Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 15:58:30 CST From:IFAB763@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu Subject: Scanned Guide to Texas Legislation ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Guide to Legislative Information TEXAS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Prepared by the Research Staff of the Texas Legislative Council Revised 1994 Published by the Texas Legislative Council Austin, Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, Chairman Speaker James E. "Pete" Laney, Vice-Chairman Robert I. Kelly, Executive Director November 1994 ================================================================== CONTENTS Introduction................................................................1 Chapter 1. Primary Sources of Legislative Information.......................3 House and Senate Rules....................................................3 Journals..................................................................3 House journal .........................................................4 Senate journal ........................................................4 Governor's veto messages......... .....................................4 Calendars.................................................................4 House calendars .......................................................4 List of items eligible for consideration...............................5 Senate agenda .........................................................6 Intent calendar .......................................................6 Notice of Meetings .......................................................6 House meetings ........................................................6 Senate meetings .......................................................7 Session Laws .............................................................7 Interim Reports ........... ..............................................7 Document Distribution ................... ................................8 House document distribution............................................8 Senate document distribution...........................................8 Recording.................................................................8 House recording .......................................................9 Senate recording ......................................................9 Committee Minutes ........................................................9 House of Representatives............... ...............................9 Senate................................................................11 Library Services ........................................................11 Bill files ...........................................................11 Legislative information ..............................................12 Index to statutory sections affected..................................12 Telephone information service.........................................12 Clipping service and files............................................12 Computerized Information Services........................................12 Legislative information ..............................................13 Printouts of legislative activity.....................................13 Demographic and Redistricting Information Services .....................14 Chapter 2. Secondary Sources of Legislative Information... ...............15 House Research Organization Reports......................................15 Senate Research Center Reports...................... ................... 15 Other Agency Reports.....................................................16 Summary of Enactments.................................................16 Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments........ ...............16 Fiscal Size Up........................................................16 Chapter 3. Types of Legislative Information .... ..........................17 Forms of Legislative Action .............................................17 Bills................................................................17 Joint resolutions ....................................................17 Concurrent resolutions ........ ......................................17 Simple resolutions ...................................................17 Printing Stages of Legislative Documents...................................17 Committee reports .....................................................17 Engrossed bills or resolutions.........................................17 Conference committee reports............. ...........................17 Enrolled bills and resolutions ........................................18 Aids to Understanding Legislative Measures ..... ..........................18 Bill analyses .........................................................18 Fiscal notes...........................................................18 Author's statements ..................................................18 Actuarial impact statements...........................................19 Conference committee report anayses...................................19 Criminal justice policy and equalized education funding impact statements ..... ...................................19 =================================================== Page 1 INTRODUCTION Legislative activity in Texas has increased markedly in recent years. One measure of this added activity is the increase in the number of bills introduced during a regular session: 3,603 bills were introduced during the 65th Legislature in 1977, compared to 4,380 bills introduced during the 73rd Legislature in 1993. This increase in the number of matters to be considered during a session, the complex nature of legislative issues and procedures, and the increasing awareness and interest of Texas citizens combine to create a need for legislative records that are accurate and current. Of equal importance is the need to know what information is in those records and how to gain access to the information. The purpose of this publication is to help legislators, other state officials and employees, and interested citizens in researching the work of past legislatures and in tracking the progress of pending legislative measures during a session. The services and procedures of the staffs working with the senate and house journals, the recording facilities for both houses, the document distribution offices, and the computerized Legislative Information System (LIS) have been established to aid this research. This publication outlines the services offered and the information available. While legislative offices provide the same types of services both during and between sessions, the extent and kinds of information requested by legislators and other citizens change somewhat. This guide is divided into three chapters to provide detailed descriptions of available information and to provide a quick reference for finding the information. Chapter 1 is organized according to primary sources of information and includes sections on house and senate rules, journals, calendars, notice of meetings, session laws, interim reports, document distribution offices, recording offices, committee minutes, library services, computerized information services, and demographic and redistricting information services. Chapter 2 describes sources of information regarding actions of the Texas Legislature prepared by legislative branch agencies and organizations. Chapter 3 briefly describes different types of legislative documents. Page 2 (Blank) Page 3 CHAPTER 1 PRIMARY SOURCES OF LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION House and Senate Rules The Constitution of the State of Texas provides that each chamber, the house and the senate, determines the rules of its own proceedings. (Article III, Section 11.) This is accomplished through the adoption by each chamber of a detailed rule-setting resolution after the beginning of each regular legislative session. The rules of both chambers are published in the Texas Legislative Manual, which is available for use in the Legislative Reference Library. The office of the secretary of the senate provides copies of the senate rules free of charge and is located in room 2E.22 of the Capitol. Copies of the house rules and the senate rules are available for purchase individually through the house document distribution office for $10 each. The document distribution office is in room G09 on the ground floor of the John H. Reagan Building at 105 W. 15th Street. The mailing address is P.O. Box 12128, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711-2128, and the telephone number is (512) 463-1144. Journals The Texas Constitution further directs that "Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and publish the same; and the yeas and nays of the members of either House on any question shall, at the desire of any three members present, be entered on the journals." (Article III, Section 12.) The house and the senate each publish daily journals for every legislative day in session. Rather than providing a verbatim record of debate, these journals outline the proceedings and track motions and other legislative actions. The following information is included: number, author, and caption of each bill and resolution introduced and the committee to which it is referred; complete text of any floor and committee amendments offered to a bill; results of each vote taken; a record of how each member voted, when a record vote has been taken; list of bills sent to the governor; committee appointments; and list of members present. Journals indicate the action taken on each motion and point of order made during debate but do not indicate all the members who speak for or against a measure or the text of their remarks. Journals are published in two forms: daily journals that during regular and special sessions are prepared and distributed on the day following each meeting and permanent (bound) journals that are compiled and indexed during the interim following a session. Daily journals are distributed to legislators and are available for use in the Legislative Reference Library. The computerized Legislative Information System (LIS) can be used to find journal references to specific measures. The system displays dates and daily journal page numbers for actions taken on each measure. (See Computerized Information Services.) Because of the time involved both in compiling and checking information and in printing and binding copies, permanent journals are not available until after the session. Appendixes to the permanent journals of both houses contain a list of bills and resolutions introduced by each Page 4 member and the history of all action taken on legislation during the session in each house. The subject index categorizes all measures considered and acted on by the legislature. Copies of the journals from the first Congress of the Texas republic in 1836 through the most recent editions may be found in the State Archives. Some of the older journals and all those for the sessions between 1900 and the present are available in the Legislative Reference Library. House journal. As directed by house rules, the journal clerk prepares a daily journal of the proceedings of the house of representatives. The journal covers each calendar day the house is in session. Daily journals are distributed to legislators and to the Legislative Reference Library on the succeeding calendar day or at the earliest possible date. They are also available in the reception area outside the house chamber. Additional copies are sent to state agencies on request and to state depository libraries. The journal clerk also prepares a permanent (bound) journal of regular and special sessions and distributes copies to members of the house and senate, the Legislative Reference Library, and state depository libraries. Senate journal. The journal of the Texas Senate is an account of the proceedings of the senate when the body is convened, other than as a committee of the whole or in executive session. The journal is prepared and distributed daily to senators, representatives, and the Legislative Reference Library. Copies are also sent to state agencies and state depository libraries during the session; bound copies, which contain a subject index, a list of senators' actions, and bill histories, are later made available to all members of the legislature and to the libraries. Governor's veto messages. If a governor vetoes a bill during the legislative session, the veto message will be printed in the house and senate journals. All veto messages for senate and house bills and resolutions, including those that occur after adjournment of the legislative session, are printed in an appendix of the senate journal. The Legislative Reference Library collects the governor's veto messages, and the messages may also be found in the original bill files. The governor may also issue an official message when the bill is allowed to become law without the governor's signature, and the Legislative Reference Library collects these messages as well. A list of bills vetoed during each session is printed in the session laws, and the House Research Organization publishes a Special Legislative Report on Vetoes of Legislation. (See Chapter 2, Secondary Sources of Legislative Information.) Calendars The senate and the house each publish daily calendars listing bills and resolutions scheduled to be considered during a legislative day. In the house, calendars are delivered to members' mailboxes and, in the senate, calendars are delivered to members' offices. Calendars are maintained in LIS, which is available through public computer terminals in the Legislative Reference Library and through terminals in members' offices and committee offices. House calendars. After a bill or resolution has been reported favorably by a standing committee and the committee report has been printed (or the bill is ordered printed on minority report), the chief clerk forwards the measure to the appropriate calendars committee Page 5 for placement on a calendar. The house rules for the 73rd Legislature (1993 regular session) provide for four types of calendars: 1. the Daily House Calendar, which contains a list of new bills and resolutions scheduled by the Committee on Calendars for consideration by the house and which must be distributed to the members 36 hours before the house convenes during regular sessions and 24 hours before the house convenes during special sessions; 2. the Supplemental House Calendar (prepared by the Committee on Calendars), which must be distributed two hours before the house convenes and which may contain: (a) measures passed to third reading on the previous day; (b) measures on the Daily House Calendar for a previous day which were not reached for consideration; (c) measures on the Daily House Calendar for the current day; (d) postponed business from a previous day; and(e)notice to call from the table a measure laid on the table subject to call on a previous day; 3. the Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar, which must be distributed to the members 48 hours before the house convenes and which contains a list of local or noncontroversial bills scheduled by the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars for consideration by the house; and 4. the Congratulatory and Memorial Calendar, which must be distributed 24 hours before the house convenes and which contains a list of congratulatory and memorial resolutions and motions scheduled by the Committee on Rules and Resolutions for consideration by the house. The Supplemental House Calendar, because it includes the measures listed on the Daily House Calendar, is the primary agenda followed by the house during its deliberations. The Local, Consent, and Resolutions Calendar and the Congratulatory and Memorial Calendar are special calendars that are prepared approximately once a week during the last half of a regular session. In addition to the four calendars listed above, the house rules provide for nine categories which may be used to group bills and resolutions on those calendars. Those categories, listed, in order of priority, are the: (1) emergency calendar; (2) major state calendar; (3) constitutional amendments calendar; (4) general state calendar; (5) local calendar; (6) consent calendar; (7) resolutions calendar; (8) congratulatory and memorial resolutions calendar; and (9) motions calendar. Within each category, senate bills and resolutions are required to be listed on the calendars separately from house bills and resolutions, and consideration of senate bills and resolutions on senate bill days (Wednesdays and Thursdays) has priority in the order specified by house rule. List of items eligible for consideration. This list is prepared by the chief clerk of the house, upon request of the speaker, when the volume of legislation warrants (normally during the last few weeks of a regular session). The list must be distributed six hours before it may be considered and contains: (1) house bills with senate amendments eligible to be considered; (2) senate bills for which the senate has requested the appointment of a conference committee; and (3) conference committee reports eligible to be considered. Page 6 Senate agenda. The Texas Senate agenda includes the following information: (1) notice of intent, giving the number, author or sponsor, and short caption for each measure that may be considered during the day's session; (2) list of senate bills returned from the house with amendments; (3) status of bills in conference committees, giving a short caption and brief history of the action on the bills;(4) local and uncontested bills calendar;(5) gubernatorial appointments to boards and commissions that have been reported favorably from the senate standing Committee on Nominations and are awaiting confirmation by the senate; (6) committee hearings scheduled, including short captions for all measures scheduled to be considered by the committees; (7) regular order of business, listing all bills and resolutions that have been reported from committees in the order in which they were reported to the senate; (8) senate floor action, giving the numbers and short captions for all measures brought up for consideration during the previous legislative day and action taken; and (9) senate committee action, giving the same information for all measures considered by committees on the previous day. Copies of the senate agenda are available the morning of each legislative day. Intent calendar. Senate rules require that bills and resolutions be listed on daily calendars and be considered on second reading in the order in which committee reports on the measures are received by the secretary of the senate.Traditionally, the senate adopts a further rule specifying that before a bill or joint resolution may be brought up for floor debate out of its regular order, Notice of Intent must be filed with the secretary of the senate by 4 p.m. on the last preceding calendar day the senate was in session. Senate rules direct thesecretary of the senate to prepare alist of all legislation for which notice has been given. The list must be made available to each member of the senate and to the press not later than 6:30 p.m. on the day the notice is filed. A vote of two-thirds of the members present is additionally required before any of the measures may be debated. Notice of Meetings Committees in both houses hold regular and special meetings throughout the session and interim. Except in unusual circumstances, the meetings are open to the public, and house and senate rules require that notice of the meetings be posted. Information about committee meetings is also maintained in LIS, which is available through public computer terminals in the Legislative Reference Library and through terminals in members' offices and committee offices. Information about other meetings scheduled in house and senate meeting rooms is available to members through the professional office system, PROFS. Calendars labeled "house" and "senate" list all meetings scheduled on a particular day. House meetings. House rules require the Committee on House Administration to prepare a schedule for regular meetings of all standing committees. This schedule is published in the journal and posted near the entrance to the house and on other posting boards used for committee meeting notices. House rules further require committees to give notice of individual committee meetings. House committees may hold: (1) public hearings, during which testimony and official action may be taken on bills, resolutions, and other matters; (2) formal meetings, during which official action may be taken on matters without public testimony; and (3) work sessions, during which committee members may discuss matters but may take no formal action. During regular sessions, notice of public hearings must be posted at least five calendar Page 7 days in advance. During special sessions, notice of public hearings must be posted at least 24 hours in advance. During regular and special sessions, written notice of formal meetings and work sessions must be posted and transmitted to committee members two hours before a meeting, or an announcement of the meeting must be made by the reading clerk while the house is in session. In addition, house rules require that five calendar days' public notice be given for all committee meetings held during an interim. Notice is posted on bulletin boards outside the house chamber and in several locations within the Capitol Extension. On Fridays, during a legislative session, a schedule of committee meetings and hearings for the forthcoming week is distributed to all legislators and to the Legislative Reference Library. During the interim between sessions, the dates, times, and places of meetings are also given in the reference library's Legislative Clipping Service. With certain exceptions, all house committee and subcommittee meetings and records must be open to the public unless specifically provided otherwise by resolution adopted by the house. Senate meetings. Senate rules state that "Each committee and subcommittee shall meet regularly at an established time and place, and shall give public notice at least 24 hours in advance for special meetings." Notice of senate committee meetings is posted outside the senate chamber, outside the secretary of the senate's office, on the 10th floor of the Sam Houston Building, and in several locations within the Capitol Extension. During the interim between sessions, notice is printed in the Legislative Clipping Service. Session Laws Following a session, West Publishing Company publishes Vernon's Texas Session Law Service. These paperback volumes give complete texts, vote totals, and dates of approval for all acts and joint resolutions passed by the legislature. The first volume gives mailing addresses for members and lists the members of all standing committees. Each includes a subject index and lists: (1) citations for acts passed by previous legislatures that were