With the completion of the primary elections, the legislature begins its interim studies. Senate and House committees will conduct hearings on subjects assigned by the lieutenant governor and speaker. These committees will file reports in November and recommend draft legislation on their assigned topics. Many of the 8,000 bills introduced during the next session will originate in these interim studies. The committee hearings provide an opportunity to present testimony on these issues. The CJCAT will monitor the hearings and the subsequent reports. Commissioners Court members can participate in these hearings and provide valuable information on the potential effects of legislation. Legislative Director Rick Thompson will post the schedule of the most important hearings on the TAC listserv as they are announced. Please let us know if you would like to participate in any of these events. A few of the significant issues and committees are listed below.
- House Appropriations: (1) Rural law enforcement grants; (2) Rural health care; (3) Water infrastructure issues.
- House Elections: Implementation of S.B. 2753 requiring integration of early and election day voting.
- House Land and Resource Management: (1) Local government fees; (2) Third-party plat review
- House Natural Resources: Data center water usage
- House Public Health: (1) Rural ambulance grants; (2) Rural Health Transformation Program
- House State Affairs: (1) Disaster preparedness; (2) Data center regulation
- House Transportation: County Transportation Infrastructure Fund grant program
- House Ways and Means: (1) Limiting growth of local government spending; (2) Use of certificates of obligation
- House Select Government Oversight: (1) Use of Public Funds for Consultants and Organizations; (2) Texas Tort Claims Act
- Senate Business and Commerce: Data center growth
- Senate Criminal Justice: Juvenile crime
- Senate Health and Human Services: Mental health services
- Senate Natural Resources: Wildfire prevention
- Senate Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs: Data center water usage