Establishing rules of procedure to be observed by the Senate for the consideration of redistricting during the 89th Legislature.

Contracts

• Lobbying Agreements: You must amend engagement letters with external government relations firms. Insert a clause requiring the firm to process all map amendments through the Texas Legislative Council (TLC) system at least 24 hours prior to the Senate filing deadline to mitigate processing delays.
• Consultant Deliverables: Contracts with demographic or mapping vendors must specify that all data deliverables be formatted for immediate ingestion by TLC systems. Non-compliant data formats are useless under SR5.

Hiring/Training

• Technical Liaison: Designate a specific member of your Government Affairs team to act as the liaison with the Texas Legislative Council. This individual must understand the "Plan Number" assignment process.
• Witness Prep: Executives designated to testify via videoconference must be trained on the specific "visibility and audibility" standards required by the Committee.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• The Amendment Packet: For every proposed district change, you must generate and file 35 physical copies of an Amendment Packet with the Senate Calendar Clerk.
• Deadline: 9:00 a.m. on the third calendar day after the bill is reported from committee.
• Contents: Written description, TLC-generated maps, and standard data reports (population, voter data, incumbent locations).
• Witness Affirmation Form: Remote witnesses must execute and submit this form to the Committee *prior* to providing testimony.

Fees & Costs

• Rush Fees: Anticipate increased billing from consultants for "rush" data processing to meet the 9:00 a.m. filing window, given the 24-hour layover requirement.
• Travel Contingency: Budget for last-minute executive travel if the Chair calls a regional hearing in a key operational area where remote testimony is limited.