** REVISION **
SENATE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

 

COMMITTEE:    Intergovernmental Relations 

TIME & DATE:  9:30 AM, Wednesday, December 02, 2015 

PLACE:        E1.012 (Hearing Room) 
CHAIR:        Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. 

 

 

The Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations will hold an organizational hearing and will have a preliminary overview of the following charges:

 

Charge 2: Examine the processes used by home rule municipalities to adopt ordinances, rules, and regulations, including those initiated by petition and voter referendum. Determine if additional statutory safeguards are necessary to ensure that ballot language accurately describes proposed initiatives. Identify ways to improve transparency and make recommendations, if needed, to ensure that local propositions and the means by which they are put forth to voters, conform with existing state law.

 

Charge 3:  Review natural disaster preparedness planning and coordination in the wake of a growing range of threats. Evaluate whether existing processes maximize regional cooperation to rebuild housing and infrastructure, and allow for the timely dissemination of funds to units of local governments for reconstruction following a federal declaration. Develop recommendations, if necessary, to improve the efficiency of disaster recovery efforts, incorporating best practices identified from other states, as well as lessons-learned from past reconstruction efforts in Texas.

 

Charge 6: Examine ways to improve government accountability in elections regarding the issuance of public debt. Include a review of the information that is currently provided to individuals in the voting booth and provide statutory recommendations, if necessary, to improve transparency.

 

The hearing will include invited testimony only.

 

 

 

** See Committee Coordinator for previous versions of the schedule **