Tracking legislative interim hearings between sessions -- committee testimony, interim charges, witness statements, and the groundwork being laid for the next session.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson told a House committee Sept. 30 that the city spends about $100 million a year on outside consultants and nonprofits and is auditing it.
Senators spent more than six hours Sept. 30 asking who should control the cost of Texas' transmission buildout, with witnesses urging competitive bidding, a lower guaranteed return for utilities and relief for ratepayers before the 765-kV Permian Basin lines are built.
Texas oyster farmers told a House panel Sept. 30 that their young industry cannot grow without a hatchery in the state, insurance it can afford and a sales tax break that has so far delivered pennies.
Allen Harrison becomes chairman of the Texas Hospital Association's board on Jan. 1.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza did not appear before a House committee Sept. 30 that spent more than seven hours examining whether donor-funded groups and consultants steer local prosecutors.
Two of the three charges before the House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight today share a structure.
Live Nation Ticketmaster declined to testify at a Senate hearing on online ticket sales Sept. 30, and the state attorney general's office used the stage to cite a unanimous federal jury verdict against the company and to ask lawmakers for stronger laws against bots and deceptive resale practices.
The Texas Senate Committee on Education will gavel in at 8 a.m. Oct. 7 in Room E1.028 of the Capitol Extension to take invited and public testimony on three interim charges from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: the rollout of school choice, how public schools handle ties to hostile foreign actors, and implementation of four 2025 laws, according to the official hearing notice.
The Texas Senate Committee on Education will gavel in at 8 a.m. Oct. 6 in Room E1.028 of the Capitol Extension to take invited and public testimony on four interim charges from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: school calendars and instructional time, shrinking enrollment, the supply of school-turnaround talent and implementation of 2025 education laws, including teacher pay, according to the official hearing notice.
The Texas House Committee on Natural Resources will gavel in at 10 a.m. Mountain time Oct. 6 at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in El Paso to hear invited and public testimony on the Rio Grande Compact and oversight of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, followed by invited-only testimony on new water supply strategies, according to the official hearing notice.
The Texas House Committee on Agriculture & Livestock will gavel in at 10 a.m. Oct. 2 in Capitol Extension room E2.012 to take invited and public testimony on invasive species threatening Texas farms and ranches, state programs to expand markets for Texas-grown products, and oversight of the agencies under its jurisdiction.
The Texas House Committee on Insurance will gavel in at 9 a.m. Oct. 5 in Capitol Extension room E2.026 to take invited testimony only on rising property and casualty insurance costs, consumer protections and the rollout of three insurance laws the panel wrote last session, according to the official hearing notice.
Katrina Pierson was working full time, going to school and raising a child when she told her doctor she was exhausted and something felt wrong.
The Texas House Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism will gavel in at 10 a.m. Sept. 30 in Capitol Extension room E2.012 to hear from invited witnesses on the state's young oyster-farming industry, a program that pays commercial fishermen to retire their oyster licenses and the planned move of William B. Travis' "Victory or Death" letter to the Alamo.