Welcome to the latest edition of Texas Legislative News for the 89th Texas Legislature. In this regular TCDD feature, we provide information on disability-related issues and bills under consideration at the State Capitol. We also explain how lawmakers conduct business, and we share details on upcoming TCDD events.
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Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Texas Senate, recently released their lists of interim charges. The lists provide frameworks for what House and Senate committees will work on for the rest of the year leading up to the start of the 90th Texas Legislature in January 2027.
In this special edition of Texas Legislative News, learn more about what interim charges are, what charges are on the lists, and what disability advocates can do now that charges have been issued.
What Are Interim Charges?
The Texas Legislature meets in regular session for 140 days every two years. At the Capitol, the “interim” is the time frame between each regular session. Lawmakers typically spend the interim overseeing state agencies, reviewing how new laws are implemented, and investigating new areas of concern. These tasks are largely guided by what are called “interim charges.”
An interim charge is “a directive to study a certain issue during the interim that is issued by the Lieutenant Governor to a senate committee or by the Speaker of the House to a House committee,” according to the Texas Legislative Council. Lawmakers, advocates, and others interested in the Legislature’s work commonly submit interim charge recommendations hoping to influence each chamber’s batch of directives. TCDD has provided recommendations in recent years, and some have been included on final interim charge lists.
Once interim charges have been distributed, House and Senate committees meet, take input, study the assigned topics, and produce a report based on their findings. This report may lead to new legislation for lawmakers to consider in the next regular session.
What Charges Have Been Announced?
Here is a sample of disability-related interim charges assigned to committees in the Texas House and Senate. The language in these charges is quoted word for word from the official interim charge documents issued by the House and Senate. You can review the complete interim charge lists in the House Interim Committee Charges (PDF, 53 pages, 510 KB) and in the Senate Interim Legislative Charges (PDF, 19 pages, 283 KB).
House Human Services Committee
- Provision of Services for Texans With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Evaluate the availability of services for Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including service coordination, Home and Community-Based Services, and the functionality of the waiver interest list. Ensure vulnerable Texans are protected by the current regulatory landscape and make recommendations for improvements.
House Intergovernmental Affairs Committee
- Mental Health Impacts, Homelessness, and System Recidivism: Study and evaluate the relationship between mental health conditions, homelessness, and the criminal justice system. Examine the availability of specialized high-acuity beds for the homeless, specifically for those with severe mental illness, addiction, and complex medical conditions. Make recommendations regarding pre-arrest diversion, alternatives to inpatient hospitalization, and best practices for sharing data to reduce recidivism.
House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee
- Court-Ordered Mental Health Services: Review the process, criteria, duration, outcome, and necessity of court-ordered mental health services for families and children, including reunification therapies. Evaluate the availability and appointment of such providers. Analyze the effectiveness of these services and the financial burden they can impose. Determine if these mandated services and providers infringe on parental rights.
House Public Education Committee
- Investment in Special Education: Examine state policies impacting students with special needs and special populations, including the implementation of recent legislation and the impact of increases in state funding. Review trends in special education enrollment over the past several years and evaluate factors contributing to those increases. Identify opportunities and make recommendations regarding ways to improve efficiencies for special education teachers, increase access to Pre-K, improve supports for students with low-incidence disabilities, and strengthen planning for the workforce and adulthood.
Senate Education Committee
- Celebrating the Successful Rollout of School Choice: Monitor the nation’s largest school choice launch in history and the ongoing implementation of Senate Bill 2, 89th Legislature, including: record-breaking demand with over 250,000 applications and enrollment by families giving greater flexibility to choose the best education for their child. Provide recommendations on how the Legislature can enhance and expand upon Texas’ historic and successful school choice program for families.
Senate Finance Committee
- Evaluating Transportation Resources: Study current transportation funding from all sources and the long-term needs of Texas drivers. Assess the implementation of funding appropriated by the 89th Legislature and make recommendations to ensure the effective and efficient use of transportation funding.
Senate Health and Human Services Committee
- Strengthening Crisis-Related Mental Health and Homelessness Services: Determine the state’s authority and procedures for providing public mental health services and the intersection of those services with homelessness and addiction. Evaluate the effectiveness, consistency, and outcomes of competency restoration for criminally charged individuals awaiting trial, as well as processes for civil in-patient and out-patient commitments. Make recommendations to prioritize the most acute populations for treatment in order to reduce public safety threats.
What Should Advocates Do Now?
First, review the full set of interim charges from the House and Senate and determine if there are any charges of interest. If so, consider reaching out to lawmakers and providing feedback on the topic, especially if your representative is on the committee looking into that issue. You can also consider providing testimony on the matter to a committee at a public hearing.
Here are some additional things you can do:
- Find out who represents you in the House and Senate by going to the Who Represents Me page on the Texas Capitol website.
- Learn which lawmakers serve on which committees by reviewing committee membership lists for the House and Senate.
- Sign up to receive alerts from Texas Legislature Online to know when committee hearings are scheduled.
- Check out TCDD’s Legislative Advocacy Resources for tools and tips on contacting legislators, providing testimony, and more.
Stay Informed
Stay up to date on how lawmakers address disability issues by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X. You can also visit our Policy section to learn more about our public policy engagement and find resources to support your own legislative advocacy.
