Texas Bills

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

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 3048: Relating to the creation of the Bluebonnet Hills Municipal Management District No. 1; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes; granting a limited power of eminent domain.

SB 3048 creates the Bluebonnet Hills Municipal Management District No. 1, a special district in the Bluebonnet Hills area near Midlothian, Texas. The bill grants the district authority to issue bonds for infrastructure, collect property assessments and fees, and use limited eminent domain powers to acquire land for development. It directly affects property owners within the district boundaries by subjecting them to these financial obligations. The district’s purpose is to promote economic development, employment, housing, and public services - supplementing but not replacing city services in the area. The bill establishes a governing board and defines the district’s public purpose under Texas constitutional provisions.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3642: Relating to the designation of portions of the state highway system as memorial highways, to certain memorial markers on certain highways, and to the installation of highway signs for certain cultural attractions.

HB 3642 designates three specific highway segments as memorial highways in Texas: U.S. Highway 183 in Eastland County as the Deputy Sheriff David Bosecker Memorial Highway, U.S. Highway 79 in Freestone and Leon Counties as the Cecil and Dorothy Bell Memorial Highway, and State Highway 315 in Panola County as the Hamby-Webb Memorial Highway. The bill requires the Texas Department of Transportation to install markers at both ends and key intermediate points along each designated highway segment. These markers will display the memorial name, the phrase "In Memory Of," and the names of the honorees. The legislation, signed into law on June 20, 2025, and effective September 1, 2025, is a commemorative measure honoring specific individuals through highway naming.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 1547: Relating to fees charged by county clerks for certain property records.

SB 1547 amends Texas Local Government Code Section 118.011 to update fees county clerks charge for property record services. It specifies exact fees for services like filing personal/real property records ($5 first page, $4 additional), certified papers ($5 certificate fee), and electronic copies (e.g., $1 for up to 10 pages, $0.10 per page over 10). The bill directly affects property owners, real estate professionals, and anyone requesting county property records who must pay these fees. It also requires clerks to follow Government Code sections 552.231 and 552.262 for non-paper copies, standardizing electronic copy pricing.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 1948: Relating to the regulation of fire prevention standards for certain agricultural facilities.

SB 1948 prohibits governmental entities from requiring fire sprinkler systems in specific agricultural facilities, including pole barns, livestock markets, cotton gins, grain storage, and commercial feed mills. It directly affects farmers, ranchers, and agricultural businesses operating these facilities by preventing new fire safety regulations that would mandate sprinkler installations. The law creates Chapter 3001 in the Government Code, explicitly restricting ordinances, rules, or measures that would impose such requirements. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies statewide to all covered facilities.

Topics ✗ Labor & Employment

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 1458: Relating to the armed security officers required to be present at public schools and the appointment of reserve police officers by a school district police department.

HB 1458 clarifies that school district police officers and reserve police officers who hold a valid peace officer license (as defined under Texas law) are officially recognized as peace officers. This affects Texas public school districts that employ security personnel or reserve officers under Education Code Sections 37.081 or 37.0816. The bill amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to explicitly include these school-affiliated officers in the definition of peace officers, ensuring their legal authority aligns with existing licensing requirements. It does not create new security mandates but formalizes the status of qualified school security personnel. The law took effect September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor on June 20, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2697: Relating to certain procedures in connection with a bond forfeiture.

HB 2697 modifies Texas criminal procedure to require bail bond companies (sureties) to notify the state prosecutor *before* filing paperwork to surrender a defendant, but only when the defendant faces felony charges. Specifically, the bill adds a new requirement (Section 1(a-1)) that sureties must inform the state attorney handling the case of their intent to surrender the defendant, in addition to existing notification rules. This change directly affects bail bond companies and state prosecutors in felony cases, streamlining communication during bond surrender processes. The policy change takes effect September 1, 2025, with no impact on misdemeanor cases.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill results