impact of both the Teacher Incentive Allotment and non-administrator compensation increases directed under House Bill 3 (86th Legislature), as well as the teacher pay raises implemented in 2019. Explore innovative models to improve recruitment and make recommendations to maintain a strong educator workforce pipeline, while adapting resilient school strategies to meet emergent demands in public education.
Charge: Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Education passed by the 87th Legislature, as well as relevant agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction. Specifically, make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of the following:
- House Bill 3 (86th Legislature), relating to public school finance and public education;
- House Bill 1525 (87th Legislature), Relating to the public school finance system and public education; and
- House Bill 4545 (87th Legislature), Relating to the assessment of public school students, the establishment of a strong foundations grant program, and providing accelerated instruction for students who fail to achieve satisfactory performance on certain assessment instruments.
Charge: Bond Efficiency: Conduct a comprehensive review of the school district bond issuance process. Specifically, review public notice and disclosure requirements, the bond election process, procurement requirements, and how unused bond proceeds may be utilized. Study the best practices implemented by school boards and make recommendations to improve bond issuance efficiencies.
Charge: Homestead Exemption: Study the use and effect of the optional homestead exemption available to independent school districts. Examine and report on costs to the state if school districts receive incentives to increase the optional percentage exemption.
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May 25, 2022
House Committee on Business & Industry
Charge: Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
- SB 22, relating to certain claims for benefits, compensation, or assistance by certain public safety employees and survivors of certain public safety employees
Charge: Study workers’ compensation claims involving public safety employees described by SB 22. This study should include an analysis of medical costs, return-to-work outcomes, utilization of care, satisfaction with care, and health-related functional outcomes.
- COVID-19 in the Texas Workers' Compensation System (Workers' Compensation Research and Evaluation Group), Texas Department of Insurance, March 2022
- Adopted Fiscal Year 2022 Research Agenda, Texas Department of Insurance, September 10, 2021
- 2021 Workers' Compensation Network Report Card Results, Texas Department of Insurance, September 2021
- FAQs about Claims Subject to Senate Bill 22, Texas Department of Insurance, July 19, 2021
- Biennial Report to the 87th Legislature, Texas Department of Insurance, December 2020
House Committee on Environmental Regulation
Charge: Evaluate the allocation of TERP funds for effective air pollution reduction programs. Review which existing programs are over or under-subscribed and identify unrealized opportunities that would further program goals.
Charge: Review recent passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law No. 117-58), specifically funds that may bolster efforts to clean up polluted sites and plug wells and how federal funds can be used to complement state efforts on well plugging and pollution clean-up.
- A Guidebook to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Governments and Other Partners (Environmental Remediation), The White House, January 31, 2022
- Green Stimulus for Oil and Gas Workers: Considering a Major Federal Effort to Plug Orphaned and Abandoned Wells, Columbia University, July 16, 2020
- Federal Orphaned Well Program, Bureau of Land Management
- Legacy Pollution, U.S. Department of the Interior
Charge: Monitor newly adopted and proposed federal regulations that could directly impact economic development, manufacturing, and industrial activities that fall within the jurisdiction of the committee, including regulations adopted or proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Senate Committee on State Affairs
Charge: Human Trafficking: Examine opportunities and make recommendations to reduce the profitability of and demand for human trafficking in Texas. Determine ways to increase public awareness of the proliferation of human trafficking, as well as resources for victims and survivors. Monitor the implementation of House Bill 1540 (87th Legislature) and examine changes in arrest rates, judicial dispositions, and sentencing amongst offenders due to provisions of the legislation. Examine opportunities for attorneys to combat human trafficking in their local communities, including use of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, to generate revenue for local law enforcement officials combating human trafficking. Make any other recommendations to prevent human trafficking.
- Use of Online Marketplaces and Virtual Currencies in Drug and Human Trafficking, U.S. Government Accountability Office, February 2022
- National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, U.S. Department of Justice, January 2022
- Interim Report (Charge 1 – Human Trafficking), Senate Committee on State Affairs, December 2020
- Human Trafficking Overview, National Council of State Legislatures, October 21, 2020
- Strategic Plan: Charting an End to Human Trafficking in Texas, Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Coordinating Council, May 2020
Charge: Investment Practices: Study the investment practices of financial services firms and how those practices affect the state's public pensions. Make recommendations to ensure the state's public pension funds are not being invested to further political or social causes.
Charge: Privacy and Transparency: Review the current state laws that protect and secure individuals' biometric identifiers. Explore ways to protect against the use of biometric identifiers for unintended purposes without an individual's consent and make recommendations to the Senate. Study websites that closely resemble government websites or fraudulently represent companies that they are not, including websites that use names of state agencies or licenses. Make recommendations to ensure that Texans are not mislead, taken advantage, or defrauded, especially when they try to seek assistance from a state website.
- 2022 Consumer Data Privacy Legislation, National Conference of State Legislatures, April 12, 2022
- 2022 Consumer Data Privacy Legislation, National Conference of State Legislatures, December 27, 2021
- Legislator Privacy Guide and Glossary of Privacy Terms, National Conference of State Legislatures, November 12, 2021
- How to Avoid a Government Impersonator Scam, Federal Trade Commission
- How to Spot and Report Internet and Email Scams, Office of the Attorney General
- Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 503, Biometric Identifiers
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May 26, 2022
House Select Committee on Youth Health & Safety
Charge: Improving the ability of federal, state, and local governmental entities to address the needs of Texas youth through, among other things, expanded coordination between all programs and systems that serve youth and their families, including child protective services, mental health services, educational institutions, and the juvenile court system;
- Monthly Tracking of Adult and Juvenile Correctional Population Indicators, Legislative Budget Board, April 2022
- Texas Judges Aim to Better Serve Teens Caught Between Foster Care and Juvenile Justice, The Imprint: Youth & Family News, March 31, 2022
- Annual Report to the Governor and Legislative Budget Board: Community Juvenile Justice Appropriations, Riders, and Special Diversion Programs, Texas Juvenile Justice Department, December 2021
- Dual Status Task Force Final Report (Youth involvement in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems), Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth, and Families (Children's Commission), December 2021
- Dual System Youth: At the Intersection of Child Maltreatment and Delinquency, National Institute of Justice, October 2021
- 2020 Juvenile Justice Handbook: A Practical Reference Guide Including Updates from the 86th Legislative Session, Office of the Attorney General, June 2020
- The Juvenile Justice System in Texas, Texas Juvenile Justice Department
Charge: The expansion of prevention efforts and the strengthening of service systems to permit the behavioral health challenges faced by Texas youth to addresses closer to their homes, including efforts and systems that permit youth to remain in their classrooms and stay out of institutionalized healthcare and juvenile justice systems.
- Annual Report to the Governor and Legislative Budget Board: Community Juvenile Justice Appropriations, Riders, and Special Diversion Programs, Texas Juvenile Justice Department, December 2021
- Texas Juvenile Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Law Bench Book, 2nd Edition, Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health, 2021-2022
- A Guide to Understanding Mental Health Systems and Services in Texas (Texas Juvenile Justice Department), 5th Edition, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 2020
Senate Committee on Criminal Justice (Houston)
Charge: Automobile Parts Theft (Including Catalytic Converters): Review the effect of House Bill 4110 (87th Legislature), relating to the registration of metal recycling, and related catalytic converter theft legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Determine what actions are needed to aid law enforcement and stop catalytic converter theft and its related violence.
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