Senate Interim Committee Charges
Committees of the Texas Senate will be examining the following issues of interest to cities during this legislative interim. TML will closely monitor the process.
Senate Committee on Business and Commerce
- Study the advantages and disadvantages of developing a building code specific to coastal properties in order to mitigate hurricane damage. Focus on avoiding catastrophic losses of property during a major storm. Specifically, consider Florida’s building code, which applies to the designation of Enhanced Hurricane Protection Areas (EHPAs) that meet specific criteria to provide shelter and protection for up to eight hours following a catastrophic event.
- Study and make recommendations on improving the implementation of HB 1196, 80th Legislature, to ensure that public funds are not used to encourage illegal immigration into the state by prohibiting any taxpayer-subsidized job creation grant or tax abatement given to any business entity in Texas that knowingly hires illegal immigrants.
Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
- Study and make recommendations for reducing the number of law
enforcement officer deaths in the line of duty. This study should include:
- An assessment of the types of calls and assignments that put law enforcement officers most at risk;
- The geographic regions of the state that suffer the most deaths;
- The agencies experiencing the highest rate of deaths in the line of duty;
- The time in an officer’s career, and the officer’s age that he or she is most susceptible to death in the line of duty; and
- The times of year, month, and day that are most dangerous.
- Study the issue of criminal asset seizure and the use of seized and forfeiture funds by district attorneys and law enforcement agencies. Review the oversight of these matters by the Texas Attorney General and provide recommendations to improve the dissemination of information concerning these funds. Ensure that these funds have the appropriate accountability and fiscal controls required for public funds.
- Review the processes for re-entry of criminal offenders into communities. Identify barriers to the successful return to law-abiding behavior, including the absence of employment opportunities created by restrictions on obtaining certain state occupational licenses. Provide recommendations for improvements to our current statutes governing this matter.
Senate Committee on Finance
- Explore the policy implications of allowing school districts, or other public agencies, to participate in a permissive pooled collateral program which provides for the centralization of collateral in a pool which will be tracked and verified to meet state requirements.
- Study and review state and local options for expanding transportation funding and explore options to reduce diversions of Fund 6 revenue. (Joint charge with Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security)
Subcommittee on Property Appraisal and Revenue Caps
- Review the property tax appraisal system, including the following:
- The duties and responsibilities of chief appraisers and appraisal districts;
- Any abuses that occur in the appraisal process;
- The process of appointing the members of boards of directors of appraisal districts;
- The impact of adding members to the boards of directors of appraisal districts who are not appointed by the taxing jurisdictions of the district and methods for appointing these additional directors;
- The usefulness of information provided in a notice of appraised value;
- The impact of HB 1010, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, relating to appraisal districts crossing county lines;
- Any benefit from requiring more uniformity in appraisal standards used by appraisal districts;
- Any revisions to the property valuation appeal system that could reduce the cost of dispute resolution;
- The likelihood of, and any associated benefit from, increased compliance with the existing business personal property rendition law if chief appraisers are given limited audit authority.
- Study the benefits and limitations of property tax appraisal caps compared to a limit on revenue a local jurisdiction can receive without the approval of the voters in the locality. Consider alternative sources of funding to replace property tax revenues.
Senate Committee on Government Organization
Study whether Texas should adopt high performance building standards. In light of the potential impact of Texas’ population growth on the need for electricity and water, study whether high performance buildings can cost-effectively lower utility costs and make more efficient use of natural resources.
Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
- Study and make recommendations on Texas’ housing programs, with particular focus upon:
- Increasing the effectiveness of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs’ (TDHCA) Housing Tax Credit (HTC) Program. Examine potential rule changes to the HTC Program’s Qualified Allocation Plan to give owners of mixed-income projects seeking low-income housing credits the same opportunity to receive credits that low-income projects have, thus helping cities address the problem of a lack of adequate quality affordable housing while enhancing central city revitalization;
- Evaluating the progress of affordable housing programs within the state and developing recommendations to boost the capacity of non-profits to build increased affordable housing developments;
- Assessing the existing use of state and federal housing funds in relation to statutory and budgetary mandates; and
- Examining the incidence of health and safety violations and concerns for general habitability among multi-family and single-family rental properties across the state, including properties financed or supported by the state. Consider the adequacy of the existing authority conferred by the state upon local governments to address violations of habitability standards. Make recommendations for extension of local capacity for redress.
- Study the provisions of fire and emergency medical services through Emergency Service Districts (ESDs) and make recommendations concerning the provision of those services, and for reconciling potential conflicts due to overlapping taxing jurisdictions in the areas of the state served by ESDs.
- Review the process for the creation of Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) and other special districts, and investigate whether the creation of a standard municipal utility district statute is feasible, and whether it would enable the legislature to more efficiently evaluate proposed districts during the legislative session.
- Study the shifting geographic nature of low-income neighborhoods in urban and suburban areas, focusing on factors that contribute to economic displacement of low-income homeowners and factors that contribute to beneficial redevelopment of distressed neighborhoods.
Senate Committee on International Relations and Trade
Determine the appropriateness of and make recommendations on the existing extraterritorial jurisdiction authority currently granted under colonia prevention measures along the border region.
Senate Committee on Jurisprudence
Study administrative and legal procedures used by municipalities to exert regulatory authority beyond city limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction. Determine whether conflicts exist within agencies’ regulatory authority and regulatory authority delegated to home-rule municipalities, and make recommendations for appropriate delegation and clarification of respective authorities.
Senate Committee on Natural Resources
- Study the safety of major dams, levees, and other flood control structures across Texas, and determine the appropriate responsible agency [Texas Commissioner on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) or the Governor's Office of Homeland Security] and the level of authority and funding needed to inventory, assess, repair or replace those with impairments. Develop liability and control standards for flood control structures and make recommendations to properly and safely manage these assets in the future.
- Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Natural Resources Committee, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, focus on SB 3, relating to water; SB 12, relating to air quality; and the transfer of historic properties from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to the Texas Historical Commission.
Senate Committee on State Affairs
- Study the issue of security and accuracy in Texas elections. The study should include the benefits and risks of electronic voting technology, including the necessity of maintaining a paper record of each electronic vote. The study should also include an analysis of fraud in Texas elections, including prosecution rates for voter fraud, the processes for purging ineligible voters from voter lists, and the integrity of the mail-in and provisional ballot systems. Study the effectiveness of electronic voting technology and voter ID laws in other states. Monitor the implementation of the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002, including the implementation of the Texas Election Administration Management system. Recommend statutory and regulatory changes designed to ensure that only eligible voters are allowed to vote in Texas elections and that each vote is accurately counted.
- Study the economic impact of recent civil justice reform legislation in Texas.
- Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the State Affairs Committee, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. In particular, monitor and report on the effect of HB 2365, which allows public entities to report “other post employment benefits” (OPEBs) on a statutory modified accrual basis, including any effect on auditor opinions, bond ratings, or other fiscal issues. Monitor the implementation of Senate Bill 1731, relating to transparency of health information, and Senate Bill 1846, relating to TRS.
Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security
- Examine the roles and best practices among individuals, state and local governments, hospitals and other health care providers, and the insurance industry for disaster planning and first response efforts. Explore what changes are needed to better prepare for natural disasters to mitigate claims and losses. Include an assessment of the state’s implementation of recent recommendations for evacuations, including movement of medically fragile populations. Study the level of preparedness among critical infrastructure entities in both the public and private sector, the effectiveness of state disaster relief policies relating to this infrastructure and the sufficiency of personnel needed to restore this infrastructure. Assess the states’ preparedness to handle a public health emergency. Examine the challenges of interoperability of communications technologies to improve coordination of different plans across jurisdictions.
- Study and make recommendations regarding state and local regulation of billboards. Produce a graphical analysis of current billboards, evaluate objective criteria for locations where billboards can be permitted or prohibited, including but not limited to geographical (corridor or urban/rural), land usage (e.g. industrial), or cultural/historical criteria, and include consideration of the impact on any federal funding.
- Study and make recommendations for improving management and oversight of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). Include a review of populations served, MPO governance, oversight, roles, variation among MPOs, and MPO decision-making ability in relation to TxDOT or other agencies.
- Study Comprehensive Development Agreements (CDAs) and make recommendations to ensure the maximum benefit to taxpayers. Study the implications of requiring CDAs to have definitive buyback formulas that can be calculated without using any form of future revenue forecasts. Study requiring potential CDA projects to be solicited only after environmental clearance has been granted. Study the implications of shortening CDA’s maximum allowable contract duration. Study provisions affecting competing facilities.
- Review the status of structurally deficient bridges and provide increased oversight of TxDOT's bridge repair activities to ensure that any unsafe bridges are identified and repaired as soon as possible.
- Study and make recommendations relating to the status of current and planned toll road projects in Texas, the use of public-private partnerships to build new roads and/or transit services, and the market valuation process. Analyze the impact of lengthening the number of years a toll road authority may issue bonds.
- Study the effectiveness of the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) and make recommendations for its future role in providing additional roads in Texas. Provide specific recommendations relating to public input in the development of the TTC.
- Study and review state and local options for expanding transportation funding and explore options to reduce diversions of Fund 6 revenue. (Joint charge with Senate Finance Committee).
Senate Select Committee on Economic Development
- Inventory economic development programs and incentives, including tax abatements, offered by state and local governments. Review the costs and benefits of Texas’ economic development tools, including the Texas Enterprise Fund and the Texas Emerging Technologies Fund, and make recommendations for improvements. Review similar incentive programs in other states and the potential impact on Texas’ competitive advantage in attracting and keeping strong businesses. Analyze regional economic development trends and opportunities and identify options for maximizing economic development with region-specific incentives.
- Review the costs and benefits of using the Texas Enterprise Zone Program as an economic development tool for local communities to partner with the State of Texas to promote job creation and capital investment in economically distressed areas of the state.
- Examine the costs and the effectiveness of policy options, including state incentives, available to cities and counties to preserve and redevelop historic downtown properties.
Study the merits of developing a comprehensive state policy of offering incentives to local governments for activities relating to recruiting and hosting special events.