Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
NOTE: This is archived committee information from the 83rd Legislative Session.
Committee Information
CHAIR
Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
VICE-CHAIR
Robert Nichols
MEMBERS
Sylvia R. Garcia
Larry Taylor
CLERK:
JD Pedraza
TEL:
(512) 463-2527
LOCATION:
Sam Houston Building, 475
Video/Audio — Archives
83rd Session Interim
- April 17, 2014 — Road Meeting: Houston (audio only).
83rd Regular Session
- May 21, 2013 — Audio only.
- May 17, 2013 — Audio only.
- May 16, 2013
- May 15, 2013
- May 13, 2013
- May 8, 2013
- May 1, 2013
- April 25, 2013 — Audio only.
- April 24, 2013
- April 17, 2013
- April 10, 2013
- April 3, 2013 — (Audio begins at 00:00:13)
- March 27, 2013 — (Audio begins at 00:00:18)
- March 20, 2013
- March 13, 2013
- February 27, 2013
- February 13, 2013
- February 6, 2013
Written Testimony Submissions and Handouts
October 23, 2014 — Capitol Extension, Room E1.028
Submitted Handouts
April 17, 2014 — Houston, Texas
Interim Charges
- Study and make recommendations to increase transparency in the authorization, issuance, and appropriation of debt at the local level. Make recommendations that will increase citizen awareness and understanding of a local government's fiscal state. Analyze reforms such as requiring local governments to move bond elections to a uniform date coinciding with state general elections, and requiring local governments to publicly post their annual budgets, annual financial reports, and check registers online. Survey other states' initiatives to increase transparency in the process of local governments incurring new debt obligations.
- Examine the immediate and long-term fiscal impact that bonds and other types of obligations issued by local governments have on current and future generations of taxpayers. Specifically analyze whether local governments should be required to use ballot language that includes their current outstanding debt, existing per capita debt, current debt service, and any increase the ballot measure would have on property taxes. Make recommendations on additional ballot language that will better inform voters of their local governments' current and future fiscal states.
- Study the structure of county government and report on ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of county government operations.
