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		By: Hunter (Senate Sponsor - Hancock) | 
        H.C.R. No. 96 | 
      
      
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               (In the Senate - Received from the House May 19, 2015;  | 
      
      
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        May 20, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on  | 
      
      
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        Administration; May 26, 2015, reported favorably by the following  | 
      
      
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        vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 26, 2015, sent to printer.) | 
| Click here to see the committee vote | 
      
    
    
      
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          HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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        WHEREAS, As in previous sessions, bills have been introduced  | 
      
      
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        in both chambers of the 84th Texas Legislature to modify current  | 
      
      
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        statutes prescribing how legally required notices are posted and  | 
      
      
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        advertised to the general public; and | 
      
      
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               WHEREAS, Abundant testimony against these measures in past  | 
      
      
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        public hearings has cited statistics that public notice placed on  | 
      
      
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        the Internet would not reach a large number of Texans, demonstrated  | 
      
      
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        problems with archiving Internet notices, raised questions about  | 
      
      
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        removing oversight and reducing transparency, and questioned the  | 
      
      
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        cost-effectiveness of posting notices on the Internet or through  | 
      
      
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        social media; there has also been testimony that publishing public  | 
      
      
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        notice on the Internet or through social media would be efficient  | 
      
      
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        and cost-effective and would increase audience reach and  | 
      
      
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        transparency; and | 
      
      
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               WHEREAS, It is incumbent on the State of Texas to ensure that  | 
      
      
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        public notification about vital information be efficient and  | 
      
      
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        effective, and the issue of posting and advertising public notices  | 
      
      
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        on the Internet merits further examination; now, therefore, be it | 
      
      
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               RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas  | 
      
      
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        hereby request the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house  | 
      
      
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        of representatives to create a joint interim committee to study the  | 
      
      
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        issue of advertising public notices; and, be it further | 
      
      
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               RESOLVED, That the committee's proceedings and operations be  | 
      
      
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        governed by such general rules and policies for joint interim  | 
      
      
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        committees as the 84th Legislature may adopt. | 
      
      
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