Texas. Legislature. Senate. Investigation Committee Appointed by Virtue of Senate Simple Resolution No. 96.

The Texas Legislature's Senate Investigation Committee Appointed by Virtue of Senate Simple Resolution No. 96 was created at the end of the 44th Legislature's Regular Session in 1935. Senate Resolution 96 was introduced by Senator Poage on May 8, 1935 to propose a five member committee which would meet between the 44th and 45th Legislatures for the purpose of investigating the application of the fee system in Texas,...the apportionment of the available school fund,...tax delinquencies and collections and any and all other matters pertaining to or affecting the revenue of the State government and the expenditures of said taxes, fees, and assessments, and... other affairs and activities of governmental departments... as such activities affect the financial or other welfare of the citizens of Texas. In addition, the group was to study and investigate the insurance code, practice, and procedure, in this state. The resolution was referred to the Committee on State Affairs whence it came on May 9 with the recommendation that is should not pass, but that it should be replaced by the committee substitute and that neither the original recommendation nor the committee substitute should be printed. On May 11, Senators W.R. Poage, Tom DeBerry, W.B. Collie, Joe L. Hill, and T.J. Holbrook were appointed to the committee. During a meeting shortly after the appointment of the committee the members divided the work of the investigation among themselves. Senator DeBerry took State Departments, Hill took Oil and Gas, Collie took Fee Officers and Law Enforcement, Holbrook took School Funds Public Lands and Investments, and Poage (the Chair) took the Scholastic Census.

At some point the committee also took on/was given the responsibility of investigating matters concerning the management of the Chain Store Bill (House Bill 41, introduced during the Regular Session of the 44th Legislature, 1935). From at least September 30 to October 2, during the 1st Called Session of the 44th Legislature, the committee held hearings and gathered evidence regarding the efforts of chain store lobbyists (including several former Texas Senators) to influence the passage of legislation. Later, during the 1st Called Session, House Bill 18, concerning the licensing of chain stores, passed.

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