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89(R) HR 1513 - Enrolled version - Bill Text
H.R. No. 1513
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, For 75 years, the Texas Legislative Council has
provided professional, nonpartisan support to the Texas
Legislature and legislative agencies; and
WHEREAS, The council was created by the 51st Legislature in
1949 as part of a growing national movement to establish
independent fact-finding and advisory agencies to aid the work of
state legislatures; the council's governing body--initially led by
the acting president of the Texas Senate and the speaker of the
House--held its first organizational meeting on October 19 of that
year; inaugural executive director John D. Moseley soon took charge
of the agency's operations, and council staff members began their
duties in the spring of 1950; and
WHEREAS, In its early years, the agency completed a number of
major research projects, including surveys of higher education and
taxation in Texas and an inventory of water problems; it also
analyzed proposed legislation and processed hundreds of requests
for memoranda, bill drafts, and other materials; the drafting of
legislation became a more prominent focus beginning with the 56th
Regular Session in 1959, as the council adopted the bill-drafting
function that had primarily been handled by the Office of the
Attorney General in the years prior; today, the drafting of bills
and related legislative documents remains an essential
responsibility for the agency and is ably managed by the attorneys
and support staff of the TLC legal division; in addition, the
division oversees the permanent statutory revision program that
eliminates invalid, duplicative, and otherwise ineffective
provisions, an initiative that began in 1963; and
WHEREAS, The council's oversight of the computer technology
used by the Texas Legislature dates back more than a half century;
the digital era dawned in the interim between the 62nd Regular
Session in 1971 and the 63rd in 1973; TLC staff readied a room at the
State Capitol to house mainframe equipment and began the formidable
task of applying computerization to the legislative process; the
revolutionary developments in information technology in the
decades since have made this component of the TLC mission
increasingly important, and the information systems division is now
the agency's largest; its responsibilities include the maintenance
of network infrastructure, the development of applications, and the
provision of equipment, software, training, and technical
assistance to the legislative community; and
WHEREAS, Legislative research was one of the first tasks
undertaken by the council, and by the early 1970s, the agency had
established a dedicated research division to oversee this
multifaceted area; its staff provide policy research and bill
analysis services, perform statistical and demographic research,
produce resolutions, publications, and mapping materials, and
maintain a number of websites; moreover, the division supports the
legislature's redistricting responsibilities and works extensively
with the RedAppl district modeling computer system; this innovative
resource was developed by council computer programmers with input
from the agency's legal and redistricting specialists and was
launched in its initial form in 1990; and
WHEREAS, The processing and delivery of the wide variety of
print and electronic materials prepared by the council are managed
by the document production division; the council's print shop
operations date back many decades, and the agency assumed the
document processing responsibilities for the Texas House in advance
of the 65th Legislature in 1977; by the early 1980s, the document
production division had been established, and today its employees
produce thousands of drafts, House official printings, and other
documents and publications; in addition to the print shop, the
division encompasses the data transcription, proofreading, and
document processing personnel that facilitate this essential
aspect of the agency's work; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of the council's history, staff have
operated out of offices in a number of different Capitol Complex
locations, and from the 1950s through 1990s, they often resided in
the Texas Capitol itself; the "cozy" surroundings that existed in
the statehouse in that era were a frequent topic in council reports,
with references to the "elbow-to-elbow" working conditions and
"cubbyhole" confines of the building; the agency's oft-voiced
request for additional room was finally satisfied with the
completion of the Robert E. Johnson Building in 2000, which remains
the council's home and also houses other legislative support
agencies; and
WHEREAS, Fittingly, the building is named in honor of the
legendary Robert E. Johnson, who served as the agency's executive
director during a remarkable 17-year tenure from 1963 to 1980 and
also held the office of House parliamentarian; through the years,
the council has benefited from the skilled leadership of numerous
other executive directors, and today that tradition is continued by
Jeff Archer with additional guidance provided by assistant
executive director Kimberly Shields, general counsel Jon Heining,
and chief legislative counsel Brett Ferguson; Kim Shields also
oversees the administration division, which encompasses the human
resources, accounting and purchasing, and assurance services
sections; the agency operates under the supervision of its
governing body, which is composed of the lieutenant governor and
the speaker of the House as joint chairs as well as six senators,
the chair of the House administration committee, and five other
state representatives; and
WHEREAS, Since its inception, the Texas Legislative Council
has worked tirelessly to ensure that lawmakers have the
information, resources, and support they need to most effectively
advance the interests of the people of the Lone Star State, and it
is indeed fitting that the agency be recognized for its vital
contributions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Texas
Legislative Council and extend to all those associated with the
agency sincere appreciation for their outstanding record of public
service; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the council as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.
Geren
Burrows
Guerra
Morales Shaw
Alders
Guillen
Morgan
Allen
Harless
Muñoz
Anchía
Harris
Noble
Ashby
Harris Davila
Olcott
Barry
Harrison
Oliverson
Bell of Kaufman
Hayes
Ordaz
Bell of Montgomery
Hefner
Orr
Bernal
Hernandez
Patterson
Bhojani
Hickland
Paul
Bonnen
Hinojosa
Perez of El Paso
Bowers
Holt
Perez of Harris
Bryant
Hopper
Phelan
Buckley
Howard
Pierson
Bucy
Hull
Plesa
Bumgarner
Hunter
Raymond
Button
Isaac
Reynolds
Cain
Johnson
Richardson
Campos
Jones of Dallas
Rodríguez Ramos
Canales
Jones of Harris
Romero
Capriglione
Kerwin
Rose
Cole
King
Rosenthal
Collier
Kitzman
Schatzline
Cook
LaHood
Schofield
Cortez
Lalani
Schoolcraft
Craddick
Lambert
Shaheen
Cunningham
Landgraf
Shofner
Curry
Leach
Simmons
Darby
Leo Wilson
Slawson
A. Davis of Dallas
Little
Smithee
Y. Davis of Dallas
Longoria
Spiller
Dean
Lopez of Bexar
Swanson
DeAyala
Lopez of Cameron
Talarico
Dorazio
Louderback
Tepper
Dutton
Lowe
Thompson
Dyson
Lozano
Tinderholt
Fairly
Lujan
Toth
Flores
Luther
Troxclair
Frank
Manuel
Turner
Gámez
Martinez
VanDeaver
Garcia of Bexar
Martinez Fischer
Vasut
Garcia of Dallas
McLaughlin
Villalobos
Garcia Hernandez
McQueeney
Virdell
Gates
Metcalf
Vo
Gerdes
Meyer
Walle
Geren
Meza
Ward Johnson
Gervin-Hawkins
Money
Wharton
González of Dallas
Moody
Wilson
González of El Paso
Morales of Harris
Wu
Goodwin
Morales of Maverick
Zwiener
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1513 was adopted by the House on June 1,
2025, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House