Recognizing Texas Legislative Council on the occasion of its 75th anniversary.

89(R) SR 613 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 613

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 Senate of the State of Texas, 89th

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 from the

Texas Senate.

Hughes

________________________________

President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the

above Resolution was adopted by

the Senate on May 31, 2025.

________________________________

Secretary of the Senate

________________________________

Member, Texas Senate