Texas Bills

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 5655: Relating to the creation of the Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 13; granting a limited power of eminent domain; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes.

HB 5655 creates Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 13 to manage water control and improvement within its boundaries. The district will directly affect property owners in the designated area by authorizing it to collect assessments, fees, and taxes for its operations. Key provisions include granting limited eminent domain power for necessary infrastructure, the authority to issue bonds for capital projects, and the ability to impose fees for water management services. The bill establishes the district's governance structure, including board elections and requirements for municipal consent before implementation. This legislation enables the district to address local water management needs, such as stormwater control and waste water handling, as defined by Texas law.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 965: Relating to the right of a public school employee to engage in religious speech or prayer while on duty.

SB 965 protects public school employees in Texas (including teachers and staff) from being restricted from engaging in religious speech or prayer during work hours. It prohibits school districts or charter schools from infringing on this right unless they have a compelling state interest that cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies directly to all public school employees in Texas. This is a policy change that defines when schools may limit religious expression, not a requirement for employees to engage in it.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2524: Relating to the recovery of fees, court costs, and expenses in family law proceedings.

HB 2524 amends Texas Family Code sections to streamline the recovery of legal costs in divorce cases. It allows courts to order one spouse to pay the other's reasonable attorney fees, court costs, and expenses directly to the attorney, who can then enforce payment in their own name. The bill applies to all dissolution of marriage proceedings and temporary orders during appeals. This change simplifies the process for attorneys to collect fees without requiring clients to first receive the funds. The law became effective September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 2: Relating to public education and public school finance.

HB 2 amends Texas education law to change how public school districts and charter schools compensate teachers. It requires schools to implement performance-based pay systems where teacher salaries differentiate based on appraisals, prohibits routine across-the-board raises, and mandates that all teachers be eligible for designations like "master" or "exemplary" based on evaluations. The bill also establishes criteria for districts to qualify for enhanced teacher incentive funding, including strategic evaluation systems for principals and placing highly effective teachers at high-need campuses. This directly affects school districts, charter schools, and classroom teachers by restructuring compensation and evaluation practices.

Topics ✓ Education

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3146: Relating to certain hearings conducted by the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

HB 3146 amends Texas law to clarify that the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) directly conducts certain state agency hearings, replacing previous language requiring "cooperation with" SOAH. The bill updates sections in the Agriculture, Human Resources, Labor, and Transportation Codes to specify that SOAH administrative law judges will either enter final decisions or propose decisions to agency commissioners for final action. This affects state agencies that use SOAH for hearings and the individuals or businesses participating in those proceedings. The bill was signed into law on June 20, 2025, and takes effect September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3041: Relating to measures to support the enrollment of students with a nontraditional secondary education at public institutions of higher education, including eligibility for certain student financial assistance programs.

HB 3041 changes admission policies at The University of Texas at Austin to better support students who completed nontraditional secondary education (like homeschooling or alternative programs). It requires UT Austin to use standardized test score benchmarks instead of high school class rank when admitting these students, ensuring consistent admission rates compared to traditionally educated peers. This policy applies specifically to first-time resident undergraduate students and connects to their eligibility for state financial aid programs, as outlined in the bill's title. The bill was enacted in June 2025.

Topics ✓ Education

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 107: Relating to the establishment of the sickle cell disease registry.

HB 107 establishes a statewide sickle cell disease registry under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 52B. It requires hospitals and other treatment facilities to submit patient data to the state health department, creating a centralized database of all sickle cell disease cases in Texas. The registry must include case records and additional relevant information to aid in treatment and research, with strict confidentiality protections for patients under federal privacy laws. The department will analyze the data, publish findings for medical professionals and the public, and submit annual reports to the legislature. This affects all Texas healthcare facilities treating sickle cell disease patients and ensures patient data is securely managed for medical advancement.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Technology

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 5665: Relating to the creation of the Waller County Municipal Utility District No. 70; granting a limited power of eminent domain; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes.

HB 5665 creates Waller County Municipal Utility District No. 70 to provide water, sewer, and other utility services in specific areas of Waller County. The bill grants the district limited power to acquire private property (eminent domain) for utility infrastructure, authority to issue bonds for project financing, and the ability to impose taxes, fees, and assessments on properties within its boundaries. This district directly affects property owners in the designated territory who will pay associated costs. The bill became effective immediately after being signed by the governor on June 20, 2025, establishing the legal framework for the district's operations.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 4454: Relating to solicitation of patients and other prohibited marketing practices, the establishment of the task force on patient solicitation, and the prosecution of certain related criminal offenses.

HB 4454 creates a task force to study and address deceptive patient solicitation practices by healthcare facilities. The task force, composed of eight members (four appointed by the executive commissioner and four by the attorney general with healthcare or advertising expertise), will examine violations of existing laws prohibiting misleading marketing under Health and Safety Code Chapter 164 and Occupations Code Chapter 102. It must submit annual reports to the legislature by December 1 of even-numbered years, summarizing enforcement actions and recommending improvements to prevent deceptive practices. The bill directly affects mental health and chemical dependency treatment facilities by strengthening oversight mechanisms for their advertising and patient recruitment.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 20, 2025

SB 75: Relating to the resilience of the electric grid and certain municipalities.

Texas Senate Bill 75 (SB 75) is a finding bill that establishes legislative justification for improving electric grid resilience, directly affecting vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure. The bill cites the 2021 and 2011 statewide power outages as evidence of grid vulnerabilities, highlighting disproportionate risks to elderly, underprivileged populations, and communities near industrial facilities like refineries. It emphasizes Texas' unique position as a net energy exporter with a self-contained grid and identifies weatherization of generation infrastructure as a key focus area to prevent future failures. The bill passed unanimously in committee and became law on June 20, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.

Topics ✓ Energy

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 3181: Relating to the enforcement of a court order for possession of or access to a child and related order modifications.

HB 3181 modifies Texas family law to address repeated violations of court-ordered child visitation. It directly affects parents or conservators who have been found in contempt of court at least three times for denying a child's scheduled access. The bill requires courts to automatically modify existing visitation orders in such cases and prohibits community supervision (probation) for repeat offenders. Additionally, courts cannot waive attorney fees for these repeat violations, and must order extra visitation time to compensate for denied access. These changes aim to strengthen enforcement of court-ordered parenting plans.

signed · Texas · House Jun 20, 2025

HB 4765: Relating to the regulation of code enforcement officers and code enforcement officers in training.

HB 4765 establishes registration requirements for code enforcement officers and officers in training in Texas. It defines "code enforcement officer" as someone working for state or local government who conducts code enforcement, and "officer in training" as someone supervised by a registered officer. The bill requires individuals to hold a valid registration certificate (including passing an exam and having one year of experience) to use the title "code enforcement officer," while exempting those already licensed under other state laws. Local governments may still hire unregistered staff if they qualify for the exemption under Section 1952.002.

Bill results