What are Interim Charges? 

The Texas Legislature convenes every other year, with the next session beginning in January 2027, to consider and vote on policies that shape the lives of Texans. "The interim" refers to the period between legislative sessions, during which time members of the Texas Legislature prepare for the next legislative session. Committees in the Texas House and Texas Senate are tasked by the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor with study topics, called “interim charges." These charges allow lawmakers to take a deeper look at key policy areas ahead of the upcoming session and often signal potential legislative priorities. 

In the coming months, committees of both the Texas House and Texas Senate will hold hearings on interim charges (some are already scheduled), including those detailed below. Those listed below are just some of what we are watching closely due to the possible implications for Texans with disabilities and their families. We will share more as things unfold.

How You Can Help 

The interim is a good time to get engaged in state-level public policy discussions by sharing your story to help inform interim charge committee hearings and the policy decisions that follow. Stay tuned for updates as advocacy opportunities arise and share an experience through our quick form related to one of the interim charges below. Form submissions are received and monitored by The Arc of Texas staff. Every story helps inform testimony we provide during committee hearings and conversations we have with elected officials as we advocate for a better quality of life for Texans with IDD. Thank you!

Note: The wording of the interim charges below was taken directly from Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. These are not written by The Arc of Texas.

 Texas House Interim Charges 

On March 26, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows released the list of interim charges for committees to examine during the 2026 interim. See below for those of most interest to Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families:

House Human Services Committee

• Provision of Services for Texans with IDD: Evaluate the availability of services for Texans with IDD, including service coordination, Home and Community-Based Services, and the functionality of the waiver interest list. Ensure vulnerable Texans are protected by the current regulatory landscape and make recommendations for improvements. 
• Preventing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: Ensure government services provided by agencies under the committee’s jurisdiction, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, efficiently serve eligible Texans. Evaluate barriers to efficient service provision for both clients and the providers of services, particularly the enrollment and credentialing of Medicaid providers. Review current efforts to identify and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse, and consider additional measures to reduce costs to taxpayers. 

House Public Education Committee

• Investment in Special Education: Examine state policies impacting students with special needs and special populations, including the implementation of recent legislation and the impact of increases in state funding. Review trends in special education enrollment over the past several years and evaluate factors contributing to those increases. Identify opportunities and make recommendations regarding ways to improve efficiencies for special education teachers, increase access to Pre-K, improve supports for students with low-incidence disabilities, and strengthen planning for the workforce and adulthood.
• Monitoring: Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of all legislation passed by the Committee and enacted by the 89th Legislature to ensure that legislative purposes are properly implemented, including the following: HB 2 (relating to public education and public school finance), HB 6  (relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public schools), and SB 2 (relating to the establishment of an education savings account program)

House Appropriations Committee

• Monitoring: Monitor and oversee the implementation of appropriations bills, other legislation passed by the 89th Legislature affecting the allocation or use of funds from the state treasury, and major spending items, including funding for the following: Increasing personal attendant wages

House Insurance Committee

• Federal Policy Impacts: Evaluate both the direct and indirect impacts of federal health-related policy and programs on consumers and the state, including those related to health coverage access and affordability, health insurance product adaptation and innovation, network adequacy, and administrative costs and compliance. Determine whether state statutory or regulatory changes are needed. 

House Public Health Committee

• Texas Health Care Workforce: Review the current and projected health care workforce shortage in Texas and make recommendations to reduce its impact on access to care and service delivery. 

House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee

• Fraud and Financial Exploitation of Elderly and Vulnerable Texans: Examine trends related to the crimes of fraud, financial exploitation, and abuse targeting elderly and vulnerable Texans, including crimes involving telecommunications and emerging technologies. Review the effectiveness of current criminal statutes, penalties, restitution tools, and coordination among law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Identify gaps in detection, investigation, prosecution, and victim recovery, and provide recommendations to strengthen prevention and accountability.

House State Affairs Committee

• Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery: Review the application of current state law as it relates to state and local disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Review state agency and local government requirements related to training, licensing, education, coordination, and mass fatality operations. Identify beneficial disaster management practices to improve the coordination of communications between governmental entities and streamline response and recovery efforts, including those related to intergovernmental command structures. Evaluate the applicability of other regulatory requirements that hinder disaster response and recovery throughout the state and recommend corresponding statutory or state policy changes.

House Trade, Workforce, & Economic Development Subcommittee on Workforce

• Workforce Development: Study workforce development and labor market conditions in Texas, including skills gaps, workforce participation, training and education, and alignment between workforce programs and employer demand. Identify challenges and best practices to maintain the competitiveness of regional labor markets and strengthen workforce readiness. 

 Texas Senate Interim Charges 

On January 30, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick issued a preliminary set of interim charges for the Texas Senate, followed by a more extensive list on March 27.

Senate Health and Human Services Committee

• Protecting Taxpayer Funds: Preventing Fraud and Abuse: In support of Governor Abbott’s call to action to eliminate fraud, explore and recommend ways to prevent fraud and abuse in Texas human service programs including, but not limited to, Medicaid and Child Care Services programs.
• Rising Health Care and Insurance Costs: Examine the drivers of rising health care costs in Texas. Consider whether certain providers and models for health care services, including, but not limited to, Pharmacy Benefit Managers and health care facility fees, have resulted in business practices that are contributing to rising health care costs and insurance premiums. Identify ways to lower the cost of health care and increase market flexibility, drawing on additional product offerings like Health Savings Accounts and new flexible plans.
• Strengthening Crisis Related Mental Health and Homelessness Services: Determine the state’s authority and procedures for providing public mental health services and the intersection of those services with homelessness and addiction. Evaluate the effectiveness, consistency, and outcomes of competency restoration for criminally charged individuals awaiting trial, as well as processes for civil in-patient and out-patient commitments. Make recommendations to prioritize the most acute populations for treatment in order to reduce public safety threats.

Senate Education Committee

• Celebrating the Successful Rollout of School Choice: Monitor the nation’s largest school choice launch in history and the ongoing implementation of Senate Bill 2, 89th Legislature, including: record-breaking demand with over 250,000 applications and enrollment by families giving greater flexibility to choose the best education for their child. Provide recommendations on how the Legislature can enhance and expand upon Texas’ historic and successful school choice program for families.
• Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on Education passed by the 89th Legislature, as well as relevant agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction. Specifically, make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of the following: HB 2 (relating to public education and public school finance) and HB 6 (relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public schools)

Senate Criminal Justice Committee 

• Protecting the Public from Violent Offenders Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Examine the policies and procedures of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) regarding murderers, robbers, rapists, and other violent offenders found not guilty by reason of insanity and entrusted to HHSC for mental health treatment in lieu of prison. Evaluate the community supervision recommendations made by HHSC to the courts for those found not guilty by reason of insanity, and whether those recommendations prioritize public safety. Make recommendations to emphasize and ensure public safety for victims and the community.

Senate Finance Committee

• Preventing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: Review state agencies' strategies to detect and mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse. Quantify the fiscal impact of financial impropriety on the state budget. Identify high-risk areas such as entitlement programs, contracted services, and technology contracts. Assess prevention and recovery efforts, including data analytics, reporting mechanisms, financial recoveries, and prosecutions. Make recommendations to strengthen oversight and better protect public funds.