amended or repealed; (2) citations for statutes and state codes that were amended or repealed; and (3) numbers of all bills and joint resolutions passed. The secretary of state's office distributes the official bound volumes of the laws enacted during each session, entitled General and Special Laws of the State of Texas. These session law volumes provide texts of all bills, joint resolutions, and concurrent resolutions that passed and the record of popular votes on all amendments proposed to the Texas Constitution between 1875 and the most recent election. Copies of the session law volumes are available for use and may be checked out by legislators and their staffs from the Legislative Reference Library. Interim Reports Because of the limited time that the legislature is in session, in-depth studies of important issues are often conducted by committees during interims. Most interim research results in a report to the following legislature containing the committee's findings and recommendations. Copies of those reports may be obtained from the committee offices and may be checked out by legislators and their staffs from the Legislative Reference Library. Page 8 Document Distribution To be introduced, house bills and resolutions must be filed with the chief clerk, and senate measures must be filed with the secretary of the senate. After filing, the documents are a matter of public record, and copies are available through distribution offices maintained by both houses. Each office can provide copies of the introduced versions, committee reports, committee substitutes, and enrolled versions of each bill and each joint, concurrent, and simple resolution filed for introduction in its respective house. House and senate rules allow filing to begin the first Monday after the general election preceding the next regular legislative session or within 30 days of any special session. Document distribution offices provide copies of measures from the time they are filed, through the interim, and until the following regular session's filing period. Measures from previous sessions may be found in bill files maintained by the Legislative Reference Library and the State Archives. (See Library Services.) Because of the size of the general appropriations bill, distribution copies of the introduced version are not usually printed and available from house and senate document distribution offices. The bill is printed after being reported out of committee, and single copies are delivered to members. House document distribution. Distribution services for house bills and resolutions are operated by the Texas Legislative Council. House members and house legislative offices are required to use the on-line request form available through PROFS when ordering bills and other council documents from house document distribution. The document distribution office is in room G09 on the ground floor of the John H. Reagan Building at 105 W. 15th Street. Copies of legislative documents are free to members and legislative offices. Persons requesting copies should present a house or senate identification card. For state agencies, the price for copies is $1 for the first page and five cents for each additional page of the document. For other persons or organizations, the price for copies is $1 for the first page and 15 cents for each additional page. The mailing address is P.O. Box 12128, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711-2128, and the telephone number is (512) 463-1144. The office is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and, during sessions, is open as late as is needed to update document files. Senate document distribution. Senate document distribution is in room E1.716 of the Capitol Extension. Legislators may receive limited copies of bills without charge, and others are charged 15 cents per page. The mailing address is P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas 78711-2068, and the telephone number is (512) 463-0252. During the interim between sessions, the office is open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and during sessions from 8 a.m. until past senate adjournment, as needed. Recording In 1973, the house and senate began recording meetings held during both sessions and interims. Tapes are made of all floor debates, senate committee meetings, and house public hearings. No subject catalogues are maintained specifically for the recordings, but the bill history report and the computerized Legislative Information System (LIS) indicate dates on which individual bills were considered by a committee or by the full house or senate. (See Computerized Information Services.) Page 9 House recording. The rules of the house of representatives require all proceedings of the house and all testimony before a committee or a subcommittee to be electronically recorded. House Video/Audio Services maintains tapes from all meetings of the full house and from all public hearings that have been conducted by house committees and subcommittees during sessions and interims since 1973. Following a meeting that is required to be electronically recorded, tapes are sent to House Video/Audio Services to be marked and catalogued. The tapes may be listened to, without charge, in room 203 of the John H. Reagan Building, (512) 463-0920, on weekdays between 8 a.m. and S p.m. Transcripts of tapes are not available, but copies of tapes may be purchased from House Video/Audio Services for $5 per tape, plus the cost of copying the corresponding tape log(s). It is possible that there will be several tapes for a single session of the house or meeting of a committee. Requests for tapes should either be submitted in writing to the Communications Division, Texas House of Representatives, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, Texas 78768-2910, or be faxed to the Communications Division at (512) 463-5729. Requests should include: 1. house or senate bill or resolution number; 2. legislative session number or year; 3. whether the request is for a committee hearing or house floor proceeding; 4. whether the tapes are to be picked up by or mailed to the requesting party; and 5. a phone number or address at which the requestor may be contacted. Copies of tapes and corresponding tape logs will not be released until they have been paid for. After a request for a copy of a tape has been received, the requestor will be notified of the charges involved in preparing the requested copy and asked to submit payment. A notarized certification of a tape will be provided on request at no additional charge. Senate recording. Senate media services records all standing senate committee meetings, as well as all floor debate. Recordings from 1977 through the present are located in the staff services office in room E1.714 of the Capitol Extension. Tapes are sent to the staff services office immediately after adjournment or on the following workday. Copies of the tapes may be purchased for $5. Listening facilities are available, without charge, in the staff services office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Transcripts on file are available to the public for 25 cents per page. The staff services office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the telephone number is (512) 463-0430. Committee Minutes House of Representatives. Standing and special committees are required to keep complete minutes of their proceedings. Minutes must include: 1. the time and place of each meeting of the committee; 2. a roll call to determine the members present at each meeting of the committee, whether that meeting follows an adjournment or a recess from a previous committee meeting; Page 10 3. an accurate record of all votes taken,including a listing of the yeas and nays cast on each record vote; 4. the date of posting of notice of the meeting; and 5. other information that the chair determines. Two originals of the minutes are prepared on reinforced three-hole paper, and copies of witness affirmation forms must accompany the minutes if the meeting was a public hearing. Each page of the minutes is numbered, dated, and initialed by the chair, with the final page noting the time of recess or adjournment and containing the signatures of the chair and the committee clerk. The committee retains one original and files a duplicate original with the committee services division of the chief clerk's office not later thanthree days after the meeting for substantive committees and not later than one day after the meeting for procedural committees. If the day on which the minutes are due falls on a weekend or holiday on which the house is not in session, minutes are due on the next working day. Minutes and witness affirmation forms for the current legislature are available for review by legislators and the public in room E2.174 of the Capitol Extension during normal business hours. Copies of minutes and witness affirmation forms for the current legislature may be requested: (1) in person by completing the appropriate request form in the committee services office in room E2.174 of the Capitol Extension; (2) by submitting a request in writing to the Committee Services Division, Chief Clerk's Office, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, Texas 78768-2910; or (3) by facsimile (512) 463-5896. The requestor should provide the following information: 1. date of committee hearing(s) or meeting(s); 2. house or senate bill or resolution number (if applicable); 3. whether the minutes are to be picked up by or mailed to the requesting party; and 4. a phone number or address at which the requestor may be contacted. A notarized certification of a set of minutes will be provided on request at no charge. Minutes and witness affirmation forms from previous legislatures dating back to 1973 are maintained by House Video/Audio Services. These records are available for review by legislators and the public in room 203 of the John H. Reagan Building during normal business hours. Copies of minutes and witness affirmation forms for a legislature priorto the current legislature can be ordered from House Video/Audio Services at 55 cents for the first page and 15 cents for each additional page. Requests for minutes or affirmation forms for a previous legislature should be submitted in writing to the Communications Division, Texas House of Representatives, P.O. Box 2910, Austin, Texas 78768-2910, or be faxed to the Communications Division at (512) 463-5729. Requests should include: 1. legislative session number or year; 2. date of committee hearing(s) or meeting(s); 3. house or senate bill or resolution number (if applicable); 4. whether the minutes are to be picked up by or mailed to the requesting party; and 5. a phone number or address at which the requestor may be contacted. Page 11 Copies of minutes and witness affirmation forms will not be released until they have been paid for. After a request for a copy of minutes has been received, the requestor will be notified of the charges involved in preparing the requested copies and asked to submit payment. A notarized certification of a set of minutes will be provided on request at no additional charge. Senate. The rules of the senate require standing committees and subcommittees to keep an accurate written record of their proceedings. Senate rules do not stipulate the content of senate committee minutes. Not later than seven days after a meeting is held, the committee clerk files one copy of the minutes with the secretary of the senate. In addition, the clerk must file three copies with the Legislative Reference Library for public access and retain one copy for the committee files. Library Services Bill files. The Legislative Reference Library (2nd floor, north wing of the Capitol) provides access to files on bills and resolutions introduced in both the house and the senate during the most recent session and to files on all measures introduced from the 63rd Legislature (1973) through the present. Those files contain the original copies of all versions of bills and resolutions, including the introduced version, amendments passed on the floor of either house during debates, and engrossed and enrolled versions. They also include fiscal notes for bills reported out of committee and committee reports.Fiscal notes are prepared for a bill or joint resolution that requires the expenditure of state funds or that has statewide impact on units of local government and requires that expenditure of local funds be made or that changes in local taxes, fees, license charges, or penalties be made. The fiscal notes outline the fiscal implications and probable cost of the measure each year for the first five years after its passage and include a statement about continuing costs after five years and an estimate of the number of additional employees required to implement the proposal. They are prepared by the Legislative Budget Office and are attached to committee reports. In addition to containing the committee vote on a measure, house committee reports are required by house rules to include a detailed analysis of the subject matter of the bill or resolution. The bill analyses are prepared after the committee vote and before house consideration, so they do not reflect any subsequent changes made by the house or senate. Copies of the general appropriations bill, as proposed by the Legislative Budget Board, are available for room use only in the Legislative Reference Library, generally beginning in January of each session year. The library also has copies of the general appropriations bill after it is reported from committee and through each stage of floor and conference committee action. Bill files may not be removed from the Legislative Reference Library, but copies of the documents may be made. Information should be requested by document number and legislative session. Lists published by the information systems division of the Texas Legislative Council can serve as subject and author indexes to aid research. (See Computerized Information Services.) Copies of bills and resolutions introduced from the first Congress of the Texas republic in 1836 through 1972 may be found in the archives (1st floor of the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building). A limited subject file is available for bills introduced before Page 12 the 62nd Legislature, but primary access is by bill number and legislative session. Material is not available to be checked out from the archives, but copies can be made by the public at a cost of 10 cents per page. Copies are available to state agencies and members of the legislature free of charge. Legislative information. During a regular session, the status of introduced bills is available through two computer terminals in the Legislative Reference Library. Indexes of all bills introduced in either house are compiled by bill number, author, and subject. Viewing time on the terminals during the session is limited to 15 minutes. Complete copies of bills may be obtained from one of the document distribution offices. The terminals will also display information concerning legislative committees. (See Computerized Information Services.) Index to statutory sections affected. During a legislative session, weekly reports are prepared by the Legislative Reference Library listing sections in Texas' civil statutes and codes that introduced bills would add, amend, or repeal. After