The Office of Court Administration (OCA) told the JVCC advisory board on Oct. 10 that it will pursue a university partner to conduct the HB 16–mandated study of digital court recording use across Texas.

"The bill directs the Office of Court Administration to conduct a study on digital court recording, including evaluating current use of recording in the state of Texas to include cost, access, accuracy, and effectiveness," OCA representative Ron Morgan said, summarizing the statutory charge and the office's proposed approach.

OCA says the study will assess how digital recording is currently used in Texas courts, compare practices in other states, and recommend any statutory or rule changes. Morgan told the board the office plans to contract with a university research entity to design the study methodology, run data collection and analysis, and help convene stakeholder input.

OCA presented preliminary numbers during the briefing: at the end of the last fiscal year (Aug. 31) there were 2,364 certified shorthand reporters (an increase of roughly 130 from the prior year) and 243 reporting firms. The office administered 216 written exams and 125 oral exams in the prior fiscal year. OCA also reported 53 complaints filed in the year just ended, up from 32 the previous year; Morgan said more than half of those involved late records to parties or courts, and roughly half of the late records came from the courts of appeals.

Morgan described a high-level schedule: identify and contract with a university partner in fourth quarter 2025; conduct data collection in early 2026 (roughly January–March); draft and finalize findings and recommendations in spring/summer 2026; and deliver the report by the statutory deadline of Sept. 30, 2026. He said OCA will convene the stakeholder work group the statute requires and that the stakeholder group should include judges of courts of record, shorthand reporter organizations, deposition providers, digital service providers, attorneys and public representatives.

Morgan emphasized OCA's role as the convening and reporting authority: "Ultimately, OCA is responsible for the study. OCA is responsible for the study's outcome and the report and recommendations," he said, and described plans to use intergovernmental agreements with public universities for the research work.

In public comment, Renee White, president of TextRA, urged OCA to avoid universities with a direct financial stake in either core reporting or digital recording programs and recommended allowing organizations to nominate two to three alternates to serve on the stakeholder group because availability can be inconsistent.

OCA also signaled complementary priorities for the coming year: potential rules amendments (which would be opened for public comment and, if approved by the commission, sent to the Texas Supreme Court), improved education and engagement with associations, and updates to the JVCC licensing system and website platform to improve user experience.

The board did not adopt specific statutory changes at the Oct. 10 meeting; Morgan invited questions and asked members to help identify stakeholder representatives and to be candid in the process.

The advisory board will hear related complaint-review matters later the same day at a scheduled 1:00 p.m. committee meeting.