House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs - 84th R.S. (2015)
Committee Members
- Susan Lewis King, Chair
- James Frank, Vice Chair
- Jimmie Don Aycock
- César Blanco
- Joe Farias
- Matt Schaefer
- Matt Shaheen
Charges
- Explore how encroachment (environmental, technological, and architectural) impacts the vital missions of our military bases in Texas and which policies can be put into place while retaining respect for private property rights, economic growth, and the operation of military facilities.
- Explore adding notifications to the Texas Real Estate Commission Seller Disclosure Form, as well as a notification to buyers of new home construction, in order to inform buyers that a property may be located near a military installation or a military airport and could be affected by high noise or its air installation compatible use zones, or other operations.
- Study the long-term viability of the Hazlewood Act, in particular the legacy tuition exemption provision. Review eligibility requirements and recommend changes to ensure that the program can remain solvent. Examine the costs of the program to institutions of higher education, including foregone tuition, additional infrastructure, administrative and instructional support costs, and the financial impact on nonveteran/legacy students. Analyze and report any effect changes to this program would have for veterans and their families. Review current data systems related to this exemption and recommend improvements to ensure quality and accuracy of information. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Higher Education)
- Assess ways the State of Texas can further aid our federal military installations and their communities in order to minimize the negative consequences of a potential forthcoming BRAC round by the federal government.
- Assess the continuing effect and the impact of sequestration and federal defense spending on Texas military bases, soldiers and their families, base communities, and Texas defense contractors. Identify solutions to address issues raised by federal policy.
- Analyze whether unnecessary, redundant or punitive barriers exist for Texas Veterans pursuing educational or occupational careers upon completion of their military service. Study and ensure that appropriate measures are in place to allow veterans to receive the maximum college credit benefit for their service-related training in the armed forces.
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Conduct legislative oversight and monitoring of the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction and the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 84th Legislature. In conducting this oversight, the committee should:
a. consider any reforms to state agencies to make them more responsive to Texas taxpayers and citizens;
b. identify issues regarding the agency or its governance that may be appropriate to investigate, improve, remedy, or eliminate;
c. determine whether an agency is operating in a transparent and efficient manner; and
d. identify opportunities to streamline programs and services while maintaining the mission of the agency and its programs.
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Conduct a joint study on the nomination and selection process for the award of the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor. The study must evaluate:
(1) the military tradition for a medal of honor and methods to ensure that the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor upholds that military tradition;
(2) how a service member is nominated and methods to ensure that the service member is nominated based only on the merit of the service performed by the service member; and
(3) a process by which the adjutant general may
evaluate the qualifications of nominees for the Texas Legislative
Medal of Honor.
Notes
SB 1824, 84th R.S. charged the House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs and the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Military Installations with studying the awarding of the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor.
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