final adjournment, a compilation for the session is prepared. Telephone information service. While the legislature is in session, the Legislative Reference Library provides, by telephone, bill status and history data, information concerning measures introduced by members, and committee schedules and activities. A toll-free number (1-800- 253-9693) is in operation from January 1st through the end of June and may be available during special sessions to provide citizens with the status of specified bills or subject areas, information concerning bills introduced by specified members, and information concerning Committee actions. Library staff operators have access to computer terminals programmed to display: (1) all bills and resolutions introduced, indexed by author, subject, and number; (2) all legislative actions taken on the measures; and (3) committee members and activities. The library staff updates the information throughout the days the legislature and committees are meeting. Clipping service and files. The Legislative Reference Library compiles newspaper clippings relating to legislative duties and official actions of current members of the Texas Legislature, state political events, and any other issues that might beof interest to legislators and legislative staffs.The clippings are reproduced and distributed to members daily. The clippings are available on computer terminals in the library and can be accessed by subject, date, newspaper, or columnist. Twenty-six Texas newspapers with a minimum total subscription of 40,000, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal are regularly clipped for articles of interest. The Friday edition of the clipping service contains a section entitled "Recent Articles of Interest." The articles listed are not included in the clipping service but are available in the reference library. The library staff also maintains an index by subject of these articles. Computerized Information Services The information systems division of the Texas Legislative Council was established to provide the legislature with sophisticated computer support. It provides systems to streamline and expedite: (1) drafting, printing, processing, and distribution of legislative documents; (2) reporting of the status and history of legislative documents; (3) statutory revision; and (4) other routine work involving the legislative process and legislative support agencies. Page 13 The division also provides a system that enables legislators, state agencies, and citizens to monitor the status of pending legislation and other facts related to the legislative process. In carrying out this responsibility, the division staff maintains computer files on the status and history of legislation throughout all regular and special sessions and periodically issues publications compiling the information. Computer files of legislative activity have been maintained since 1973. Legislative information. During legislative sessions, the most current information concerning legislation and legislative schedules, gubernatorial, legislative, and other types of appointments, and member information is available through computer terminals in the Legislative Reference Library. Additional terminals are also available to legislators and their staffs in the Capitol and in nearby office buildings. Information on legislative activity is updated by Legislative Reference Library staff immediately on notification. The Legislative Information System (LIS) provides information and text for bills introduced in the three most current legislatures and their called sessions. The system enables the computer user to: 1. view and print the complete text of official versions of a bill and a synopsis of its legislative history; 2. view and print bill analyses and fiscal notes for selected versions of a bill beginning with the 74th Regular Session; 3. search for bills meeting selected criteria; 4. view and print information on standing committees, their membership, and the bills assigned for their consideration; and 5. view and print daily calendars of the house, the senate, and their committees during a session. The Texas Appointments System (TAS) enables the computer user to view and print information regarding appointments made by the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house, and others having the authority to appoint members to a legislative entity, a governor's task force, or a state agency, board, or commission. The Find Your Incumbent System (FYI) allows viewers to obtain information about elected officials and the districts they represent. Information is provided on members of the Texas Senate, the Texas House of Representatives, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the State Board of Education. Printouts of legislative activity. From the information available in LIS, the information systems division prints weekly updates of legislative activity. These weekly updates of legislation are available from the house document distribution office upon request and are arranged by bill number, by author, and by subject. Additional lists available after the session include a list of bills passed by the legislature, arranged by author, by number, and by subject,and a complete bill history report that lists activity on every billand resolution. Each of the lists is available for use in the Legislative Reference Library, and copies of single pages or complete reports can be obtained from the house document distribution office. Page 14 The list of bills by author includes all bills and resolutions introduced by each member of the legislature, arranged alphabetically. The list includes each bill number, an indication of the last major action taken on the bill, the date of that action, legislative council drafter initials, and a short caption describing the bill. Also listed under a member's name are the measures from the other house that the member is sponsoring. The list of bills by bill number is divided into separate numerical lists of bills, concurrent resolutions, joint resolutions, and simple resolutions. Information includes the author, legislative council drafter initials, the date and an indication of last action, and a short description. The list of bills by subject categorizes all bills and resolutions by subject. If an especially large number of bills and resolutions fall under a given subject heading, the subject is subdivided; for example, education includes subheadings for bilingual education, higher education, school districts, and junior college districts, among others. Information for each bill includes bill number and author, legislative council drafter initials, date and indication of last action, and a short description. The lists of bills passed by the legislature include bills, simple resolutions, concurrent resolutions, and joint resolutions. The lists are available arranged by bill number, by author, and by subject. Information on each measure includes the author, the effective date or date of veto, and a short description. The bill history report, published after the session, is a compilation of bill history information for every measure introduced during the session. The bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, and simple resolutions are in separate numerical lists, and the following information is provided: (1) authors; (2) sponsors; (3) a short description of the measure's purpose; (4) house and senate committees to which referred; (S) legislative council draft number; (6) companion document number; (7) notation of each action taken by the legislature and the date of the action; and (8) page number of daily house and senate journals on which an action is recorded. Like