Texas Bills

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 841: Relating to the beneficiaries of trust funds paid or received in connection with an improvement on specific real property.

SB 841 clarifies that construction workers, contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers who provide labor or materials for property improvements automatically become beneficiaries of trust funds set aside for those projects. The bill adds rules to prevent abusive assignments of unpaid trust fund rights, requiring written agreements only after payment is made and prohibiting assignments tied to the original construction contract. It limits enforceable assignments to specific parties, including other workers, trustees, or property owners involved in the project. This law directly affects construction industry workers seeking payment for services on residential or commercial properties in Texas.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 5651: Relating to the creation of the Montgomery County Water Control and Improvement District No. 7; granting a limited power of eminent domain; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes.

HB 5651 creates Montgomery County Water Control and Improvement District No. 7 to manage water control and improvement projects within its boundaries. The bill grants the district limited power to acquire land through eminent domain, authority to issue bonds for infrastructure, and the ability to impose assessments, fees, and taxes on property within the district. This directly affects property owners in the designated area, who will bear costs for water management systems, stormwater control, and related infrastructure. The district’s purpose is defined by Texas law as addressing water collection, disposal, stormwater management, and supporting road drainage improvements.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 231: Relating to temporary emergency electric energy facilities.

SB 231 establishes rules for temporary emergency power facilities used during disasters. It requires these facilities to be mobile, capable of generating power within three hours of connection, and limited to 5 megawatts. Utilities must follow specific leasing procedures with commission approval, though emergency exceptions apply during major outages when immediate power restoration is needed. The bill also mandates the Public Utility Commission to review rates for utilities that leased such facilities but failed to deploy them during the 2024 disaster.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2467: Relating to the compensation and benefits for certain peace officers commissioned by the state fire marshal.

HB 2467 updates pay rules for peace officers commissioned by the Texas State Fire Marshal. It requires these officers to be compensated according to Schedule C of the position classification salary schedule in the state's annual budget (General Appropriations Act), rather than existing pay structures. The bill directly affects fire and arson investigators working under the State Fire Marshal's office, ensuring they receive standardized pay aligned with other state law enforcement roles. This change takes effect September 1, 2025, after the bill was signed by the Governor on June 20, 2025.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 1661: Relating to election supplies and the conduct of elections; creating criminal offenses; increasing criminal penalties.

HB 1661 requires election authorities to provide each precinct with ballots equal to 25% more than the number of voters in the last election for that precinct (capped at registered voters unless using countywide polling), aiming to prevent shortages. It creates criminal penalties for intentionally failing to meet this requirement or to promptly supplement ballots upon polling place requests, classifying these offenses as Class A misdemeanors (punishable by up to a year in jail). The bill modifies Texas Election Code sections 51.005, 51.008, 51.010, 51.011, and 61.007 to establish these specific requirements and penalties. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 120: Relating to college, career, and military readiness in public schools, including career and technology education programs, the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program, and the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program, funding for those programs under the Foundation School Program, and workforce reporting to support those programs, to the public school accountability system, and to the new instructional facility allotment and the permissible uses of funding under the Foundation School Program.

HB 120 amends Texas education law to prioritize college, career, and military readiness for high school students. It adds two new academic goals: requiring graduates to have immediate workforce skills (Goal 5) and ensuring college readiness without remediation (Goal 6). The bill mandates public schools to report de-identified student outcomes - including college enrollment, remedial coursework, and employment data - disaggregated by school district and campus. These reports will inform school accountability ratings and guide funding for career programs like the FAST and R-PEP initiatives. The law directly affects all Texas public high schools, students, and district administrators through updated accountability measures.

Topics ✓ Education

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3546: Relating to the authority of an independent school district to change the date of the general election for officers.

HB 3546 allows independent school districts in Texas to change their general election dates for school board officers to the statewide November uniform election date. School districts must adopt a board resolution by December 31, 2030, specifying staggered terms (three or four years) and transition rules for current terms. The change applies only to districts holding elections on non-November dates, with the transition beginning at the next regular election after the resolution. This bill expires January 1, 2036, and repeals prior conflicting provisions in education and election codes. It directly affects school districts seeking to align their election schedules with the state's uniform election cycle.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 1916: Relating to the jurisdiction of a court in a suit to divide certain property not divided or awarded on the dissolution of a marriage.

HB 1916 clarifies that the court issuing a final divorce decree retains exclusive authority to divide property not previously divided in that decree. It directly affects Texas divorcing couples whose property division was incomplete at the time of their divorce. The bill amends the Texas Family Code to require that any subsequent suit to divide such undivided property must be handled by the original divorce court, not a new court. This eliminates uncertainty about which court has jurisdiction for these cases. The law applies to all pending or future cases filed on or after its effective date of September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2788: Relating to the disclosure of certain fraud detection information obtained in the administration of the unemployment compensation system.

HB 2788 prevents public disclosure of fraud detection methods used by Texas' unemployment benefits system. It specifically exempts internal tools like risk assessments, investigative materials, technology protocols, and communications from Texas' public records law (Chapter 552 of the Government Code). This means the Texas Workforce Commission cannot release these details in response to public information requests. The bill directly affects how the agency handles fraud prevention information but does not change unemployment eligibility rules. It became effective immediately upon the governor's signature on June 20, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2802: Relating to the administration of, contributions to, and benefits under retirement systems for firefighters in certain municipalities.

HB 2802 amends Texas law to adjust population thresholds for firefighter retirement systems in certain cities, expanding eligibility to cover municipalities with populations of 450,000 to 500,000 (previously 950,000 to 1,050,000). The bill updates definitions and administrative rules for retirement funds, including terms like "actuarial accrued liability" and "amortization period," to align with revised funding calculations. These changes directly affect firefighters in qualifying cities by modifying how their retirement contributions and benefits are calculated and administered under state law. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, after receiving final approval in June 2025.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 763: Relating to standard permits for certain concrete plants.

SB 763 amends Texas law to require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to conduct a protectiveness review of standard permits for permanent concrete plants (performing wet, dry, or central mixing) at least once every six years. The review must assess air pollutant background concentrations, and if permits are updated, facilities get a reasonable transition period to comply. The bill also mandates that new permit applications include detailed plot plans showing property lines, emission points, benchmark locations, and setback compliance. This directly affects concrete plants operating specific batching methods, requiring updated application standards and regular permit reviews to ensure environmental protection.

Topics ✓ Environment

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3510: Relating to the designation of a portion of State Highway 6 in Brazos County as the Sergeant Mark Butler Memorial Highway.

HB 3510 designates a specific 11-mile stretch of State Highway 6 in Brazos County (between College Station's southern limits and Navasota's northern limits) as the "Sergeant Mark Butler Memorial Highway." The bill requires the Texas Department of Transportation to install markers at both ends of the highway section and at appropriate intermediate locations along the route. This is a commemorative designation honoring Sergeant Mark Butler, with no substantive policy changes or funding impacts. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the Governor on June 20, 2025.

Bill results