SB 414 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the text of ballot propositions for bond elections.

SB 414 requires Texas local governments (like cities, counties, and school districts) to include specific details on ballots for bond elections seeking voter approval. The bill mandates that each ballot proposition must clearly state: the single purpose of the bonds, the total principal amount, estimated interest, combined principal and interest cost, and confirmation that taxes will cover repayment. It also requires separate ballot propositions for each distinct project purpose and directs local governments to create voter information documents explaining the ballot language. This aims to increase transparency for voters about bond financing before they cast their votes.
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Nov 2024
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Nov 21, 2024 Last action May 26, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 3 edits · Apr 7, 2025
MINOR
This bill updates the formatting and structure of SB 414, which governs how ballot propositions for bond elections must be presented to voters. The changes primarily involve reorganizing the bill text, removing outdated formatting markers, and adding a new line about digital content accessibility updates. The substantive policy content regarding debt obligation definitions, ballot requirements, and voter information remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL

Removed formatting artifacts and placeholder text from the original draft version, replacing them with clean, properly structured bill language.

Added a new line stating that digital content on TLO has been updated to align with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards.

Reorganized the bill structure to remove line number markers and consolidate the text into a standard legislative format.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 7, 2025

How they voted

254
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 30
Apr 7, 2025
D Democratic10
6 Yea 4 Nay
60% Yea
R Republican20
19 Yea 1
95% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
36
Key actions
11
Committee
13
May 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
May 21, 2025
Committee
Failed to receive affirmative vote in comm.
upper
May 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
May 19, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Pensions, Investments & Financial Services
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Mar 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Mar 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
upper
Mar 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Mar 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Mar 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to Local Government
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
2 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors