Benefits
For greater detail concerning benefits, see the Texas Legislative Council Benefits at a Glance.
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For greater detail concerning benefits, see the Texas Legislative Council Benefits at a Glance.
| Position* | Date Posted | Posting No. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing Specialist I | 5-19-2022 | 22019 |
| *Please Note: Salaries are not normally posted and are determined by applicant qualifications. | |||
To be considered for a job with the Texas Legislative Council, an applicant must submit a State of Texas application and other required documents, if requested. Applications are accepted by email, mail delivery, hand delivery or fax. Applications submitted electronically may be signed at a later date. As a condition of employment, legal proof of authorization to work in the U.S. must be provided. The Texas Legislative Council participates in E-Verify.
Download an application form and carefully follow the instructions below:
These instructions must be followed exactly:
Read all instructions before beginning the application.
Fill out application form completely.
Do not leave questions blank. If questions are not applicable, enter "NA."
You may sign later for email submission.
Please type or print in black ink.
Be careful to note any education, certificates, licenses, training, or specific experience required for individual positions.
Applications should normally be tailored to each specific job posting so that the applicant can emphasize work experience most relevant to that position.
The information included in the employment history section of the application will be the official record of your employment experience. It must accurately reflect all significant duties performed.
Screening for work experience is based on the information listed in the employment history section.
Applicants must demonstrate in the application how they meet the minimum education and experience requirements as stated in the job posting. No assumptions will be made.
Be specific and detailed when providing information in the employment history section.
Failure to list specific examples of work duties in all areas of qualifications, knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in the job posting may result in the applicant being considered unqualified and/or not being granted an interview.
You may make copies of this application and enter different position titles and job posting number, but each copy must have an original signature (can sign later).
Resumes are not accepted in place of applications.
Begin with your current or last position and work back to your first.
Employment history should be included for each position held, even those with the same employer. List each position separately and indicate duties and complete dates for each position held.
Summaries of experience should clearly describe your work experience/duties that meet each qualification listed in the job posting.
Give a brief summary of the technical and managerial responsibilities (if applicable) of each position you have held.
If you need additional space to adequately describe your employment history, you may use an employment history continuation sheet or attach a typed employment history providing the same information in the same format as the application form.
Copies of college transcripts, certifications, and/or licenses must be attached to the application, if specified in the job posting.
Applications which do not include all required attachments will not be considered.
Look carefully at the closing date in the job posting. Make sure the application and all necessary attachments arrive at the appropriate agency by the closing date to ensure consideration.
State of Texas vacancies are listed with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Also, state agencies have employment information available at various office locations.
Look for us online. Many state agencies list job postings online. For a listing of state job postings, see www.workintexas.com.
The State of Texas is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the State of Texas will provide during the employment process any necessary reasonable accommodations needed as a result of a disability. If assistance is needed, please contact the Human Resources office at each state agency (or the contact listed in the job posting) as soon in the employment process as possible so that appropriate measures can be taken to meet your needs.
Veterans' and former foster youth employment preferences are granted as required by law.
Submit applications and resumes by:
Email
TLCCareers@tlc.texas.gov (Preferred Method)
Fax
(512) 936 - 1064
Mail
Human Resources Office
Texas Legislative Council
P.O. Box 12128, Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711‐2128
Submitted applications become public record and are subject to disclosure.
As a condition of employment, legal proof of authorization to work in the U.S. must be provided. The Texas Legislative Council participates in E‐Verify.
Requests for accommodation and/or services in the application process should be made to the above cited contact.
As a condition of employment, legal proof of authorization to work in the U.S. must be provided. The Texas Legislative Council participates in E‐Verify.
As a condition of employment, all males who are of the age currently required to register with the Selective Service System (SSS) must present proof of, or an exemption from, registration with the SSS.
Requests for accommodation or services in the application process should be made to the human resources office.
If you have any questions regarding job postings, the application process, benefits, or other related information, please contact the human resources office at (512)463-1155 or hradmin@tlc.texas.gov.
Memorandum
TO: Prospective Legal Division Employees
FROM: Mike Marshall, Legal Division Director
DATE: February 22, 2022
SUBJECT: Information on Legal Division Employment
This information is intended to acquaint prospective employees of the legal division of the Texas Legislative Council with the council and to provide an idea of council employees' duties, schedules, and working environment.
Texas Legislative Council
The Texas Legislative Council is a nonpartisan legislative branch state agency that was established
by the Texas Legislature in 1949. The council is composed of 14 members: the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, six senators, and six representatives. Its activities are governed by Chapter 323, Government Code. The council has a staff of employees organized in five divisions: administration, legal, research, information systems, and document production.
