Texas Bills

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3161: Relating to member contributions to the Texas Municipal Retirement System.

HB 3161 expands the required contribution rate options for employees in Texas municipal retirement systems, changing the permitted rates from "five, six, or seven percent" to "five, six, seven, or eight percent" of employee compensation. It directly affects Texas municipalities that participate in the Texas Municipal Retirement System, requiring all departments within a municipality to use the same contribution rate unless they had pre-1991 ordinances allowing different rates for different departments. Municipalities with existing multi-rate systems can continue those arrangements until they choose to standardize rates. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3597: Relating to public hearing requirements for issuing a license for or expanding certain residential child-care facilities.

HB 3597 requires applicants for new licenses or capacity expansions at residential child-care facilities in counties with fewer than 300,000 residents to hold a public hearing and publish notice in a local newspaper. This applies to general residential operations, cottage homes, and continuum-of-care facilities. The law, effective September 1, 2025, adds these community notification steps before the licensing commission issues approval. It directly affects facility operators seeking to open or expand services in smaller counties across Texas. The bill modifies existing licensing procedures without changing the substantive standards for facility operations.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 2778: Relating to the amount of an expenditure that may be paid by an emergency services district employee without board approval.

SB 2778 raises the spending threshold for emergency services district employees from $2,000 to $50,000 without requiring board approval for purchases. This change directly affects employees in Texas emergency services districts who handle district funds. The bill amends the Health and Safety Code to allow these employees to approve expenditures up to $50,000 without prior board review, streamlining routine spending. The new rule applies only to purchases made on or after September 1, 2025, with pre-existing purchases governed by the previous $2,000 limit.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3112: Relating to the application of the open meetings law and public information law to government information related to certain cybersecurity measures.

HB 3112 creates exceptions to Texas's open meetings law and public information law for government cybersecurity activities related to critical infrastructure. It allows government bodies to hold closed meetings and withhold specific cybersecurity information - including incident response plans, system configurations, and insurance details - from public disclosure when protecting facilities like power grids, water treatment plants, dams, or natural gas systems. The law applies only to information directly tied to protecting these critical infrastructure facilities within a government body's jurisdiction. This change aims to prevent exposing vulnerabilities while maintaining transparency for other government operations.

Topics ✓ Technology

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2128: Relating to a study of rural firefighting and technical rescue service capabilities.

HB 2128 directs the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service to study disparities between rural and urban firefighting and technical rescue capabilities. The study will examine funding gaps, staffing shortages, access to affordable training, and other relevant factors. The service must submit findings and recommendations to state leaders by December 1, 2026, with the bill expiring September 1, 2027. This procedural bill does not change existing services but aims to inform future policy based on identified gaps.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2522: Relating to fingerprinting requirements for the issuance of dealer general distinguishing numbers to certain persons.

HB 2522 requires the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to collect fingerprints from only one manager or employee per 100-mile radius cluster of locations for dealers applying for or renewing a "dealer general distinguishing number" for 75 or more locations. This replaces previous requirements that would have needed fingerprints for each individual location. The bill directly affects large auto dealers operating across multiple sites, streamlining the application process by allowing a single fingerprint set to cover all locations within a 100-mile radius of the employee's regular workplace. The change applies to original applications and renewals, effective September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3803: Relating to the confidentiality and disclosure of certain financial information of perpetual care cemeteries and perpetual care trust funds.

HB 3803 makes financial information about perpetual care cemeteries and their trust funds confidential under Texas law, directly affecting cemetery operators, trust fund managers, and the Texas Department of Health and Safety. The bill prohibits the state agency from disclosing this financial data (except through published statements) without authorization, requiring that any disclosure to other government agencies must be deemed necessary for public safety or law enforcement. Key provisions include mandating confidentiality for all non-public financial records obtained through examinations and allowing limited disclosure only when the commissioner determines it serves the public interest. This law applies to all perpetual care cemeteries operating in Texas and takes effect immediately.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 12: Relating to the review and audit of certain state agency operations.

HB 12 requires the State Commission on Governmental Operations to review state agencies that regulate activities through licensing, such as professional or business licensing boards. The bill mandates that these agencies post online notices about the review process and public participation opportunities, and regulatory agencies must also notify licensees and seek their input. The commission must include findings, recommendations, and a 10-year performance analysis for regulatory agencies in its final report. This applies to state agencies in the executive branch with statewide licensing authority (excluding river authorities) and became effective September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2071: Relating to certain policies and procedures for health care specialty consultations in certain child abuse or neglect investigations and assessments.

HB 2071 requires child protective services to refer suspected abuse or neglect cases involving medical consultations to specific, independent physicians who weren’t previously involved in the case. It mandates that parents or guardians receive all medical records - including imaging and test results - before referrals and ensures independent medical reviews resolve disagreements about injury causes. The bill also prohibits barriers to parents obtaining records for second opinions or additional testing. This directly affects parents, child welfare departments, hospitals, and healthcare providers involved in abuse investigations. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 1467: Relating to death records maintained by the vital statistics unit of the Department of State Health Services and provided to certain hospitals.

Texas bill SB 1467 requires the Department of State Health Services to create a procedure for sharing specific death information with hospitals licensed under Chapter 241. This information includes the deceased person’s county of residence, date of birth, and full name for each death certificate filed in Texas. The purpose is to help these hospitals participate in the state’s Medicaid managed care program. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and does not change existing death certificate filing requirements.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 130: Relating to genetic information security for residents of this state; providing a civil penalty; providing a private cause of action.

HB 130, the Texas Genomic Act of 2025, prohibits medical facilities, research organizations, companies, and nonprofits conducting genome sequencing in Texas from providing residents' genetic data to foreign adversaries. It creates a private right for individuals to sue entities that violate this rule and imposes civil penalties for noncompliance. The law applies to any entity handling human genome sequencing or testing within the state, defining "foreign adversary" per federal regulations. This policy directly affects organizations processing genetic data in Texas, requiring them to safeguard residents' information from unauthorized foreign access. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor.

Topics ✓ Technology

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2254: Relating to certain health care services contract arrangements entered into by insurers and health care providers.

HB 2254 allows health insurance companies to contract with primary care physicians or primary care physician groups using value-based payment models (like fixed payments for defined services) or traditional fee-for-service arrangements, without classifying these contracts as insurance. It directly affects insurers and primary care providers (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics physicians/groups), clarifying that such contracts do not make providers "engaged in the business of insurance." The bill prohibits insurers from reducing fees or forcing participation in these arrangements, requiring equal treatment for providers who choose not to join value-based or capitated payment programs. This changes how insurers and primary care providers structure financial agreements for routine patient care.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Bill results