Sunset Advisory Commission
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The Sunset Advisory Commission is an agency of the Texas Legislature. It reviews the functions and operations of each Texas state agency, not created or mandated by the Texas Constitution. The 12-member Commission consists of legislators and public members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives (the Speaker selects the five House members and one public member; the Lieutenant Governor selects the five Senate members and the other public member).
Under the Texas Sunset Act, Chapter 325, Texas Government Code, each agency has a date on which it will be abolished unless legislation is passed to continue its functions, based on the recommendations of the Sunset Advisory Commission. The purpose of the Sunset Act is to ask a basic question about state agencies: do the agency's functions continue to be needed, or should they be "sunsetted" (abolished) and/or transferred to other agencies? The objective is to abolish functions/agencies that no longer serve a valid purpose, while consolidating needed functions within other agencies having similar responsibilities, thus freeing tax dollars to spend on other needed services.
Agencies are typically reviewed every 12 years; about 20 to 30 agencies go through the Sunset process each legislative session.
Assisting the Commission is a staff whose reports provide an assessment of an agency's programs, giving the Legislature the information needed to draw conclusions about the agencies under review. In addition, each agency must also provide a self-assessment report of its activities (in effect, justifying its existence). In addition, public citizens are encouraged to provide their comments to the reports.