Composition of Legal Division
The legal division has positions for 75 staff members. Of those positions, 55 are for attorneys and 20 are for support personnel, consisting of legal assistants, legal editors, administrative assistants, and receptionists. The legal division management consists of the legal division director and three deputy directors, each of whom is a senior attorney. Other senior attorneys perform supervisory
functions within the division.
Attorneys in the legal division are hired for long-term employment. Many have long careers at and eventually retire from the council. Of the attorneys currently on the legal division's staff:
70 percent have been employed by the division for five or more years;
30 percent for 10 or more years;
20 percent for 15 or more years; and
10 percent for 20 or more years.
Duties of Attorneys
The staff of the legislative council serves all members of the Texas Legislature and the lieutenant governor. The legislature is composed of 150 members of the house of representatives and 31 senators. The legislature meets in 140‐day regular sessions beginning in January of each odd-numbered year. The legislature also meets in special sessions, the beginning dates and subjects of which are determined by the governor. The duration of a special session may not exceed 30 days.
During and for the two- to three-month period before a legislative session, the primary duty of the legal division is to work directly with the lieutenant governor and members of the legislature and their staffs to draft legislative documents and to provide other legal advice and research. Attorneys specialize in one or more of approximately 50 areas of law. In addition to drafting bills and resolutions, an attorney in the legal division is required to analyze bills and amendments throughout a legislative session and may be required to do legislative research, draft legal memoranda, and answer questions involving parliamentary rules or other procedures. While attorneys generally work independently in drafting legislation, it is often necessary that they seek information from and share information with other members of the staff. It is also common for a team approach to be used to complete large, complex, or special projects.
When the legislature is not in session, the legal division is responsible for drafting nonsubstantive revisions of the state statutes that clarify, consolidate, and reorganize the statutes into codes on a topical basis. The nonsubstantive revision projects are under the direction of the council or special advisory committees. A few examples of completed codes drafted by the council staff are the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Estates Code, Health and Safety Code, Labor Code, Local Government Code, and Occupations Code. In addition, the staff provides the drafting necessary for substantive revision projects, such as the state bar's Family Code and Penal Code revisions.
In addition, the legal staff is called on for legal research and special assistance for unusual legislative activities. In the past those activities have included a constitutional convention, impeachment and address proceedings, legislative election contests, and legislative redistricting.
Facilities
Council offices are located in the Capitol complex at the Robert E. Johnson Building. The building
is connected to the Capitol through underground tunnels and is adjacent to the properties that are
part of the Texas Mall project, which is currently under construction. Council employees have
access to a free parking facility that is next to the building and also houses a secured bicycle
enclosure for employees.
Council attorneys occupy parts of the second and third floors of the Robert E. Johnson Building. Each attorney has a private office.
Technology; Research Resources
Council attorneys have access to hardware and software applications necessary to perform council
functions. Each attorney is issued a laptop computer that is capable of connecting to the Capitol
network from the Robert E. Johnson Building as well as from the attorney's home or another
remote location. The council's information systems division provides technological support in the
use of hardware and software.
Council attorneys have access to a variety of research resources, including electronic research
databases, on-site basic library materials, and other online legislative drafting and tracking
applications. Many of the electronic research databases and other applications have been designed
by the information systems division specifically for use in the unique legislative environment. For
more extensive research needs, the Legislative Reference Library is located in the Capitol, and the
State Law Library and the state archives are in buildings adjacent to the Capitol.
Work Schedule and Overtime
Because of the heavy workload during and for several weeks before a legislative session, an attorney must expect to work on holidays during that period, to work more than 40 hours a week, and to have his or her social life disrupted. Ordinarily, attorneys have been required to be at the office at all times when one or both houses of the legislature were in session. During the COVID-19
pandemic, many legal division staff have primarily worked remotely, including during legislative
sessions. The legal division management, with input from division staff, is currently discussing a
policy that would allow for a hybrid work environment in which division staff may work remotely
for a portion of work hours on an ongoing basis. However, when pandemic conditions allow for a safe return to the office environment, division staff will be expected to be at the office for at least
some work hours.
Legal division attorneys should expect to work a significant amount of overtime hours, including
nights, weekends, and holidays, preceding and during regular and special legislative sessions. For example, during the period beginning six weeks before the first day of a regular legislative session and ending on the 60th day of the session (the deadline by which most bills must be filed), attorneys can expect to work an average of 60 to 65 hours a week. In addition, vacation or compensatory leave generally may not be taken during regular or special legislative sessions.
During non‐session periods, members of the legal staff generally work eight-hour days Monday through Friday. The workload during these periods is less demanding and deadlines are more manageable.
When an employee works more than 40 hours a week, the employee accrues an equivalent amount of compensatory time for the amount of overtime worked. While an employee is not guaranteed that the employee will be allowed to use all of the employee's compensatory leave, the council's practice permits liberal use of leave time during non-session periods subject to prior administrative approval.