Senate Committee on State Affairs
NOTE: This is archived committee information from the 82nd Legislative Session.
Committee Information
CHAIR
Robert Duncan
VICE-CHAIR
Bob Deuell
MEMBERS
Rodney Ellis
Troy Fraser
Joan Huffman
Mike Jackson
Eddie Lucio, Jr.
Leticia Van de Putte
Tommy Williams
CLERK:
Gabe Hughes
TEL:
(512) 463-0380
LOCATION:
Sam Houston Building, 380
Video/Audio — Archives
82nd Session Interim
- December 10, 2012
- November 19, 2012
- August 30, 2012
- August 1, 2012 - Joint hearing w/ Senate Committee on Health & Human Services
82nd Regular Session
- May 21, 2011 (Part I, Part II)
- May 20, 2011
- May 19, 2011 (Part I, Part II) – Due to technical difficulties, Part II is audio only.
- May 18, 2011
- May 16, 2011 (Part I, Part II)
- May 12, 2011 (Part I, Part II)
- May 9, 2011
- May 5, 2011 (Part I, Part II) – Part II is audio only.
- May 2, 2011 (Part I, Part II)
- April 26, 2011 – audio only.
- April 21, 2011
- April 20, 2011 – audio only.
- April 18, 2011
- April 12, 2011 – audio only.
- April 11, 2011 (Part I, Part II)
- April 4, 2011 (Part I, Part II)
- March 28, 2011
- March 21, 2011
- March 14, 2011
- March 7, 2011 (Part I, Part II) – Part II is audio only.
- February 17, 2011
- February 9, 2011 (Part I, Part II)
- February 3, 2011
Hearing Materials
December 10, 2012
Charge 1:
- Testimony of Vicki Sutton, Texas Tech University School of Law (172 KB, PDF format)
- Testimony of Mario Loyola, Texas Public Policy Foundation (548 KB, PDF format)
Charge 2:
- Materials provided by the Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation: (File 1, File 2, File 3, File 4, File 5, File 6, File 7, File 8, File 9, File 10, File 11) (11 items, 4 MB total, PDF format)
- Testimony of Rick Levy, Texas AFL-CIO (54 KB, PDF format)
- Testimony of Margaret Greenshield, Texas Alliance of Nonsubscribers (145 KB, PDF format)
Charge 9:
- Testimony of C. Daniel Wheelus (93 KB, PDF format)
Charge 10:
- Testimony of Keith Ingram, Secretary of State's Office (24 KB, PDF format)
November 19, 2012
- Materials from Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) (1.50 MB, PDF format)
- Materials from Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) (688 KB, PDF format)
- Materials from Texas Public Employees Association (TPEA) (176 KB, PDF format)
August 1, 2012
- Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Presentation on the ACA (520 KB, PDF format)
- Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Essential Health Benefits Summary (467 KB, PDF format)
- TDI Insurance Exchange Options Matrix (377 KB, PDF format)
Interim Charges
- Study the policies and actions the State can pursue to preserve state authority and protect Texas citizens from federal overreach in the form of conditional federal grants, conditional federal preemption, and excessive legislation and regulation interfering with states' enumerated powers by Congress.
- Examine the Texas Workers' Compensation system and make recommendations for changes to meet the needs of Texas employers and employees. Specifically, review the following:
- the dispute resolution process and benefits available from employers that do not subscribe to workers compensation;
- the adequacy of income benefits in the workers' compensation system, specifically on high-wage earners receiving the maximum compensation rate;
- identify and report on fatalities in the Workers' Compensation System, including the amount of death and burial benefits paid to beneficiaries and the Subsequent Injury Fund since 2000;
- the return-to-work numbers and results for injured employees in the Workers' Compensation System that are referred to the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.
- Study the feasibility and fiscal impact to consumers of altering the insurance code to allow for the purchase of health insurance across state lines.
- Monitor the potential impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on insurance regulations, Medicaid and CHIP, health care outcomes and overall health of all Texans, and the state budget in Texas. Additionally, monitor the current constitutional challenges to PPACA and other court cases associated with PPACA, and ensure that the state does not expend any resources until judicial direction is clear. (Joint charge with Senate Health & Human Services Committee)
- Study and make recommendations on statutory provisions and judicial decisions relating to the statute of limitations on a cause of action relating to consumer debt.
- Examine establishing a workforce retention program or deferred retirement option plan (DROP) for Texas Department of Public Safety commissioned peace officers and whether any plan can be built with actuarially sustainable factors while meeting the needs of officers.
- Examine the feasibility of implementing Health Reimbursement Accounts and Medicare exchanges for Medicare eligible participants currently covered by and receiving health coverage through the Employees Retirement System, the Teachers Retirement System, the University of Texas, and Texas A&M University. Identify any cost savings to the state and to retirees that would occur under such a plan.
- Consider the costs and benefits of the creation of liability protection for private companies and individuals when commissioned by the Texas Forest Service to assist in fighting a fire that is not on the company's or individual's own land. Examine whether state policy should prohibit an employer from terminating an employee who is a volunteer firefighter on the grounds that the employee missed work because the employee was responding to an emergency. Identify any appropriate limitations that should apply to such a policy.
- Examine the effectiveness of the Private Real Property Rights Preservation Act (Chapter 2007, Government Code), and whether it should apply to municipalities.
- Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on State Affairs, 82nd Legislature, Regular and Called Sessions, and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/or complete implementation. Specifically, monitor the following:
- implementation of SB 100, relating to the implementation of the MOVE Act, and the impact on local and statewide elections and military voters;
- implementation of the Interstate Health Care Compact.
