Legislative Services

House and Senate Committees at Work

Last month, Speaker Dustin Burrows issued interim charges directing House committees to study a wide range of perennial and emerging issues in Texas. Committee chairs took to the task, scheduling and conducting hearings to examine the issues.

Here is a look at their work so far (click links to view archival footage):

April 9 — State Affairs: Examined the development of data centers in Texas.

April 10 — Administration: Examined whether financial penalties should be assessed for House member absences during the 89th Legislature’s special sessions.

April 21 — Energy Resources: Examined implementation of House Bills 48 and 2663 by Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), regarding creation of an organized oilfield theft division at the Department of Public Safety, and the plugging of inactive oil wells, respectively. Also discussed geopolitical events and their effect on Texas’ oil and gas industry and surveyed the state of the hydrogen industry in Texas.

April 23 — State Affairs: Examined implementation of Senate Bill 6 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), with a focus on the rules and regulations regarding battery storage and safety, including safety considerations.

April 27 and April 28: The July 2025 Flooding Events, General Investigating Committee examined the July 2025 floods, with a focus on Camp Mystic and its preparedness and response.

Also last month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick built on his January issuance of an initial round of interim charges, with a second round. So far three committees have convened meetings on the study topics. The joint committee’s meetings on the July 2025 floods are detailed above; below is information on the other two:

April 1 — Business & Commerce: Examined the security of Texas’ critical infrastructure, with a focus on the electric grid and its supply chain.

April 8 — Health and Human Services: Examined fraud, waste and abuse in Texas human services programs, with a focus on Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, home care, hospice, crisis pregnancy centers and consumer-directed services.

Notices of upcoming meetings will be posted on dedicated House and Senate websites.

Phishing Attempt

The Texas Water Development Board issued notice of malicious phishing attempts against its customers.

Cybersecurity Functions Transfer

The Department of Information Resources (DIR) has begun transferring its cybersecurity functions to the Texas Cyber Command (TXCC). Counties are required to report cybersecurity incidents. During this transition, all DIR reporting functions will continue to operate. DIR and TXCC will provide stakeholder notice of changes as the phased transition continues.

Water Planning Resource Roundup

The Legislature created the Texas Water Development Board in 1957 in response to the state’s 1949-1957 drought of record. The agency finances water projects and develops a statewide water plan. It works in partnership with locally appointed stakeholder groups that develop regional water plans to develop a statewide plan that is updated every five years. County officials can bolster their long- and short-term planning efforts by using TWDB’s robust suite of data resources.

Month in Review is a collaborative column from TAC Legislative Services.