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This week, Texas Impact staff were back in the Capitol, watching legislative hearings. While the Texas Legislature is not in session again until 2027, the period between legislative sessions, known as the legislative interim, is an important time for lawmakers to monitor state agencies and programs, and to open discussions on major policy issues.
In the House, committee assignments have not changed since the regular session. In the Senate, the Lt. Governor has shuffled some committee assignments. In both chambers, committees have received “interim charges.” Interim charges are homework that the Speaker and Lt. Governor assign, usually in response to an ongoing or anticipated complex policy issue they anticipate addressing legislatively in the upcoming session.
Read the Senate interim charges Pt 1
Read the Senate interim charges Pt 2
Read the House interim charges
Texas Impact staff members are following many of the interim charges, as well as some newly appointed committees:
House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability (read the committee charge)
Senate Select Committee on Religious Liberty (read the committee charge)
Senate Select Committee on Homeland and Border Security (read the committee charge)
Interim committees do not consider specific legislation. Rather, they take testimony on issues. They use the testimony and other inputs to inform “interim reports,” which are typically issued in the fall before the legislative session and can form the basis for legislation.
For example, this week the Senate Health and Human Services Committee took invited and public testimony on the committee’s interim charge to “prevent fraud and abuse” in Medicaid and other human need programs. Both the Senate and the House have interim charges related to Medicaid fraud and abuse, and leaders in Congress also are interested in the issue.
Eliminating fraud and abuse is a perennially popular policy trope. But regulations designed to reduce Medicaid fraud typically target recipients, through strategies that make it harder for them to qualify for and keep coverage. In almost all cases, recipients of Medicaid don’t receive direct payments: they just receive the opportunity to receive health care if they need it. Preventing individuals from receiving health care through bureaucratic gatekeeping doesn’t do much to eliminate fraud, because the fraud that exists in health insurance programs like Medicaid generally is perpetrated by individuals or entities that stand to benefit financially.
Nevertheless, state and federal lawmakers are energized about attacking Medicaid fraud and abuse by making it harder to get coverage, and it’s easy to see why: tightening the screws on Medicaid eligibility saves a lot of money. Last year’s HR1 (the “big beautiful bill”) is expected to reduce federal spending by more than a trillion dollars, largely through Medicaid cuts, and cause coverage loss for 10 million people.
And that’s just one interim charge. The House has 53 pages of them, on topics ranging from health care and higher education to data centers and disaster response.
The legislative interim is the proper, ideal time to engage lawmakers and fellow Texans in deep conversation about issues you care about. For legislators who are returning for another term, it’s a window of opportunity to talk about what’s happened in recent legislative sessions and what you think should come next. For candidates who aren’t legislators yet, it’s a great time for proactive advocacy: educate the candidates about your issue before they are elected, and you’ll be ahead of the curve. (What if they lose their race? Enlist them in your cause as an advocate.) And for current legislators who aren’t coming back next session, it’s a potent moment to seek their insights into the issues, the process, and the players while they are still dialed in.
Over the next several weeks, Texas Impact staff will be posting about various interim charges and interim hearings. Texas Impact issue teams will be examining the charges and identifying ones that need special energy. If you read any charges that catch your attention, feel free to reach out and ask if we’re working on them. If we are, we’ll plug you in. If we aren’t, we can connect you to colleagues in that area.
This is the time of year when everything seems possible, even in a challenging political environment. That’s true for the people you agree with, and those you don’t. Assume that your allies and antagonists alike know about the legislative interim, too, and are planning to use their time wisely. You do the same, and let us know how we can support your work. |
