Senate session transcripts11/5/2023 ![]() These rules may supplement Senate rules, but they can not contravene them. Senate committees, guided mainly by their chairmen, have broad discretion in how they conduct a hearing, in part because the committees adopt their own rules of procedure. Senate Rule XXVI sets forth many of the hearing regulations to which committees must conform, including the quorum requirement, advance submission of witness statements, the opportunity for minority party Senators to call witnesses of their choosing, and procedures for closing a hearing to the public. Whether confirmation hearings-a procedure unique to the Senate-legislative, oversight, investigative, or a combination of these, all hearings share common elements of preparation and conduct. See Step 5: Other Documents for information about accessing committee minutes and journals.Congressional hearings are the principal formal method by which committees collect and analyze information during the legislative policymaking process. When reviewing recordings, it can be helpful to review committee meeting minutes (if you are interested in committee hearings) or House and Senate Journals (if you are interested in floor debates) to identify the relevant portion of the recording. Recent House and Senate video recordings of floor debates may also include helpful information in the chyron, such as bill number and amendment number. The dates of the bill's second and third readings in the House and/or the Senate.įormal meetings are not routinely audio taped, but you may contact House and Senate Media to determine if a tape of a formal meeting exists.The dates on which the bill was considered by committee or subcommittee in public hearings, and.The names of the House and/or Senate committees to which the bill was referred,. ![]() To listen to or order these tapes, you will need the following from the bill history: If any transcripts are available, which is rare, they will be housed with the tapes in the media offices. Because transcripts of committee meetings are seldom produced, recordings are often the best source of information on legislative intent. * In 2020, during the 86th interim, the House issued requests for information on topics related to interim charges and allowed people to submit responses online.ĭuring the 63rd Legislative Session (1973), the Legislature began making audio recordings of public hearings held by committees and the floor debates in the House and the Senate. ![]() Hearings are mandatory in the Senate for a bill to reach the floor, but not in the House. LRL > Committees > Meetings by date > Choose relevant date of hearing > Browse for relevant committee hearing > Click "Comments" (or "Handouts" for the 87th session).On the House site > Committees > Previous Committee Schedules (Notices, Minutes, Handouts and Witness Lists) > Choose relevant session > Choose relevant committee.Texas House > Committee Meetings > "Meetings for Date" OR "Meetings for Committee" > "Comments" available on far right, alongside "Hearing Notice," etc.After looking up an individual bill, click the "Text" tab and look at the bottom for "Additional Documents: House Public Comments".On the TLO site, there are two options:.These public comments are available via TLO, the Texas House of Representatives, and LRL sites. In 2021* for the 87th R.S., the Texas House launched an online portal for the public to submit written comments for a hearing there is nothing analogous for the Senate. For Witness Lists, look at the Bill file/"Text" tab. When locating hearing recordings, it may also be helpful to look at corresponding Witness Lists and public comments, if any, submitted via the House online portal. For histories before 1973, use the House and Senate Journals. Check the Legislative Reference Library of Texas website for older bill histories from 1973 to 1989. To locate recordings of debates, look for dates of the second and third readings in the House and Senate listed in Bill history/“Actions” tab.īill histories are available on the TLO website from 1989 (71st Session) to the present. Bill file/“Text” tab includes accompanying Witness Lists.Dates the committees considered the bill in public hearing.Names of the House and Senate committees the bill was referred to.To locate recordings of hearings, look for: If tracking legislation during a session currently underway, be aware that bills can be scheduled for a hearing with relatively short notice. Transcripts are typically not available, but recordings (whether audio or video) may be. Committee, or public, hearings and floor debates are not included in the bill file.
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