Texas Legislative Council:

An Inventory of Legislative Council Redistricting Records at the Texas State Archives, 1981-1982, 1991-2006, bulk 2001-2006

Agency History

The Texas Legislative Council was created in 1949 by Senate Bill 316, 51st Texas Legislature, Regular Session as a nonpartisan legislative agency to provide professional and technical service and support to the Texas Legislature and the legislative agencies. It is governed by a council of fourteen members, including six senators appointed by the lieutenant governor, five representatives appointed by the speaker of the house, and the chair of the house administration committee. Members serve terms beginning with appointment and ending with the convening of the next regular session. The lieutenant governor and the speaker serve as joint chairs and act as the governing body of the council during a regular legislative session.

Under the direction of the council's leadership team, the staff is organized into administrative functions and four major divisions: Document Production, Information Systems, Legal, and Research. The council employs professional, administrative, and technical staff to assist legislators in drafting 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. The council assists state agencies, the public, legislatures from other states, and national organizations in answering questions regarding the legislature and Texas laws. During legislative interims, the legal division is largely occupied with the ongoing statutory revision program, which includes a simplified classification system, improved numbering system, and clarification of the statutes without substantive change.

The Research Division is responsible for providing research, drafting, mapping, and redistricting services to the legislature. Specific services include congratulatory, memorial, and policy resolution drafting; bill analysis and bill version side-by-side comparison drafting; policy issue research; statistical research; data gathering and preparation; map production and geographic analysis; publication preparation; and redistricting information and support. To support the legislature’s redistricting activities, the division's mapping and redistricting section works with information systems staff to build and maintain election, census, and geographic databases and mapping and redistricting computer systems. The section produces maps and reports showing population and election information for proposed and enacted redistricting plans, as well as informational publications on redistricting, and prepares information for the council's Texas Redistricting website .

(Sources include: Guide to Texas State Agencies, 11th edition (2001); and the Texas Legislative Council website at http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/about.htm (accessed on May 2, 2011).)

Scope and Contents of the Records

The Texas Legislative Council is a nonpartisan legislative agency that provides professional and technical service and support to the Texas Legislature and the legislative agencies. Legislative Council redistricting records illustrate the assistance provided by the council's Research Division to the legislature during its redistricting process and include plans, maps, analyses, statistics, reports, proposals, correspondence, memorandums, notes, and lists, 1981-1982, 1991-2006, bulk 2001-2006. The majority of the records document the redistricting cycle following the 2000 U.S. Census, though the 1990s cycle is also represented, and to a lesser extent, the 1980s cycle. Some 1990s plan histories are included, tracing the evolution of the plan through the legislature, state and federal district courts, the U.S. Department of Justice, and occasionally the U.S. Supreme Court.

The regular session of the 77th Legislature adjourned on May 28, 2001, without adopting a senate, house, congressional, or State Board of Education redistricting plan. In November 2001, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas put in place new house and congressional plans, and it upheld the senate plan put forward by the Texas Legislative Redistricting Board. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued an order adopting new State Board of Education districts, also in November 2001. The federal district court later ordered changes to five congressional districts to address a Voting Rights Act violation, and the changes were incorporated into a new statewide plan in 2006. These Legislative Council redistricting records reflect the stages each type of plan went through as the legislature, Legislative Redistricting Board, and the courts attempted to produce fair and legal plans that equalize population among electoral districts.

To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Materials do not circulate, but may be used in the State Archives search room. Materials will be retrieved from and returned to storage areas by staff members.

The portions of these records noted as being restricted fall under Public Information Act exceptions: confidentiality of communication of an assistant or employee of the Texas Legislative Council with a member of the legislature (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Section 323.017); records relating to requests of council staff, including for the drafting of proposed legislation (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Section 323.018); and a draft or working paper involved in the preparation of proposed legislation (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Section 552.106), and an archivist must review these records before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail (Texas State Library and Archives Commission, P. O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711), fax (512-463-5436), email (Dir_Lib@tsl.state.tx.us), or see our web page ( http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/agency/customer/pia.html ). Include enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information. If our review reveals information that may be excepted by the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an open records decision from the Attorney General on whether the records can be released. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten working days after receiving a request to make this determination. The Attorney General has 45 working days to render a decision. Alternately, the Archives can inform you of the nature of the potentially excepted information and if you agree, that information can be redacted or removed and you can access the remainder of the records.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

Technical Requirements

Some oversize maps may be too large to photocopy.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Legislative Council redistricting records, Texas Legislature. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession number: 2010/002

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Legislative Council on September 2, 2009.

Processing Information

Processed by Rebecca Romanchuk, May 2011

Detailed Description of the Records