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Texas Bills

Track legislation and stay informed about the bills that matter to you.

State Legislature US Congress

All 49,874 Active 26,361 In committee 23,933 Passed 17,440 Signed 5,309 Failed 583

passed · Texas · Senate May 21, 2025

SR 553: Recognizing the 2025 University of Houston Hobby School Fellows.

This resolution honors the 2025 University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs Fellows - Alexis Boehmer, Erick Garcia, and nine other students - for their internship work supporting Texas legislators during the 89th Session. It commends their contributions to the legislative process, including assisting with meetings, constituent engagement, and policy research. The resolution provides each Fellow with a formal copy as a token of recognition from the Texas Senate. As a commemorative resolution, it has no policy impact and serves solely to acknowledge their service.

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 4755: Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to use hotel occupancy tax revenue for certain venue projects.

HB 4755 allows specific Texas municipalities to use hotel occupancy tax revenue for certain venue projects, primarily convention centers and cultural facilities. It defines three types of qualifying cities: those bordering the Rio Grande with pre-2009 venue projects, border county cities meeting population criteria without larger cities, and small coastal cities (pop. ≤25,000) with cultural heritage museums. The bill amends tax code to authorize these cities to impose and use hotel taxes for capital projects like convention center construction or expansion, requiring adoption of a formal capital improvement plan. This directly affects eligible cities meeting the population, location, and project criteria outlined in the legislation.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 3241: Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to use certain tax revenue for hotel and convention center projects.

HB 3241 expands the authority of specific Texas municipalities to use hotel and convention center tax revenue for related projects. It applies to cities meeting defined population and geographic criteria, such as those with populations over 95,000 in certain counties or bordering landmarks like Lake Lewisville. The bill allows these qualifying cities to pledge existing hotel/convention tax revenue to fund project-related obligations, without creating new taxes. This policy change directly affects eligible municipalities by providing a clearer legal pathway to finance convention facilities and hotel developments.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 2370: Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to use hotel occupancy tax revenue for certain venue projects.

HB 2370 allows certain Texas municipalities (with 70,000-180,000 residents in counties bordering Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico) to use hotel occupancy tax revenue specifically for convention centers built before January 1, 2023. The law permits these cities to impose the tax only for financing such pre-2023 convention centers, with the tax authority expiring on the earlier of when the project debt is repaid or January 1, 2054. This bill amends the Local Government Code to clarify and limit the use of hotel tax revenue for these specific venue projects in designated border communities. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 3169: Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to use certain tax revenue derived from a hotel and convention center project.

HB 3169 allows specific qualifying municipalities to use hotel and convention center tax revenue for related project obligations. It amends the Texas Tax Code to define 16 distinct categories of cities (e.g., those with populations over 95,000 bordering Lake Lewisville, or located in counties with specific population thresholds) that can now access this revenue stream. The key provision expands eligibility for cities that meet precise demographic or geographic criteria to pledge tax revenue toward financing hotel/convention center projects. This is a policy change affecting only the listed municipal types, not creating new taxes or broadly altering revenue rules.

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 4327: Relating to wrongful death actions for the benefit of siblings of the decedent.

HB 4327 amends Texas law to allow siblings of a deceased person to file wrongful death lawsuits alongside spouses, children, or parents. The bill explicitly adds "siblings" to the list of eligible plaintiffs who may bring such actions "for the benefit of all" surviving family members. This change applies only to cases filed on or after September 1, 2025, with older cases governed by previous law. The legislation does not alter damages or court procedures, only expands who can initiate these lawsuits.

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 5499: Relating to towing fee studies and the amount of nonconsent towing fees in certain political subdivisions; authorizing an increase in existing fees; authorizing a fee.

HB 5499 requires cities and counties with populations over 1 million to conduct biennial studies on nonconsent towing fees (towing when car owners don’t agree). It mandates that local governments set these fees based on the fair value of towing services, using data from the studies. If they fail to set fees properly, the default rate becomes the state’s established fee. The bill directly affects towing companies (who charge these fees) and vehicle owners (who pay them) in large Texas jurisdictions, while ensuring fees align with actual service costs.

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 869: Relating to the review and revision by the state's classification officer of information in the position classification plan regarding state information technology positions.

HB 869 requires Texas' state classification officer to periodically review and update how state information technology (IT) positions are classified. The bill mandates that these reviews align state IT job titles, classifications, and descriptions with comparable private-sector roles, and shift focus from degree/certification requirements to competency-based language emphasizing needed skills and knowledge. The classification officer must implement required changes to the position classification plan and submit a report by October 1, 2026, detailing the initial review and any revisions. This directly affects state IT employees and the process for classifying their roles across Texas government agencies.

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 3066: Relating to the entitlement of certain municipalities to certain tax revenue associated with hotel and convention center projects.

HB 3066 extends the period during which certain Texas municipalities can collect hotel occupancy tax revenue from qualifying hotel and convention center projects. Regular municipalities receive tax revenue for 10 years from a hotel's opening date, while municipalities with qualifying projects (defined under Tax Code Section 351.152(46)) receive it for 20 years. The bill also creates a repayment mechanism: if the state collected more tax revenue from the same sources during the extended period (years 10-20 for regular, 20-40 for qualifying projects), the municipality must repay the difference to the state. This directly affects cities with large convention hotels that qualify under the law, altering their long-term tax revenue streams.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 3196: Relating to the authority of certain municipalities to receive certain tax revenue derived from a hotel and convention center project and to pledge certain tax revenue for the payment of obligations related to the project.

HB 3196 allows specific qualifying Texas municipalities to receive and pledge tax revenue from hotel and convention center projects to cover project-related debts. It amends the Tax Code to define eligible cities, including those meeting population thresholds (e.g., 200,000+ residents with a Texas Tech University component) or geographic criteria (e.g., bordering Lake Lewisville or containing Cedar Hill State Park). The bill establishes a mechanism for these cities to use revenue from such projects to pay for development obligations. This policy change directly affects designated cities meeting the enumerated population and location requirements.

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 4926: Relating to authorizing certain counties to impose a hotel occupancy tax and the use of revenue from that tax.

HB 4926 authorizes specific small Texas counties (population under 100,000, bordering the Navasota River, and hosting an annual Renaissance Festival) to impose a hotel occupancy tax. The tax rate cannot exceed 7% for most hotels, but is limited to 2% if the hotel is in a municipality already taxing hotels. Revenue from this tax must be used exclusively for: (1) building/maintaining civic centers with arenas for rodeos/agricultural events, (2) tourism promotion, or (3) historical preservation efforts. Nonprofit hotels (501(c)(3)) are exempt from this tax.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

passed · Texas · House May 21, 2025

HB 876: Relating to the establishment of certain information sharing and analysis organizations by the Department of Information Resources.

HB 876 requires the Texas Department of Information Resources to establish an intrastate information sharing organization where state agencies, local governments, public/private colleges, and private businesses can share cybersecurity threat details, best practices, and solutions. It also permits the department to create an interstate organization for Texas to share similar cybersecurity information with other states. The bill mandates the department provide administrative support for these organizations and clarifies that shared cybersecurity information is exempt from public disclosure requests under state and federal law. The measure takes effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Technology