Senate Committee on State Affairs
NOTE: This is archived committee information from the 84th Legislative Session.
Committee Information
CHAIR
Joan Huffman
VICE-CHAIR
Rodney Ellis
MEMBERS
Brian Birdwell
Brandon Creighton
Craig Estes
Troy Fraser
Jane Nelson
Charles Schwertner
Judith Zaffirini
CLERK:
Amy Befeld
TEL:
(512) 463-0380
LOCATION:
Sam Houston Building, 380
Video/Audio — Archives
84th Session Interim
84th Regular Session
- May 25, 2015 (Part II) — Audio only.
- May 25, 2015 (Part I)
- May 22, 2015 (Part II)
- May 22, 2015 (Part I)
- May 21, 2015 (Part II) — Audio only.
- May 21, 2015 (Part I)
- May 18, 2015 (Part II)
- May 18, 2015 (Part I)
- May 14, 2015 (Part II) — Audio only.
- May 14, 2015 (Part I) — Note: Audio begins at the 01m:14s mark.
- May 11, 2015
- May 7, 2015
- May 4, 2015 (Part II)
- May 4, 2015 (Part I)
- April 30, 2015 (Part II)
- April 30, 2015 (Part I)
- April 27, 2015 — NOTE: The committee stood at ease from 01h:36m:38s until 04h:31m:36s.
- April 23, 2015
- April 20, 2015 (Part II)
- April 20, 2015 (Part I)
Reports
The following reports are available for download:
- Senate Committee on State Affairs Interim Report to the 85th Legislature (9.40 MB, PDF format)
Interim Charges
- Examine measures to affirm 1st Amendment religious liberty protections in Texas, along with the relationship between local ordinances and state and federal law. Make recommendations to ensure that the government does not force individuals, organizations or businesses to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.
- Examine the practice of using public funds and employees for the payment processing of union dues. Make recommendations on whether Texas should end this practice.
- Examine whether there are chief law enforcement officers within the state who deny NFA applications without any cause. Examine the application and certification process and recommend ways to eliminate no-cause denials.
- Examine the need to adjust Texas judicial salaries to attract, maintain, and support a qualified judiciary capable of meeting the current and future needs of Texas and its citizens. Study and recommend whether Texas should delink legislators' standard service retirement annuities from district judge salaries. Examine the effect of eliminating straight-party voting for candidates for judicial office and make recommendations to ensure candidates are given individual consideration by voters.
- Gather and review data on the compensation provided to private property owners for property purchased or taken by entities with eminent domain authority. Examine the variance, if any, between the offers and the fair market values of properties taken through eminent domain. Make recommendations to ensure property owners are fairly compensated.
- Review current ethics laws governing public officials and employees and recommend changes necessary to inspire the public’s confidence in a transparent and ethically principled government. Review public officials’ reporting requirements to the Texas Ethics Commission. Examine the categorization of ethics reporting violations and make recommendations to encourage accurate reporting and timely correction to inadvertent clerical errors.
- Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on State Affairs during the 84th Legislature, Regular Session and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, monitor the following:
- Implementation of open and campus carry legislation and determine if the current laws regulating the places that handguns can be carried are easily understood or if clarification is needed to ensure the average citizen understands when, where, and under what circumstances it is lawful to carry a weapon, versus when it is a criminal offense for which there may be a defense;
- Requirements for guardianships;
- The electronic voting program for certain military members serving overseas;
- Changes made to the Employment Retirement System regarding member contributions and proposed reforms to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas;
- The establishment of a public integrity unit under the authority of Texas Rangers.
