Texas Bills

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 519: Relating to honey production operations and the harvesting and packaging of honey and honeycomb.

HB 519 exempts small-scale beekeepers (producing under 2,500 pounds of honey yearly) from being classified as "food service establishments" and prohibits local health departments from regulating their honey production or packaging. It requires these beekeepers to label honey with net weight (in both systems), their name/address, and a statement noting the product was packaged in a facility not inspected by Texas health authorities. The bill also classifies honey from such operations as a "raw agricultural commodity" under state law. This directly affects small beekeepers selling directly to consumers at farms, markets, or events, reducing regulatory burdens while maintaining labeling transparency.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 1055: Relating to permit fees for groundwater wells imposed by the Southeast Texas Groundwater Conservation District.

SB 1055 caps permit fees for groundwater wells in the Southeast Texas Groundwater Conservation District at seven cents per thousand gallons withdrawn. The bill directly affects well permit holders, including agricultural, residential, and commercial users relying on groundwater in that district. It amends state law to set this maximum fee, preventing the district from charging more. The law took effect immediately upon the Governor's signature on June 20, 2025.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 2069: Relating to the establishment of a work group to conduct a study on the feasibility of implementing an acute psychiatric bed registry.

SB 2069 requires Texas' Health and Human Services Commission to create a 15-member work group to study whether a statewide or regional registry tracking available acute psychiatric beds at hospitals would be feasible. The work group must include representatives from hospitals (rural, urban, and large-population counties), mental health associations, technology experts, and public health professionals. The group must complete its study and submit a report to the legislature by November 1, 2027, detailing findings on implementing such a registry. This bill directly affects mental health facilities and patients seeking inpatient psychiatric care by examining a potential system to improve bed availability transparency.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 904: Relating to the licensing and regulation of hearing instrument fitters and dispensers.

This bill updates the rules for licensing and regulating hearing instrument fitters and dispensers in Texas. It requires the state commission to create new rules that standardize written contracts, record-keeping, and a 30-day trial period for hearing instrument purchases. These rules must be written in plain language that is easy for average consumers to understand. The bill also allows license renewals for professionals who missed continuing education requirements due to serious illness or disability.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 1300: Relating to the prosecution and punishment of the criminal offense of organized retail theft; increasing criminal penalties.

SB 1300 defines "organized retail theft" as stealing from a merchant through coordinated actions (e.g., acting in concert with others), multiple incidents within 180 days, or benefiting from such theft. It changes how stolen item value is calculated for sentencing by using the merchant's posted sales price (including tax) instead of market value, and makes it easier for prosecutors to prove cases by allowing indictments to reference merchants and aggregate value ranges rather than listing each item. The bill also establishes price tags as evidence of both value and merchant ownership, streamlining prosecutions. This law directly affects Texas retailers and individuals convicted of organized retail theft, with increased penalties for the offense.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 35: Relating to a peer support network for first responders.

HB 35 creates a state-mandated peer support network for Texas first responders, directly affecting emergency medical services personnel and firefighters. The law requires the state agency to develop peer-to-peer support programs, provide suicide prevention training for peer coordinators, and ensure confidential access to mental health resources at no cost to responders. It also mandates annual reports tracking participation numbers, peer training outcomes, regional facility locations, and program evaluations. The network aims to improve mental health support across both urban and rural communities while protecting participant privacy under confidentiality rules.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 4751: Relating to the establishment and administration of the Texas Quantum Initiative.

HB 4751 establishes the Texas Quantum Initiative to position Texas as a national leader in quantum technology. The initiative, administered by the Governor's office with a 7-member executive committee appointed by the Governor, focuses on accelerating quantum computing, networking, and sensing technologies into the state's economy. Key provisions include developing a strategic plan for quantum leadership, identifying workforce training needs, supporting existing quantum industries, and building a quantum manufacturing supply chain. The bill directly affects Texas' economic development strategy, regulatory stakeholders, higher education institutions, and quantum technology industries within the state.

Topics ✓ Technology

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2012: Relating to regulation by certain counties of roadside or parking lot vendors and solicitors.

HB 2012 allows counties with populations over 1.3 million (or adjacent to counties over 4 million) to regulate roadside and parking lot vendors/solicitors in unincorporated areas. It authorizes county commissioners to control food/merchandise sales (including live animals), vendor structures, and money solicitation on public roads or in parking lots. The law applies only to unincorporated areas outside city limits and takes effect September 1, 2025. This directly affects vendors operating in those specific counties' rural or suburban zones.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3370: Relating to late applications for the appraisal of land for ad valorem tax purposes as qualified timber land following the death of the owner of the land.

HB 3370 allows Texas landowners to file late applications for timber land appraisal after inheriting property from a deceased owner. It specifically permits surviving spouses, children, or estate executors to apply for tax appraisal adjustments within the property tax delinquency period, provided the land was previously appraised and ownership changed due to death. The bill waives the standard 10% penalty for late filings when these conditions are met, ensuring inherited timber land qualifies for lower tax rates without financial penalty. This directly affects Texas landowners who inherit timber-producing property and need to adjust their property tax valuation following a death.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 4449: Relating to the sale of alcoholic beverages in areas annexed by certain municipalities.

HB 4449 requires certain municipalities (those wholly within counties containing parts of U.S. Highways 60 and 87 with populations over 12,000) to automatically extend their existing alcohol sales status (wet or dry) to any newly annexed areas. This eliminates the need for a separate local vote on alcohol sales in annexed territories. The law applies to all annexations occurring before, during, or after its effective date of September 1, 2025. It directly affects residents and businesses in annexed areas of qualifying municipalities by aligning their alcohol regulations with the municipality’s current status.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 3053: Relating to the powers and duties and validating certain acts and proceedings of the Hunter Ranch Improvement District No. 1 of Denton County, Texas.

SB 3053 validates all prior actions taken by the Hunter Ranch Improvement District No. 1 of Denton County, Texas, before the bill's effective date, removing legal uncertainty about those decisions. It also amends bond limits for the district: future bonds secured by property taxes cannot exceed 10% of the district's total property value, and bonds tied to contracts cannot exceed 10% of all property value across districts making those payments. The bill does not create new powers but confirms the district retains all existing authority. This validation applies to all acts except those already ruled invalid by court judgment or currently in litigation. The bill took effect immediately on June 20, 2025, after passing both chambers.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 793: Relating to the confidentiality of certain personal information of an applicant for or a person protected by a protective order.

HB 793 protects the personal information of individuals seeking or receiving protective orders in Texas. It allows applicants and protected persons to request that their mailing address, county of residence, workplace, school, or child-care facility details be kept confidential from public records and the respondent. Courts must then maintain these details in a private file, exclude them from protective orders, and specifically ask affected individuals at hearings if they want this confidentiality. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, applying to all new and existing protective orders under the Family Code.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill results