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Even though this interim is much shorter than others (due to four special sessions), the leaders of both chambers issued charges on topics to be studied during the interim—and they didn’t shorten the list due to having less time for such studies. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick issued interim charges for Senate Committees this week, while Speaker Dade Phelan delivered charges for House committees last month.

We’ve pulled together a side-by-side list comparing the topics to be studied in each respective chamber, and to help you keep track of what’s what for all the various topics and charges related to public education in some way. You can download a PDF of this document, or you can access the shared sheet, which we will be updating with hearing dates for each topic as those become available.

You might wonder just how important these interim charges actually are. They serve the purpose of guiding the topics lawmakers study and learn more about during the interim. But how many of them actually become law? Of the 19 topics we were tracking last interim, seven of them had bills pass to change laws in some way—but at least two of those involved bills that created commissions to study the topic further. You can check out the full list tracking the outcomes of the 86th interim charges here.

It’s a good idea to pay attention to the topics deemed important enough to study, and to communicate with your local legislators if there are topics that are particularly important to your school district or ideas you may have for how things could be improved. Whether they are part of bills that become law or not, the subject matters identified by the leaders of both chambers in these charges are likely to be topics of discussion for the 88th Texas Legislature when they convene in January 2023.

We will keep you updated on interim activities and studies as they develop.

If you are looking for more knowledge on topic of elections, we've got you covered! We're hosting a member update on Wednesday, May 4, at 2:00 p.m. focused on the topic of elections--bond elections and VATR elections. So if you are planning an election for November, contemplating an election for November, or just want to learn more in case you ever need to know about such elections one day, then this update is for you. We'll give you an overview, talk about things you need to be thinking about, and cover legal do's and don'ts. Click on the button below to register.

Here is latest information on the legislative committees, commissions and a task force that we are tracking.

The House Ways & Means Committee will conduct an interim hearing on Thursday, April 21, at 10 a.m. to consider interim charges pertaining to taxpayer suits, the sale of cigarettes/tobacco, methods of providing additional property tax relief from $3 billion in federal funds available for this purpose, and local sales tax sourcing.

This Commission conducted their second hearing last week, and they will meet again on Wednesday, April 27.

The Task Force will meet again on June 2. Their website has been updated to include resources on this topic.

This group conducted their first meeting on March 17, at which they heard an overview of special education in Texas, special education finance, and federal funding for special education. Their next meeting date has not been announced.

We hope you can make plans to join us for our Legislative Planning Workshop coming up June 8-9 in Dallas. We will begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 8, break late in the afternoon and then reconvene the following morning and conclude by 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 9. We'll assess the current state of affairs, make some projections about what to expect, and work to make plans and establish priorities. We hope you will make plans to join us!

A block of rooms are available at a discounted group rate at the DoubleTree for those who would like to make a room reservation. Also, click on the button below to register and let us know will be there!