the other lists,the bill history report is available in the Legislative ReferenceLibrary. The library also has a file of the reports beginning with the 63rd Legislature (1973). Demographic and Redistricting Information Services The research division of the Texas Legislative Council provides the legislature with technical support for congressional, legislative, and other redistricting efforts. It provides computer assistance to draw and analyze redistricting plans, draft redistricting bills and amendments, and produce a variety of informational maps,as well as staff assistance to identify districts from street addresses. Using census data, voting precinct boundaries, and data obtained from other state agencies, the staff also researches demographic issues and provides maps and reports comparing data by legislative, congressional, state board of education, school, judicial, and other districts. In addition, the staff provides maps and reports of data by zip code. Major databases maintained by the staff include population and housing characteristics from the census, such as income, education, occupation, and citizenship, and election returns and voting precinct data, including votes cast and voter registration by precinct. Page 15 CHAPTER 2 SECONDARY SOURCES OF LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION House Research Organization Reports The House Research Organization (HRO) is an administratively independent department of the Texas House of Representatives. It is governed by a 15-member steering committee elected from the house members. The HRO publishes background reports examining issues of legislative interest. During a legislative session, the HRO publishes the Daily Floor Report, which includes analyses of the major bills scheduled for house floor debate each day. The analyses include a digest of each bill, background information, and arguments favoring and opposing the proposed legislation. The HRO also publishes the following postsession Special Legislative Reports: Vetoes of Legislation provides a digest of each vetoed measure, a summary of the governor's stated reasons for each veto, and a comment from the principal author or sponsor of the vetoed measure. Constitutional Amendments provides background information, a digest, and a synopsis of major arguments for and against each proposed amendment. Major Issues of the Legislature provides a summary of many of the major issues of the regular session.It includes legislation that failed to pass,along with bills and proposed constitutional amendments that were approved. Reports are provided by the HRO at no charge to all house members and staff, the Legislative Reference Library, the state library system, and public and university libraries. Individual reports can be obtained at no charge by state agencies and officials and nonprofit organizations. Senate members, the Capitol press corps, and profit-making organizations pay a subscription fee to receive research organization publications. The HRO staff office is located in room E2.180 of the Capitol Extension. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 2910, Austin, Texas 78768-2910, and the telephone number is (512) 463-0752. Senate Research Center Reports The Senate Research Center is a division of the Texas Senate organized under the secretary of the senate. The office was developed to provide research, to report on issues of legislative interest, and to prepare bill analyses for all senate offices and the office of the lieutenant governor. The center conducts research at the request of a senator or the lieutenant governor and analyzes bills filed in the senate and the house for each regular and special session. Bill analyses are routinely prepared for each stage of a senate bill, including the enrolled version, and for some house bills, as requested by legislative offices. At the beginning of each regular session, the office publishes the Interim Digest, which examines the reports issued by interim study committees as well as significant legislation passed during any special sessions. Page 16 The office also produces, at the end of each regular session, a Summary of Significant Legislation passed by that legislature. Copies of bill analyses are available to legislative offices free of charge and to others at 15 cents per page. Bill analyses prepared for selected versions of a bill may also be viewed by accessing the Legislative Information System (LIS) through computer terminals in the member's offices and in the Legislative Reference Library. The Interim Digest and the Summary of Significant Legislation, as well as other reports, are available for $10. The office is located in suite 820 of the Sam Houston State Office Building. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 12068, Austin, Texas 78711-2068, and the telephone number is (512) 463-0087. Other Agency Reports Summary of Enactments. The Texas Legislative Council publishes the Summary of Enactments following each regular session. The summary provides a brief synopsis of all bills enacted during the session and all joint resolutions proposing amendments to the Texas Constitution that were passed by the legislature. Copies are available from the house document distribution office in the John H. Reagan Building. Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments. In the months preceding an election with proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot, the Texas Legislative Council prepares analyses of the measures to be considered. Included in the booklet are the texts of the resolutions proposing amendments, the background for each one, and arguments for and against passage of each measure. The booklet is available at no charge through the house document distribution office. Fiscal Size Up. The Legislative Budget Office publishes a report titled Fiscal Size Up after a regular session. It provides an analysis of the General Appropriations Act, including a summary of the budget for the biennium, and other special appropriations. The book also compares pertinent fiscal data for Texas with that of other selected states. Copies are available at no charge from the Legislative Budget Office (3rd floor of the John H. Reagan Building). Page 17 CHAPTER 3 TYPES OF LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION Forms of Legislative Action Bills. A bill is the most common form of legislation and is used to change existing Texas statutes or to propose new law. For enactment into law, a bill must be passed by both the house of representatives and the senate and then not be vetoed by the governor. Joint resolutions. A joint resolution requires the approval of both the house of representatives and the senate and is used only for matters relating to amendment of the Texas Constitution and the United States Constitution. Concurrent resolutions. A concurrent resolution is the formal expression of the opinion or will of the legislature. Concurrent resolutions fall into three general categories: (1) resolutions that have the force of law, such as those granting permission to sue the state or authorizing an appropriation that exceeds the constitutional spending limit; (2) resolutions that relate to legislative procedures, such as those authorizing the creation of special joint committees by the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house of representatives or inviting an individual to address a joint session of the legislature; and (3) resolutions that are not binding, such as those requesting information or action by a state agency or calling for action by the United States Congress. Simple resolutions. A simple resolution expresses the opinion or will of one house and does