See below for a spotlight on House and Senate interim charges related to education, including charges related to elections and property taxes, organized by committee.
House
Appropriations Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Maintaining existing property tax relief and significantly increasing the homestead and business personal property tax exemptions
- Capital funding for Texas State Technical Colleges
Delivery of Government Efficiency Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- HB 3963, relating to an early childhood integrated data system
Elections Committee
- Election Timelines: Examine statutory timelines related to the administration of elections, including key deadlines. Evaluate the need to make adjustments to improve election administration, transparency, and voter access.
- Technology in Elections: Study the growing role of new and rapidly evolving technologies in the election process and political communications.
- Election Administration Staffing Needs: Study the challenges faced by election officials in finding volunteers and staff for early-voting and election days. Identify methods or programs to increase the number of election workers necessary to administer elections.
Higher Education Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- SB 1786, relating to public higher education;
- SB 2231, relating to requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to waive fees for admission applications submitted to public institutions of higher education during certain periods; and
- SB 2314, relating to the creation of an electronic platform and submission portal, known as My Texas Future, to facilitate public high school students’ awareness of and application to institutions of higher education using the electronic common admission application form.
- State of Higher Education: Study the current state of higher education in Texas. Examine enrollment trends, workforce demands, and postsecondary outcomes, as well as progress toward the state’s Building a Talent Strong Texas strategic plan. Examine indicators of institutional competitiveness, including completion rates, faculty recruitment and retention, and research classification trends in comparison to other states.
- Postsecondary Education Affordability: Study strategies to improve postsecondary education affordability for Texas students and reduce financial barriers to enrollment, persistence, and completion. Evaluate whether state financial aid investments are effectively targeted and structured to promote student success and meet workforce needs. Review the impact of recent federal legislation on student aid and institutional affordability. Analyze unmet financial need among eligible students and make recommendations to ensure state investments deliver measurable returns for students, employers, and taxpayers.
- Foreign Adversary Protections in Higher Education: Examine the implementation of recent legislation that protects Texas institutions of higher education from foreign adversarial influence and research security risks. Assess institutional compliance with statutory requirements, including reporting, screening, and oversight processes, and evaluate the role and effectiveness of the Higher Education Research Security Council. Identify and make recommendations regarding the scope of covered foreign entities, designation of sensitive research areas, and institutional risk determination processes.
- Increasing Credential Completion: Evaluate methods to increase credential completion aligned with regional labor demands and national defense strategy in Texas public higher education institutions. Study accelerated postsecondary pathways such as credit for prior learning, prior learning assessments, reverse transfer, and competency-based education. Explore the impact of federal Workforce Pell Grants on short-term credentials. Identify areas to provide better transfer supports, increase re-enrollment, and reduce time to credential completion.
- Research Competitiveness: Examine the ability of Texas public higher education institutions to compete for and secure federal grant funding. Review the impact of recent changes in federal policy and assess whether current state policies adequately support competitiveness. Evaluate opportunities to strengthen coordination, prioritize research related investments based on statewide impact and workforce needs, and enhance institutional capacity to meet federal requirements.
- Aligning Advising Initiatives: Examine investments by the state in advising systems and tools that support high school and college course planning, credential attainment, and successful transitions to postsecondary education and the workforce. Evaluate partnership based models that leverage postsecondary and labor market research and available data aligned to high-wage and high-demand careers and expand advising capacity. Assess opportunities for the Tri-Agency to better align resources and services to strengthen advising systems and improve student outcomes.
Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services Committee
- Teacher Retirement System of Texas Review: Review the actuarial soundness of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, including current contribution levels, defined benefit plan assumptions, and projected liabilities to ensure the long-term financial stability of the system. Evaluate the impact of basing employer contributions on total payroll, options to increase parity in the contribution rates for all entities, and the impact of benefit enhancements.
Public Education Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- HB 2, relating to public education and public school finance;
- HB 6, relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public schools;
- HB 8 (Second Called Session), relating to public school accountability and transparency, including the implementation of an instructionally supportive assessment program and the adoption and administration of assessment instruments in public schools, indicators of achievement, public school performance ratings, and interventions and sanctions under the public school accountability system, a grant program for school district local accountability plans, and actions challenging Texas Education Agency decisions related to public school accountability;
- HB 1481, relating to school district and open-enrollment charter school policies regarding student use of personal communication devices; and
- SB 2, relating to the establishment of an education savings account program.
- State of Education: Study the current state of public education in Texas. Examine academic outcomes, enrollment trends pertaining to the stability of the school finance system, school safety, and the role of technology and artificial intelligence. Identify emerging challenges, opportunities, and best practices to sustain and expand high-performing schools across Texas. Explore ways to streamline statutory and regulatory provisions to improve efficiency in district operations.
- Eliminate Educator Misconduct: Examine laws governing the prevention, reporting, and enforcement of educator misconduct to ensure the safety of Texas’ children. Review recently passed legislation, as well as educator employment and contract termination statutes, to assess whether districts have sufficient authority to take timely and appropriate action. Identify gaps in oversight and make recommendations to strengthen safeguards and ensure schools have the tools available to prevent individuals who pose a risk to children from entering or remaining in Texas schools.
- Improve Middle School Outcomes: Examine strategies to improve outcomes in middle schools. Focus on preparing students for high school success, increasing engagement, and expanding opportunities for career exploration. Review the implementation and effectiveness of advanced coursework, academic supports, interventions, and innovative models, particularly in core subjects.
- Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Study the impact of recent legislation, including the investment in educator preparation, increases in teacher compensation, additional classroom supports, and reformed student discipline policy. Review whether these significant changes are having an impact on school districts’ ability to recruit and retain qualified educators in the classroom. Make recommendations to strengthen the teacher pipeline and ensure Texas is well positioned to sustain a thriving and stable educator workforce.
- Investment in Special Education: Examine state policies impacting students with special needs and special populations, including the implementation of recent legislation and the impact of increases in state funding. Review trends in special education enrollment over the past several years and evaluate factors contributing to those increases. Identify opportunities and make recommendations regarding ways to improve efficiencies for special education teachers, increase access to Pre-K, improve supports for students with low-incidence disabilities, and strengthen planning for the workforce and adulthood.
Ways and Means Committee
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- HB 103, relating to the creation and maintenance of a database of taxing unit bond, tax, and bond-related project information; and
- HB 148, relating to the qualification of candidates for, and the training and education of members of, the board of directors of an appraisal district.
- Property Tax Relief: Study and consider methods to build on the property tax relief provided by the 89th Legislature. Review the cost and benefits of compressing school district tax rates and increasing the homestead exemption; whether the property tax appraisal system is working as intended, and opportunities to improve the system to benefit homeowners and businesses; and the economic performance of state tax revenue supporting ongoing property tax relief, including the impact of exemptions.
- Local Government Spending: Examine local government spending and debt practices, including the use of certificates of obligation, to determine the overall impact on property tax rates. Evaluate other revenue sources, such as fees, utilized by local units of government to facilitate increased spending. Make recommendations to improve the long-term affordability for Texas families by limiting the growth of local government spending.
Select Committee on Governmental Oversight
- Safeguarding Taxpayer Funds: Study how local governments appropriate public funds to, or otherwise contract with, third-party consultants and nongovernmental organizations for services, including those related to health and human services, public safety, and homelessness policies. Assess trends in third-party services spending and evaluate risks and benefits. Examine the degree of influence third-party consultants and nongovernmental organizations exert on matters of public policy and make recommendations to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure full transparency and accountability in the expenditure of taxpayer funds.
Senate
Education Committee
- Promoting America & Texas First in Our Schools: Examine the current practices of some public schools promoting events, partnerships, or associations with federal or state-designated hostile agents or their surrogates. Provide recommendations to strengthen laws stopping hostile countries or related entities from infiltrating our classrooms. Make recommendations to ensure public schools promote students’ learning about American and Texas exceptionalism.
- Improving School Transformation Talent: Evaluate the existing access to and efficacy of experts in improving school academic performance. Develop suggestions to strengthen and expand the current leadership pipeline, including public school training, policies, and practices that accelerate academic progress.
- Shifting Enrollment, Right-Sizing: Despite the state’s rapid overall population growth, school age enrollment is declining – from 5.54 million to 5.47 million students in the last two years. Examine the impact of student enrollment patterns in Texas public schools. Identify strategies to maximize the efficient use of tax dollars by school districts while maintaining access to high-quality learning programs and student outcomes.
- Maximizing Instructional Time: Review the 200+ districts who utilize a 4- day school week or other hybrid models and the related learning loss in reading and math. Study the effect of academic schedules, in particular the decline of school days, and its impact on students and families. Create guidelines to support public schools and maximize student achievement.
- Reviewing Historic Pay Increases for Teachers: Review teacher pay increases passed by the Legislature over the last decade, including the historic pay increase in House Bill 2, 89th Legislature. Monitor the implementation of pay increases for teachers and the impacts on teacher incomes, including closing the rural pay gap.
- Celebrating the Successful Rollout of School Choice: Monitor the nation’s largest school choice launch in history and the ongoing implementation of Senate Bill 2, 89th Legislature, including: record-breaking demand with over 250,000 applications and enrollment by families giving greater flexibility to choose the best education for their child. Provide recommendations on how the Legislature can enhance and expand upon Texas’ historic and successful school choice program for families.
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Senate Bill 12 (89th Legislature), relating to parental rights in public education, to certain public school requirements and prohibitions regarding instruction, diversity, equity, and inclusion duties, and social transitioning, and to student clubs at public schools;
- Senate Bill 13 (89th Legislature), relating to a school district’s library materials and catalog, the establishment of local school library advisory councils, and parental rights regarding public school library catalogs and access by the parent’s child to library materials;
- Senate Bill 571 (89th Legislature), relating to the reporting and investigation of certain misconduct and child abuse and neglect; creating a criminal offense;
- House Bill 2 (89th Legislature), relating to public education and public school finance; and
- House Bill 6 (89th Legislature), relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public.
Finance Committee
- Further Property Tax Cuts: The Homestead Exemption has proven overwhelmingly popular with voters. It has eliminated school property taxes for the average senior and reduced school taxes in half for those under 65. Study and report on the effect of the continued increasing of the Homestead Exemption. Assess the impact of reducing the senior homestead exemption from 65 to 55 years of age. This change would freeze home values 10 years sooner for over 3 million homeowners, saving 55 plus homeowners thousands of additional dollars.
- Higher Education Transparency: Examine the current financial reporting and disclosure practices of public institutions of higher education. Evaluate the adequacy of existing transparency standards regarding the use of state appropriations, tuition revenue, and designated funds. Assess the frequency and scope of state audits and study the feasibility of requiring more frequent, comprehensive audits to ensure fiscal accountability. Make recommendations to strengthen reporting requirements, increase public access to institutional financial data, and provide greater oversight to ensure the efficient and transparent use of taxpayer and student funds.
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Mental health programs and services provided through the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium
- Senate Bill 25 (89th Legislature), relating to health and nutrition standards to promote healthy living, including requirements for food labeling, primary and secondary education, higher education, and continuing education for certain health care professionals; authorizing a civil penalty
Higher Education Committee
- Public Junior College State Finance Program: Review the implementation of the community college funding model. Make recommendations for any structural changes to the model, while continuing to ensure a dynamic structure that aligns student outcomes with workforce preparation and demands.
- Funding the Permanent University Fund and the Texas University Fund: Review the distribution methodology for the Permanent University Fund and the Texas University Fund. Analyze the allocation structure and uses for the Permanent University Fund for the University of Texas and Texas A&M University Systems, with particular focus on how the fund is allocated between the flagship campuses and other system institutions. Explore the implementation and distribution of the Texas University Fund, as new institutions gain eligibility and the fund’s corpus grows, ensuring stability and predictability for all participating institutions. Make recommendations for any needed reforms.
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Senate Bill 37 (89th Legislature), relating to the governance of public institutions of higher education, including review of curriculum and certain degree and certificate programs, a faculty council or senate, training for members of the governing board, and the establishment, powers, and duties of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Office of the Ombudsman
- House Bill 127 (89th Legislature), relating to measures to protect institutions of higher education from foreign adversaries and to the prosecution of the criminal offense of theft of trade secrets; increasing a criminal penalty.
Local Government Committee
- Cutting Property Taxes: Examine Texas property taxes, focusing on homeowners’ school property taxes. Make recommendations to cut Texans’ property taxes by increasing the homestead exemption for all homesteads. Determine the savings for homestead owners attributable to lowering the age of eligibility for the senior homestead exemption and senior tax ceiling from 65 to 55. Additionally, evaluate options to further reduce property taxes for new homeowners.
- Examining the Effect of Increasing the Homestead Exemption: Review and report on the effects of Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23, 89th Legislature, Senate Bill 2, 88th Legislature, 2nd Called Session, Senate Bill 1, 87th Legislature, 3rd Called Session, Senate Bill 2, 86th Legislature, and Senate Bill 1, 84th Legislature, which in combination have increased the homeowners’ school tax exemption from $15,000 to $140,000 for those under the age of 65, and from $25,000 to $200,000 for those 65 and older. Identify the percentage of Texas homeowners that no longer pay school property taxes due to these efforts.
- Ensuring Transparency in Appraisal District Funding: Study the governance, budgeting authority, and cost allocation practices of county appraisal districts. Examine the fiscal impact of appraisal district costs on taxing entities. Evaluate whether additional guardrails are warranted.
State Affairs Committee
- Maintaining Election Security: Study ways to enhance election security and guarantee poll watcher access. Further evaluate county election administration and local election officials and any recent attempts to circumvent state law. Make recommendations to ensure the security and integrity of Texas elections.
- Ensuring Efficiency in Texas Elections: Study different methods counties employ regarding the marking and counting of ballots. Review the designation of polling locations for a specific political party during primary elections. Make recommendations to ensure elections are conducted efficiently and securely.
Select Committee on Religious Liberty
- Monitor: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee:
- Senate Bill 10 (89th Legislature), relating to the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms; and
- Senate Bill 11 (89th Legislature), relating to a period of prayer and reading of the Bible orother religious text in public schools
