Texas Bills

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 4870: Relating to a relative and kinship care grant program administered by the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System.

HB 4870 creates a grant program administered by the Texas Office of Court Administration to provide legal assistance to relative and kinship caregivers. It directly affects low-income caregivers (at or below 400% of the federal poverty level) who are taking legal responsibility for children, such as relatives assuming care or non-parent adults seeking legal authorization. The program funds nonprofits to help with specific legal matters including consent for treatment, authorization agreements, temporary care arrangements, and custody proceedings under Texas Family Code. Grants require contracts ensuring public benefit and allow the Office to adopt rules for eligibility, application processes, and monitoring.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 2446: Relating to affidavits concerning cost and necessity of services in civil actions.

HB 2446 modifies Texas law to eliminate the requirement for an affidavit supporting medical bills in civil cases when the total charge is $50,000 or less. This directly affects claimants (like injury victims) and defendants in civil lawsuits involving medical costs under this threshold. The key change is adding a new subsection to the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, stating such small bills no longer need an affidavit to prove reasonableness or necessity. The bill applies only to cases filed on or after its effective date (September 1, 2025).

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 573: Relating to a request by a member of the legislature for an unannounced inspection of a permanent concrete batch plant by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

HB 573 allows Texas legislators to request unannounced inspections of concrete batch plants (those doing wet/dry batching or central mixing) by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. It directly affects residents in a legislator's district who submit written complaints about plants impacting them, as well as the plants themselves. The bill requires the Commission to prioritize these requests, maintain files per Water Code procedures, and provide complainants with inspection policies and notices. If denied, the Commission must explain the denial within 90 days. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Environment

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 4838: Relating to conducting an assessment of language accessibility with respect to certain health and human services programs and 2-1-1 services provided by the Texas Information and Referral Network.

HB 4838 requires Texas' Health and Human Services Commission to hire a language access coordinator to assess barriers non-English speakers face when accessing state health/human services programs and 2-1-1 services through the Texas Information and Referral Network. The coordinator must complete an assessment within one year of hiring and submit a written report to the commission's executive commissioner, summarizing findings and recommending improvements to increase language access statewide. The bill mandates this process to identify gaps in service accessibility for non-English speakers. The requirement expires June 1, 2027, and takes effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HJR 144: Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the creation of a regional mobility authority by local law.

HJR 144 proposes a constitutional amendment to allow Texas counties or cities to create regional transportation authorities through local law. If approved by voters, this would enable these authorities to build, maintain, and operate transportation projects (like roads or transit systems) across multiple jurisdictions without requiring the standard public notice for local laws. The amendment specifically removes the need for special notice when passing such local laws. This measure must be voted on by Texas voters in the November 2025 election.

Topics ✓ Transportation

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 4534: Relating to certain death benefits for certain public safety officers under public retirement systems.

HB 4534 increases lump-sum death benefits for police officers killed in the line of duty. It provides $1,000,000 to surviving spouses or children (split equally if multiple children) if the officer's death resulted directly from a single work-related injury, replacing the previous $10,000 benefit. The payment comes from a dedicated death benefit fund managed by police retirement boards, separate from other retirement system funds. This bill directly affects active police officers in Texas city departments whose deaths are certified as work-related incidents.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 678: Relating to the inclusion of the National Sexual Assault Hotline on certain student identification cards issued by a public institution of higher education.

HB 678 requires public Texas institutions of higher education to include the National Sexual Assault Hotline's contact information on student identification cards. The bill mandates that each student ID must display the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, and National Sexual Assault Hotline details. Optional information, such as campus police contacts or health clinic details, may also be printed. This requirement applies to student IDs issued on or after September 1, 2025.

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 4027: Relating to the taking of certain depositions and the dismissal of certain civil actions in connection with allegations of family violence and abusive conduct.

HB 4027 creates new rules for depositions in family violence cases. It requires petitioners seeking a deposition to disclose past protective orders or criminal complaints related to abuse, and courts must find by clear evidence the petitioner has no history of violence or harassment before approving such requests. The bill also allows courts to award attorney fees when dismissing cases deemed filed to harass, intimidate, or control an alleged victim of family violence. It directly affects individuals filing for depositions in family violence cases and Texas courts reviewing these petitions.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 3045: Relating to a franchise tax exemption for corporations operating a spaceport for certain national defense purposes.

HB 3045 exempts qualifying corporations from Texas' franchise tax if they operate a spaceport meeting two specific conditions: it must be licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the spaceport must be critical to a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense for spaceflight or launch services. This tax exemption directly affects corporations operating spaceports that support national defense contracts, reducing their state business tax burden. The bill creates a new tax exemption provision under the Texas Tax Code, effective September 1, 2025, for reports due after that date. It does not create new requirements for spaceports but modifies tax treatment for existing qualifying operations.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes

passed · Texas · Senate May 12, 2025

SB 2633: Relating to a local option election on the sale of alcoholic beverages in certain areas of a municipality and the local regulation of premises in those areas.

This bill allows certain Texas municipalities (with populations of 15,000+ in qualifying Gulf Coast counties or 240,000+ in lake-bordering multi-county areas) to create local zoning rules for alcohol sales. It authorizes city councils to regulate where bars and restaurants can operate within designated zones, using existing local government code provisions. The law does not change statewide alcohol sales rules but gives these specific cities more control over the location of alcohol-serving premises. It takes effect September 1, 2025.

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 954: Relating to the authority of a county to cancel subdivisions in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality.

HB 954 clarifies when counties can cancel subdivisions in areas outside city limits but within a municipality's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). It modifies a local government code section to specify that county authority over subdivisions applies only to property outside cities and outside ETJ areas not covered by specific agreements between cities and counties (under Sections 242.001(d)(2) or (d)(3)). This directly affects counties and municipalities in ETJ areas where such agreements exist. The bill does not create new policy but refines existing legal boundaries for subdivision approvals.

passed · Texas · House May 12, 2025

HB 3371: Relating to the recovery of certain state border security expenditures from the federal government.

HB 3371 allows Texas to seek federal reimbursement for state border security costs incurred during specific budget periods. It requires the governor to submit applications requesting $4.72 billion for the 2023 biennium and $6.54 billion for the 2025 biennium, with the attorney general authorized to sue the federal government if payments are delayed. Any recovered funds would be deposited into the state's general revenue fund. The bill expires August 31, 2026.

Topics ✗ Immigration

Bill results