Texas Bills

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 1709: Relating to the designation of a portion of Farm to Market Road 70 in Nueces County as the Los Robles Trail.

This bill designates a specific segment of Farm to Market Road 70 in Nueces County as the Los Robles Trail, affecting local transportation infrastructure. The legislation requires the Texas Department of Transportation to install markers at the trail's endpoints and at intermediate locations to identify the designated route. This official designation is in addition to any existing names for the road and does not alter its function as a public highway. The law became effective on September 1, 2025, following the governor's signature.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2340: Relating to the qualifications, communications, and recordkeeping of a child custody evaluator and the admissibility of a child custody evaluation under certain circumstances.

HB 2340 updates Texas law for child custody evaluators by requiring them to complete three hours of specialized training on intellectual or developmental disabilities within two years before conducting an evaluation. It clarifies that evaluators must make their records available to attorneys, parties, or court-appointed representatives upon written request (unless a court restricts disclosure), and defines key terms like "intellectual disability" based on existing health codes. The bill directly affects private evaluators and those working with domestic relations offices in custody cases involving children with these disabilities. These changes aim to standardize evaluator qualifications and improve transparency in record access during custody proceedings.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 510: Relating to the failure of a voter registrar to comply with voter registration laws.

SB 510 requires Texas voter registrars (county election officials) to timely complete specific voter registration duties, such as processing registration changes or scheduling hearings. If a registrar fails to meet these deadlines, the Secretary of State may withhold state funds distributed under Chapters 19 or 31. Registrars can regain funds by completing the required duty within 30 days of the funds being withheld. The bill directly affects county election offices and aims to ensure timely voter registration processing. It takes effect September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 2406: Relating to the Sabine River Authority of Texas, following recommendations of the Sunset Advisory Commission; specifying term lengths and grounds for the removal of a member of the board of directors.

SB 2406 updates rules for the Sabine River Authority of Texas board of directors. It specifies five clear grounds for removing a board member: failing to meet qualifications, violating ethics laws, inability to serve due to illness, excessive unexcused absences (over 50% of meetings), or losing qualifications during service. The bill also adjusts the Sunset Review schedule, requiring the Authority to undergo review every 12 years starting in 2025 instead of 2037. The changes apply directly to the Authority’s board members and take effect September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2789: Relating to the regulation of child welfare, including licensure, community-based care contractors, family homes, and child-care facilities.

This bill changes Texas child welfare regulations by exempting certain contractors providing foster care services from needing a child-placing agency license, while requiring them to still follow all other safety and health laws. It adds specific immunization requirements for children entering care facilities, including vaccines for diseases like measles and hepatitis A. The bill also increases required liability insurance coverage for facilities from $100,000 to $300,000 per incident to protect children. These changes apply directly to child welfare service providers, facilities, and the children in their care.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 2514: Relating to establishing the hostile foreign adversaries unit at the Department of Public Safety and training, prohibitions, and reporting requirements designed to combat foreign influence and foreign adversary operations; creating a criminal offense.

SB 2514 establishes a "hostile foreign organizations unit" within the Texas Department of Public Safety to identify, investigate, and track foreign influence operations conducted by foreign governments through covert means. It requires all state employees to complete annual training on recognizing and reporting such operations - including those linked to foreign adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department - and mandates new reporting requirements for suspected activities. The bill also creates a criminal offense for violations of its prohibitions and requires the unit to develop a strategy for combating foreign influence in collaboration with federal and local agencies. This affects all state employees through training obligations and the new DPS unit’s operations.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 2587: Relating to the access to and use of certain criminal history record information, to the procedure for obtaining that information, and to the correct terminology for certain licenses the issuance of which requires a criminal history background check.

SB 2587 limits how Texas agencies can share criminal history records used in insurance licensing background checks. It restricts the Consumer Credit Commissioner from disclosing these records except to the person they concern, with their consent, by court order, or in specific hearings. The bill also clarifies that the Texas Department of Insurance may access criminal history records only for applicants or license holders in specific insurance-related roles (like agents, brokers, or corporate officers) under defined licensing chapters. This directly affects insurance applicants, license holders, and insurance companies requiring background checks. The change focuses on preventing unauthorized sharing of sensitive criminal history data during licensing processes.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 918: Relating to the licensing and regulation of orthotists and prosthetists.

SB 918 allows Texas licensing authorities to grant exemptions from specific education, training, or exam requirements for orthotists and prosthetists who demonstrate unique qualifications. Applicants must provide evidence of specialized skills or experience to the licensing commission, rather than meeting all standard requirements. Approved applicants receive a full license with identical privileges to fully licensed peers but are exempt from the waived requirements during license renewal. This change applies only to applications submitted on or after September 1, 2025, leaving pre-existing applications governed by prior law.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 1306: Relating to certain claims for benefits or compensation by a death investigation professional.

HB 1306 ensures death investigation professionals in Texas - such as justice of the peace officers, death investigators under Article 49.23, and medical examiner staff - are reimbursed for preventative medical care after exposure to contagious diseases during work. It requires counties to cover these costs when exposure occurs while conducting or assisting in an inquest (death investigation), and specifies that treatment must be preventative (not for ordinary illnesses). The bill also guarantees these professionals the right to choose their physician for such care and access preventative immunizations for work-related disease exposure. This applies directly to county-employed death investigation staff and aligns their benefits with other public safety employees under existing government code provisions.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2851: Relating to including nursing school applications in a consolidated application service.

HB 2851 requires Texas' centralized health education application service (currently used for medical and dental schools) to include nursing school applications starting in fall 2027. It creates an advisory board of nursing program representatives to develop and implement this integration, with a final plan due by January 2026. The bill directly affects nursing schools and prospective nursing students in Texas by consolidating their application process into one online system. The advisory board and related provisions expire September 1, 2027, but the application consolidation applies to the 2027 fall admissions cycle.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 5308: Relating to certain authorities of the adjutant general for procurement and construction.

HB 5308 clarifies and expands the authority of Texas' adjutant general regarding military facility management. The bill explicitly designates the adjutant general as the decision-maker for military force location, maintenance, and facility priorities across Texas. It grants the adjutant general formal authority as a "public authority" to handle all procurement, construction, renovation, repair, and maintenance of state-owned or leased military armories and facilities. This change streamlines decision-making for military infrastructure without creating new programs or funding. The bill took effect September 1, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 1700: Relating to certain records of a health professional providing a telemedicine medical service, teledentistry dental service, or telehealth service.

HB 1700 requires Texas health regulatory agencies to create standardized rules for recording patient consent related to telemedicine, teledentistry, and telehealth services. It specifically mandates consistent formats and retention for consent documentation covering treatment, data collection, and data sharing. The rules must address differences between service types (medical, dental, or general telehealth) and include requirements for audio-only consent documentation. This law affects health professionals providing remote care and the agencies that regulate them, taking effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Technology

Bill results