Texas Legislative Interim Charges for 2024
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick outlined 57 issues for the Texas Senate to examine — ranging from border security to innovative power generation — before the next legislative session begins in January. Senators will examine the topics in committees over the next few months. The Senate hearing schedule is regularly updated online. They will submit policy recommendations by December 1, 2024. The legislative session starts on January 14, 2025. Here are just a few of the items of interest to Greater Chamber members:
- Monitor the implementation of the new community college funding model as recommended by the Texas Commission on Community College Finance.
- Study ways to increase the state’s workforce productivity, including access to childcare. Within existing resources, make recommendations to maintain childcare availability to support a growing workforce.
- Monitor the appropriations and implementation of property tax relief efforts, the Texas Energy Fund, the Texas Water Fund, and the Broadband Infrastructure Fund from the last legislative session.
- Examine how local governments used federal funds, like ARPA.
- Examine the use and imposition of local option hotel occupancy taxes.
- Consider mechanisms to dissolve taxing entities such as municipal management districts (MMDs) and tax increment reinvestment zones (TIRZs) when they have outlived their purpose.
- Review how historical site district designations such as the Alamo complex contribute to cultural preservation, tourism, and community identity.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has also announced the priorities he wants lawmakers to work on during the interim. The Republican speaker’s list of interim charges includes dozens of assignments for House committees to work on before legislators return to Austin for the 89th session in January. Many of their charges include monitoring or tracking new laws to “ensure the intended legislative outcome” of the bills. Some of the House charges that may be of interest to this Council include:
- Study implementation and impact of additional appropriations made to enhance affordability at institutions of higher education; mission-specific formula funding at health-related institutions of higher education.
- Review professional license portability for military and spouses; make recommendations to ensure that service members and their spouses may, under appropriate circumstances, continue to practice under a license issued by another jurisdiction.
- Evaluate the alignment of postsecondary success incentives across PK-12 and higher education systems, as well as the tri-agency collaboration between PK-12, postsecondary education, and workforce to advance the “Building a Talent Strong Texas” goals outlined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
- Evaluate the current state of the early childhood education industry. Review current early childhood policies and evaluate their effectiveness, including barriers to entering the Childcare Services program.
- Consider issues to increase education opportunities to more “high-quality” options for students “regardless of circumstance;” examine opportunities to improve students’ early literacy and numeracy outcomes; and examine the outcomes of hiring teachers who are not certified.
- Monitor implementation of HB 3, which required school districts to implement more security and safety measures on campuses; evaluate behavioral health services for at-risk youth.
- Monitor the implementation of HB 4, which regulates the collection, use, processing, and treatment of consumers' personal data by certain businesses.
- Conduct oversight on HB 671, which created a veteran’s suicide prevention campaign.
- Review federal criteria for considering and recommending base closure or realignment, evaluate the strength of Texas Military Bases under the scoring system utilized by the U.S. Department of Defense, and make recommendations to mitigate the risk of realignments or closures of military installations in Texas.
- Review the status of “Name, Image & Likeness” (NIL) across the state and the country. Review what, if any, action has occurred to alter NIL by the National Collegiate Athletic Association or the federal government to alter current Texas policies that may impact Texas student-athletes and institutions of higher education.
Your Greater Chamber will monitor these actions and meet with legislators throughout the Interim to ensure that the interests of our members are represented. We will continue to update you on the progress of individual issues. Please get in touch with Katie Ferrier if you have any questions or feedback.