not require passage by the other chamber or submission to the governor. Simple resolutions are used for adopting rules of procedure, establishing general administrative and financial policies for the chamber, and expressing congratulations or condolences. Printing Stages of Legislative Documents Committee reports. A committee report expresses the recommendations of a committee regarding the passage of a piece of legislation. A report may be favorable or unfavorable or, in the house of representatives, may state that the committee is unable to recommend a course of action. The report includes the record vote by which the report was adopted. A committee report may include recommended amendments or present a complete substitute of the original bill or resolution. (See Aids to Understanding Legislative Measures for information about attachments to committee reports.) Engrossed bills or resolutions. An engrossed version of a measure is the version that has been passed by the house of origin, incorporating any amendments. It is prepared for submission to the other chamber for consideration. Conference committee reports. A conference committee report is the joint recommendation of members of each chamber appointed by each presiding officer to reconcile differences in house and senate versions of a bill or resolution. The report must include an analysis indicating how differences have been resolved by the conferees. Page 18 Enrolled bills and resolutions. An enrolled version of a measure is the version that has passed both houses, incorporating all amendments or conference committee changes approved by both houses. It is prepared for the signature of the presiding officer of each house and is submitted to the governor for approval. Aids to Understanding Legislative Measures Bill analyses. House committee reports, except for the general appropriations bill, are required to "include in summary form a detailed analysis of the subject matter of the bill or resolution" that specifically provides: 1. background information on the proposal; 2. a statement setting forth the purpose of the proposed legislation; 3. an analysis of the content of the measure; 4. a statement describing the scope of and reasons for any rulemaking authority that is delegated; 5. a statement of substantial differences between a complete committee substitute and the original measure; and 6. a summary of the committee hearing on the bill or resolution, including a list of those persons who testified for, against, or on the measure. The Senate Research Center provides bill analyses composed of four parts: 1. relevant background information supplied by legislators, committee staffs, or other appropriate sources; 2. a statement setting forth the purpose of the proposed legislation; 3. a statement describing whether rulemaking authority is granted to any state agency; and 4. a section-by-section analysis, providing a synopsis of each section of the bill. Fiscal notes. A fiscal note, prepared by the Legislative Budget Board, is required by the senate and the house for: (1) any bill or joint resolution, except the general appropriations bill, that requires the expenditure or diversion of state funds for any purpose; and (2) any measure that has statewide impact on units of local government of the same type or class and that requires the expenditure of local funds, proposes any new local tax, fee, license charge, or penalty, or changes any local tax, fee, license charge, or penalty. It must outline the fiscal implications and probable cost of the measure each year for the first five years after passage, including a statement about continuing costs after five years, and it must provide an estimate of the number of additional employees required to implement the proposal. Fiscal notes are requested by committee chairmen before a committee hearing on a measure, and fiscal notes, original and updated, remain with a measure throughout the legislative process. Author's statements. The house rules require an author's statement for any bill or joint resolution that would affect units of local government and that mandates the expenditure or Page 19 diversion of local funds or mandates any new local tax, fee, license charge, or penalty. The statement, required before a committee hearing on a measure, is the author's best estimate of the fiscal implications and probable cost of the measure each year for the first five years after passage and includes a statement as to whether there will be continuing costs. An author's statement becomes part of the house committee report and remains with a bill or resolution throughout the legislative process. Senate rules do not require author's statements. Actuarial impact statements. An actuarial impact statement, prepared by the State Pension Review Board, is required by the senate and the house for any bill or joint resolution that proposes to change benefits, participation in benefits, or financial obligations of a public retirement system. The impact statement must: (1) summarize the actuarial analysis prepared for the bill or resolution; (2) identify and comment on the reasonableness of each actuarial assumption used in the actuarial analysis; and (3) show the economic effect of the bill or resolution on the public retirement system, including a projection of the actuarial cost or liability imposed on the system, the effect on the amortization schedule for liabilities of the system, and the estimated dollar change in the unfunded liability of the system. Impact statements are requested by the chair of the committee to which the bill or resolution has been referred and must be attached to the measure before a committee hearing can be conducted. If the measure is amended by the committee so as to alter its economic implications, the chair shall request an updated impact statement. All impact statements, timely received, shall remain with the bill or resolution throughout the entire legislative process. Conference committee report analyses. The senate and the house require that a conference committee report include an analysis of how the reported measure differs from the senate- and house-passed versions. The analyses of appropriations bills show in dollar amounts the differences between the conference committee report and the house and senate versions. Criminal justice policy and equalized education funding impact statements. A criminal justice policy impact statement is required for any bill or resolution that authorizes or requires a change in the sanctions applicable to adults convicted of felony crimes. The Legislative Budget Board prepares the criminal justice policy impact statement, which must include an estimate of the impact of proposed policy changes on the programs and workloads of state corrections agencies and on the demand for resources and services of those agencies. An equalized education funding impact statement is required for a bill or resolution that affects public education. Such statements, which also are prepared by the Legislative Budget Board, evaluate the effect of the measure on all state equalized funding requirements and policies. Impact statements are requested by the chair of the committee to which a measure has been referred and must be attached to the measure before a committee hearing can be conducted. If the measure is amended by the committee so as to alter its policy implications, the chair obtains an updated impact statement and all impact statements remain with the bill or resolution throughout the entire legislative process. =============End of upload from Gil Gilleland ============= =========10 Jan 95 --- ifab763@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu========