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Last week, I mentioned that committees of the House of Representatives were assigned their interim charges. Interim charges are the issues that the Speaker of the House asks committees to study during the time between regular legislative sessions in order to make recommendations for legislation. The Lieutenant Governor assigns interim charges in the Senate. During the next several weeks, I will go over the interim charges for some of the committees.
The House Committee on Economic Development was given a hefty but important load of issues to study. The committee's charges include:
• Evaluate job training programs offered by the state and whether the state's efforts have been negatively impacted by the loss of the Smart Jobs program. Study the role of career and technology job training programs and their effectiveness in adult education programs, job retraining programs, post-secondary education and high school programs. Recommend legislative changes to enhance job training programs or provide incentives for business recruitment and retention.
• Review the state's role in tourism and the effects of moving tourism functions to the Governor's office. Examine how the state can assist rural communities in the promotion of tourism.
• Actively monitor the status of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. Review the impact of legislative changes on funding of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund.
• Study how businesses currently view the Texas Workers' Compensation System and whether it deters business growth or expansion into Texas. Study any reforms that could be used as an incentive for economic development, business recruitment or business retention.
• Evaluate the state's role in serving economic development interests in rural Texas after the passage of economic development legislation during the 78th Legislature.
The House Committee on Government Reform, which was created this year and focuses its efforts on eliminating inefficiencies in the provision of state services, has been issued interim charges including the following:
• Study the duplication of services across state agencies, including a study of statutory authority, and evaluation of possible cost savings associated with combining small agencies by function or type. Also consider the costs, risks and benefits of co-locating and sharing of services of small agencies.
• Study and evaluate the efficiency of hiring practices by state agencies. Include a review of agency rulemaking and policies in regards to human resources, as well as the procedures for termination of employment.. Compare agency procedures with statutory requirements and evaluate the costs and efficacy of additional procedures that agencies impose above statutory requirements.
You can view a complete list of the charges for these and all other committees at www.house.state.tx.us.
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