Below is a list of upcoming or recently held interim Texas legislative hearings TEXPERS' System Members and others interested in managing public employee pensions in the state might be interested in following. The topics either directly or indirectly impact pension management or governance issues.
The dates of House and Senate hearings are subject to change, and more hearings may be scheduled. The standing committee hearings, live and archived, can be listened to at the following links:
House Business & Industry - 10 a.m. CT on May 25, 2022
The Committee will meet to hear invited and public testimony over the following interim charges:
- Monitor the implementation of Senate Bill 22 relating to certain claims for benefits, compensation, or assistance by certain public safety employees and survivors of certain public safety employees
- Study workers' compensation claims involving public safety employees described by SB 22. This study should include an analysis of medical costs, return-to-work outcomes, utilization of care, satisfaction with care, and health-related functional outcomes.
House Environmental Regulation - 10 a.m. CT on May 25, 2022
The Committee will meet to hear invited and public testimony over the following interim charges:
- Evaluate the allocation of Texas Emissions Reduction Plan funds for effective air pollution reduction programs
- Review the recent passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law No. 117-58), specifically funds that may bolster efforts to clean up polluted sites and plug wells, and how federal funds can be used to complement state efforts on well plugging and pollution clean-up
- Monitor newly adopted and proposed federal regulations that could directly impact economic development, manufacturing, and industrial activities that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee
Senate Business & Commerce - 9 a.m. on May 18, 2022
The Committee heard public testimony on the following interim charges:
- Supply Chain: Examine the causes and impacts of recent supply chain disruptions on the Texas economy and individual industries. Study the factors that weaken links in the supply chain and the extent the pandemic has exposed those vulnerabilities
- Cybersecurity: Review current state and federal laws regarding cybersecurity protections and requirements for local governments, state agencies, and critical industries of our state. Make recommendations for legislation to improve resilience and protection against cybersecurity attacks and ensure the privacy protection of the citizens of Texas
- State Workforce: Study where state employees are located and the benefits and drawbacks of remote working. Evaluate the impact of the potential growth of remote work and proximity of employees to their place of employment on traffic studies over the next 10years. Study and make recommendations for establishing uniform statewide standards for remote work
Senate Finance - 10 a.m. CT on May 23, 2022
The Committee heard invited and public testimony on the following interim charges:
- Property Tax Relief: Examine and recommend ways to reduce Texans' property tax burden. Review and report on proposals to use or dedicate state revenues in excess of the state spending limit to eliminate the school district maintenance and operations property tax
- Tax Exemptions: Examine Texans' current tax exemptions and report on whether adjustments are merited because of inflation or any other factors
Senate State Affairs - 1 p.m. CT on May 25, 2022
The Committee will meet to hear invited and public testimony on the following interim charges:
- Human Trafficking: Examine opportunities and make recommendations to reduce the profitability of and demand for human trafficking in Texas. Determine ways to increase public awareness of the proliferation of human trafficking, as well as resources for victims and survivors. Monitor the implementation of House Bill 1540 (87th Legislature) and examine changes in arrest rates, judicial dispositions, and sentencing amongst offenders due to provisions of the legislation. Examine opportunities for attorneys to combat human trafficking in their local communities, including use of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, to generate revenue for local law enforcement officials combating human trafficking.
- Investment Practices: Study the investment practices of financial services firms and how those practices affect the state's public pensions. Make recommendations to ensure the state's public pension funds are not being invested to further political or social causes.
- Privacy and Transparency: Review the current state laws that protect and secure individuals' biometric identifiers. Explore ways to protect against the use of biometric identifiers for unintended purposes without an individual's consent and make recommendations to the Senate. Study websites that closely resemble government websites or fraudulently represent companies that they are not, including websites that use names of state agencies or licenses. Make recommendations to ensure that Texans are not mislead, taken advantage, or defrauded, especially when they try to seek assistance from a state website.