About the Council

Picture of mockingbird perched on a branch with the capitol dome in the background

Who We Are

The Texas Legislative Council is a nonpartisan legislative agency that serves as a source of impartial research and information. Its staff assist legislators in drafting and analyzing proposed legislation and in obtaining information on specific legislative problems and on matters affecting the general welfare of the state. Council staff also handle the printing, processing, and distribution of legislative documents and provide computer support to the legislature and all of the other legislative agencies.

Mission

To provide professional, nonpartisan support to the Texas Legislature and the legislative agencies of Texas.

Governing Body

Dan Patrick

Lieutenant Governor

Joint Chairman

Dade Phelan

Speaker of the House

Joint Chairman

Membership:

The governing body of the council consists of the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House of Representatives, who serve as joint chairmen; six senators appointed by the lieutenant governor; the chairman of the House administration committee; and five other members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker.

Terms:

Except for the lieutenant governor and the speaker, each member serves a term beginning on the date of the member's appointment and ending with the convening of the first regular session that occurs after the date of appointment. The lieutenant governor and speaker act as the governing body of the council during a regular legislative session.

Leadership

The leadership team is responsible for directing and coordinating the operations of the council and for fielding media and public information inquiries. The team consists of the executive director, the assistant executive director, the general counsel, the special counsel and legislative advisor, and the division directors.

Jeff Archer, Executive Director
Kimberly Shields, Assistant Executive Director
Jon Heining, General Counsel
Brett Ferguson, Chief Legislative Counsel
Robert Sandoz, Document Production Division Director
Jennifer Sherrill, Information Systems Division Director
Mike Marshall, Legal Division Director
Julie Calhoun, Research Division Director

Staff Divisions

Human Resources

Human resources staff oversee payroll, benefits, recruiting, and other essential employee programs and policies.

Accounting and Purchasing

The accounting and purchasing section manages all funds appropriated to the council, assists with the preparation of the agency's annual budget, and procures all goods and services required by the agency.

Assurance Services

The assurance services section is responsible for facilities and property management, business continuity, and safety and risk management programs.

Data Transcription

Data transcriptionists provide text and data entry of council drafts, legislation, code drafts, parchments, publications, manuals, reports, correspondence, and other documents.

Printing

Services provided by the print shop include reproduction of legislative and nonlegislative draft documents and other products that support council staff.

Processing and Delivery

Staff prepare legislative documents received from the House and Senate for printing and storage in databases accessible to the public. Delivery staff distribute House legislation, related legislative documents, and House calendars.

Proofreading

Proofreaders review bill drafts, legislation, code drafts, parchments, publications, correspondence, and the statutory database for textual accuracy, correct format, and consistent style.

Applications

The applications section develops custom software; assists in the evaluation, selection, implementation, and customization of purchased software or other technology; and assists clients in reviewing their work processes to determine if changes can be made to improve those processes.

Computer Support Center

The Computer Support Center (CSC) is the initial contact point for all clients on the council's capitol network and includes the IT Support Center, the office consultant team, and the specialized client support team.

Infrastructure and Operations

The infrastructure and operations section is responsible for the development, implementation, maintenance, and monitoring of the hardware, software, and network infrastructure on the council's computer network.

Media and Education

Media and education staff maintain the Computer Support Center website and create instructional materials in support of council services. Staff also provide classroom training, produce online help guides and educational courses, and organize procedure manuals for applications and software.

Attorneys

Attorneys of the legal division draft legislative and other legal documents, including bills, certain types of resolutions, floor and committee amendments and substitutes, conference committee reports, legal memoranda, and requests for attorney general opinions. Attorneys provide legal research and legal counsel with respect to these documents and other legislative matters. Services are provided in response to requests from a legislator or the lieutenant governor, who may communicate the request through an aide or other employee. As a courtesy and as workload permits, the legal division offers drafting services to the governor's office and executive agencies.

Legal Editing

The council employs a staff of full‐time legal editors who are responsible for editing documents, correspondence, and publications as well as maintaining and updating the statute database. During a legislative session, the primary duty of the legal editors is to edit legislative documents produced by staff attorneys and to edit bills at various stages of the legislative process. After each legislative session, legal editing staff oversee the statute update project as a combined effort with the document production and information systems divisions.

Statutory Revision

The continuing statutory revision program is a substantial part of the work performed by the division during the interims between legislative sessions. Recent codifications of Texas law prepared by the legal division and submitted to the legislature for enactment include the Special District Local Laws Code and the Estates Code.

Mapping and Redistricting

The Mapping and Redistricting Section prepares district and policy issue maps and creates and maintains election, census, and geographic databases and mapping and redistricting applications.

Policy Research and Bill Analysis

In addition to responding to legislator and committee requests for research, staff prepare bill analyses and side-by-side comparisons of legislation.

Research Editing

Editing staff of the division edit and proofread research division products, including resolutions, bill analyses, maps, memos, publications, and websites.

Resolutions and Publications

Staff draft congratulatory, memorial, and policy resolutions as well as certificates of recognition. The section also coordinates the production of research division and other council publications.

Special Projects

The Special Project Section prepares demographic profiles of legislative districts, analyzes data, advises on the use and interpretation of statistics, and maintains council websites. Staff also provide support for ongoing research projects and developmental initiatives throughout the division.

Texas Legislative Council