HR1513 - Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Texas Legislative Council.

      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