HB 3088 allows Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to purchase goods and services needed for items it resells (like licenses or merchandise) using any procurement method approved by its commission, as long as the method provides the best value to the department. This change directly affects the department's ability to manage its resale operations more flexibly. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and does not alter existing resale policies or require new funding.
HB 3153 requires facilities like residential treatment centers, juvenile detention centers, and homeless shelters to conduct criminal history checks and employment verifications for all staff, volunteers, and contractors who may have direct contact with children. It applies to the Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Juvenile Justice Department, counties, and municipalities. The law mandates that facilities review state criminal records and verify employment for anyone potentially providing care, supervision, control, or routine interaction with children at these locations. This policy change aims to prevent physical or sexual abuse by ensuring background checks for all individuals in direct contact with children. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.
SB 2073 amends Texas law to clarify that county property tax offices (appraisal districts) may purchase, lease, or construct improvements to real property for their offices. It requires approval from 75% of the taxing units that appoint the district's board for property acquisitions or construction, but not for financing these actions. The bill establishes a process where the chief appraiser must notify taxing unit governing bodies of proposed property actions, giving them 30 days to approve or disapprove. This applies only to proposals notified on or after the bill's September 1, 2023 effective date. The law directly affects county appraisal districts and the taxing units that govern them.
HB 3909 prohibits the use of wireless communication devices (like cell phones) within 100 feet of voting stations or in rooms where electronic pollbooks are used for voting. It directly affects voters, poll workers, and election officials at polling locations. The bill requires presiding judges to post visible notices about this restriction outside voting areas. The law took effect on September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor on June 20, 2025.
HB 4144 creates supplemental benefits for retired firefighters and peace officers diagnosed with specific illnesses (cancer, heart attack, or stroke) within three years of retirement. It requires governmental entities to provide a benefit capped at $100,000 (or the retiree's final annual salary, whichever is lower), payable as a lump sum or over three months, with annual adjustments tied to inflation. The benefit does not apply to entities already offering comparable health coverage to retirees. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies only to retirements occurring on or after January 1, 2026.
SB 1567 prohibits Texas home-rule municipalities from adopting zoning rules that limit the number of people occupying a dwelling unit based on age, familial status, occupation, relationship status, or family relationships. It directly affects homeowners, renters, and local governments in cities with home-rule authority by restricting certain occupancy regulations. The bill allows municipalities to still enforce occupancy limits based on health and safety standards from building codes, fire codes, health department rules, or affordable housing guidelines. Property owners can sue municipalities for violating this law and recover damages and attorney fees. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.
SB 1677 requires Texas' Higher Education Coordinating Board to select a top-tier research university to study ways to prevent and reduce diabetes-related amputations. The designated institution must collaborate with the state health department and medical experts to analyze amputation data, develop prevention strategies, and recommend policies - such as improving insurance coverage for diabetic foot ulcer treatments and increasing public awareness. The study will focus on best practices for avoiding amputations, expanding access to care, and enhancing coordination among healthcare providers. This bill directly affects the selected university and aims to inform future health policies impacting diabetes patients in Texas.
This bill restructures Texas' space industry governance by updating the Texas Space Commission's duties and creating a new Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium. It directs the aerospace office to analyze state research, develop industry strategies, and partner with education boards to support space-related jobs and infrastructure. The bill abolishes the existing spaceport trust fund and replaces it with a new process for recommending funding levels for spaceport projects. It directly affects Texas' aerospace industry, spaceport operators, and higher education institutions involved in space-related programs.
HB 4520 requires Texas airports seeking state loans or grants to maintain control over facilities for 20 years, disclose all funding sources and financial capabilities, and secure at least 10% non-state funding (5% in economically disadvantaged counties). It also mandates adequate project planning before state approval. The law applies to all airports receiving state aviation funding and takes effect September 1, 2025. This replaces prior requirements under Transportation Code Section 21.114.
HB 3619 requires the Railroad Commission of Texas to restore the surface of land to its original topography after plugging or replugging a well, unless the surface landowner declines this service. It also ensures surface owners retain access to their property during these operations and shields them from liability claims related to the plugging process. The law applies to wells plugged or replugged on or after September 1, 2025, directly affecting landowners where oil and gas wells are being decommissioned. Key provisions include mandatory land restoration for natural regrowth and liability protections for landowners, the Commission, and operators acting in good faith under the Natural Resources Code.
HB 3928 allows vehicle storage facilities in Texas to provide notice of a towed vehicle to the owner and primary lender via a third-party internet website (instead of only a newspaper) under specific circumstances. This applies when the vehicle is registered in another state, the owner's address is missing, the vehicle lacks visible registration plates, or the facility cannot identify the owner or lender. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles must link to these approved third-party websites on its own website. The bill directly affects vehicle storage facilities (who must use this method when conditions apply) and vehicle owners (who may receive notice online instead of in print). It takes effect September 1, 2025.
HB 654, known as the Asp-Morgan Act, allows courts to dismiss criminal charges for minor deer hunting violations where antler spread measurements differ by one inch or less from legal limits. It applies to hunters who report the violation to a game warden before leaving the site, avoid keeping the deer carcass, have no prior similar violations, plead guilty, and complete a hunter education course. If they finish the course and avoid further violations during an 180-day deferral period, the charge is dismissed without creating a conviction record. This policy directly affects hunters who make minor measurement errors in deer hunting, offering an alternative to conviction through education rather than punishment.
