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See below for interim legislative hearings coming up in the next few weeks. Hearing dates and times are subject to change. Please note that additional hearings dates may also be added at any time.

See Texas Legislature Online for updates here: House | Senate | Joint

Committee hearing live streams and archives can be found at the following links: House | Senate

Upcoming House Committee Meetings

Appropriations – 9/24/2024 at Time: 10:00 AM, Location: E1.030

The Committee will hear testimony on the following topics:

  • Review the state finance implications of the implementation of House Bill 3447 as it relates to the Texas Space Commission and the Space Economy.
  • Review the state finance implications of the implementation of House Bill 5174 as it relates to the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium and Fund.
  • Review the state finance implications of the implementation of Senate Bill 2627 and potential opportunities to expand the allowable uses of the Texas Energy Fund.
  • Review the state finance implications of the implementation of House Bill 9 as it relates to the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund.
  • Review the state finance implications of future population growth trends.
  • Review the state finance implications of the implementation of Senate Bill 1648 as it relates to the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund.
  • Interim Charge 2: Examine cross-article funding streams within the Texas Education Agency, such as School Health and Related Services (SHARS), determine where overlapping programs are best fit and funded, and make policy recommendations to improve transparency and accountability between agencies.

Natural Resources – 9/24/2024 at 10:00 AM, Location: E2.016

The Committee will hear invited and public testimony on the following topics:

  • Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation:
    • SB 28, relating to financial assistance provided and programs administered by the Texas Water Development Board
  • Water Reuse Expansion: Examine opportunities to expand the reuse of waters in Texas as an additional water supply and identify funding deficiencies for water reuse projects and regulatory impediments that make expansion of water reuse difficult in Texas.
  • Reliability of Clean Water Access: Evaluate the causes, durations, and incidence of boil water notices issued by public water systems. Identify solutions to keep critical water infrastructure online during public water system failures and consider whether policy changes are necessary to prevent interruption to the public’s access to clean, reliable drinking water.
  • Groundwater Infrastructure: Examine Texas groundwater data infrastructure, data collection, and monitoring practices and identify policy solutions for improvement in the areas of understanding local groundwater conditions; groundwater modeling for planning and decision-making; and resource management

Ways & Means – 9/26/2024 at 10:00 AM, Location: E1.030

The Committee will hear invited and public testimony on the following topics:

  • HB 5, the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Act, relating to agreements authorizing a limitation on taxable value of certain property to provide for the creation of jobs and the generation of state and local tax revenue; authorizing fees; authorizing penalties
  • HB 796, relating to the creation and maintenance by an appraisal district of a publicly available Internet database of information regarding protest hearings conducted by the appraisal review board established for the district

Joint Ways & Means and Sustainable Property Tax Relief – 9/26/2024 upon adj. of Ways & Means, Location: E1.030

The Committee will hear invited and public testimony on the following topics:

  • Review the impact of HJR 2/SB 2 (88S2), which provides property tax relief through various mechanisms, on achieving the goal of providing sustainable property tax relief for Texas property owners.
  • Evaluate the effects of tax rate compression, limits on taxable value, and homestead exemption increases to maximize savings to property owners, and evaluate whether Texas’ economic performance and state tax revenues support further compression of school district tax rates.
  • Study the viability and sustainability of eliminating maintenance and operations taxes by 2035.
  • Examine historical rates of appraisal increases, and methods to reduce the tax burden of appraisal increases on all real property. Evaluate whether to extend the limitation on appraised value of certain non-homestead real property past the current expiration date of December 31, 2026, and whether to further reduce the limit on appraised value of homesteads.
  • Examine the long-term value of homestead exemptions to Texas homeowners in conjunction with the impact of appraisal increases and evaluate whether to maintain the homestead exemption at its current rate.

State Affairs – 9/30/2024 at 9:00 AM, Location: E2.016

The Committee will hear invited testimony on the following topics:

  • Securing the border: Conduct a review of functions and operations of state agencies involved with carrying out Operation Lone Star as they relate to securing the border and preventing transnational criminal activity.

Upcoming Senate Committee Meetings

The Committee will hear testimony on the following topics:

Subcommittee on Higher Education – 9/24/2024 at Time: 9:00 AM, Location: E1.028 (Hearing Room)

  • Public Junior College State Finance Program: Monitor the implementation of the new community college funding model as recommended by the Texas Commission on Community College Finance. Report on whether the rulemaking process is being successfully completed to focus on student outcomes and enhancing the role of public junior colleges in workforce training and preparation.
  • Innovation and Technology in Higher Education: Investigate the opportunities and challenges of emerging technology on teaching and learning, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), online education, and digital resources. Examine aspects of intellectual property as they relate to the development of AI programs and platforms by institutions of higher education and explore the ethical issues institutions of higher education should contemplate when developing AI programs and platforms. Make recommendations to responsibly and ethically utilize emerging technology to enhance learning in higher education
  • Core Curriculum Course Accessibility: Review student access to core curriculum courses at Texas institutions of higher education. Examine the availability of these courses both online and in-person, as well as any issues that would prevent or reduce in-person access. Make recommendations for any needed reforms to ensure that all students have equal in-person access to core courses.

Business & Commerce – 10/1/2024 at 9:00 AM, Location: E1.028

The Committee will hear invited and public testimony on the following topics:

  • Managing Texas Sized Growth: Evaluate the state’s ability to keep pace with increasing electricity demand related to population growth and energy intensive technologies such as electric vehicles and data centers.
  • Innovative Power Generation: Explore emerging technologies with the potential to add new dispatchable power to our electric grid including, but not limited, to small modular nuclear reactors, advanced batteries, and new developments in hydrogen and geothermal resources.
  • Addressing the Rising Cost of Insurance: Assess the impact of rising property and casualty insurance costs on Texas property owners, real estate lenders, and commercial and industrial development.

Finance – 10/9/2024 at 10:00 AM, Location: E1.036

The committee will hear invited and public testimony on the following interim charges:

  • Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program: Review the expenditure of funds appropriated to the Texas Film Commission for the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP) by the 88th Legislature and assess the effectiveness of the program in promoting media production and stimulating local economies through job creation and business growth. Analyze application trends before and after the appropriation, with attention to high profile or large-budget productions. Additionally, review other states and international incentive programs and evaluate Texas’s workforce and educational needs in media production. Provide recommendations to improve the TMIIIP’s transparency and enhance Texas’s competitive position.
  • School Enrollment Trends: Study post-pandemic student enrollment trends, and examine the possible causes behind the shift in student enrollment, including the rise in homeschooling, micro-schools, and other parental choice options. Make recommendations to ensure parents and educators have the tools and resources needed to respond to the projected enrollment changes and ensure that every child has the best educational options available to learn.

Criminal Justice – 10/10/2024 at Time: 10:00 AM, Location: E1.028 (Hearing Room)

The Committee will hear testimony on the following topics:

  • Retail Theft: Study the effects of organized retail crime in Texas and in other states. Evaluate the reporting and legislative suggestions from the statewide Organized Retail Theft Task Force. Make recommendations to protect the safety of retail employees and business owners in Texas.
  • Financial Crimes: Evaluate financial criminal activity trends in Texas, including the fiscal impact on consumers, financial institutions, local economies, and businesses. Determine the extent of payment fraud by transnational criminal gangs. Study the impact of the Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC). Make recommendations that enhance penalties for check and payment fraud and identify ways to strengthen financial crime investigations in Texas.
  • Supporting Victims of Sexual Assault: Examine the collection and processing of “rape kits” by law enforcement agencies and testing laboratories. Make recommendations to ensure that forensic evidence collected from victims of sexual assault is processed in a timely manner.

State Affairs – 10/15/2024 at Time: 9:00 AM, Location: E1.028 (Hearing Room)

  • Impeachment Reform: Evaluate the constitutional and statutory impeachment procedures in our state. Make recommendations to ensure a fair and transparent process.
  • Lottery: Study “lottery courier services,” which allow their clients to purchase lottery tickets over the internet. Report on the number of couriers and the magnitude of sales from such services in Texas. Determine whether courier services are operating legally in Texas and whether a change in law is needed to respond to technological advancements to protect children in our state and to maintain original legislative intent. Recommend legislation to clarify Texas’s laws regarding online lottery sales.
  • Addressing Homelessness: Study programs that address the homelessness crisis in Texas. Specifically, review programs like Haven for Hope and determine whether such programs could be a model throughout our state. Propose legislation to address the root causes of homelessness by expanding successful programs for cities of all sizes.

State Affairs – 10/16/2024 at Time: 9:00 AM, Location: E1.028 (Hearing Room)

  • Runoff Elections: Study the prerequisites, timing, and efficiency of runoff elections. Make recommendations to increase the efficiency and lower the costs of runoff elections. Examine the 50% vote threshold to avoid a runoff, particularly when four or more candidates are running for the same office. Report whether the vote percentage threshold should be lowered in some instances.
  • Stop Noncitizen Voting: Evaluate the current safeguards in place to prevent noncitizens from voting in elections. Recommend legislation to facilitate the removal of noncitizen voters from the voter rolls as well as legislation to prevent noncitizens from registering to vote in Texas.
  • Election Audit Reports: Evaluate the Secretary of State’s election audit reports. Make recommendations to secure our elections and ensure counties follow the law.
  • Unmasking Protestors: Study the use of face coverings and hoods designed to conceal the identity of those bent on committing crimes at protests. Recommend legislation to stop the chaos and destruction by those who attempt to commit crimes while concealing their identity during public gatherings.
  • Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on State Affairs passed by the 88th Legislature. Specifically, evaluate the impact of Senate Bill 2284, relating to the sale of distilled spirits to ultimate consumers by the holder of a distiller’s and rectifier’s permit. Report whether the increased sale of distilled spirits has had a positive impact on economic development and public safety in this industry.

State Affairs – 10/17/2024 at Time: 9:00 AM, Location: E1.028 (Hearing Room)

  • Social Media & Protecting Children: Study the impact of social media use on children. Review current mechanisms in place to protect minors online. Monitor the implementation of House Bill 18, 88th Legislature, relating to the protection of minors from harmful, deceptive, or unfair trade practices in connection with the use of certain digital services and electronic devices, including the use and transfer of electronic devices to students by a public school. Make policy recommendations to further protect Texas children online.
  • Responsible Investing: Study the impact of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors on our state’s public pensions, with a focus on proxy voting services. Make recommendations to ensure our state’s pension systems vote and invest in accordance with their fiduciary responsibility to maximize profit. Additionally, monitor the implementation of Senate Bill 13, 87th Legislature, relating to state contracts with and investments in certain companies that boycott energy companies. Specifically, examine how a company is removed from the list of companies that boycott energy companies when the company ceases to boycott energy companies. Report on how frequently the list maintained by the comptroller is updated and make recommendations to ensure an ongoing accurate list.
  • Beverages with THC: Evaluate Texas laws and regulations concerning THC beverage manufacturing and delivery. Report on the current regulations and safeguards Texas may or may not have in place for drinks with any amount of THC. Recommend legislation to protect Texas consumers.
  • Public Trust in Government: Examine the current state of accountability, ethics, and transparency in local government. Recommend ways to bolster public trust in local government by strengthening the Public Information Act and Open Meetings Act.

Upcoming Joint Legislative Committee Meetings

Texas Energy Fund Advisory Committee – 10/8/2024 at 9:00 AM, Location: E1.028

  • The Texas Energy Fund Advisory Committee will meet Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 9:00am to review the operation, function, and structure of the Texas Energy Fund