Texas Bills

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 16, 2025

SB 23: Relating to an increase in the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district of the appraised value of the residence homestead of a person who is elderly or disabled and the protection of school districts against certain losses in local revenue.

SB 23 increases the school district homestead tax exemption for elderly (65+) or disabled homeowners from $10,000 to $60,000 of their home's appraised value. This directly affects eligible homeowners who qualify for the exemption and school districts that may lose local tax revenue due to the change. The bill requires the state to provide additional aid to school districts to offset revenue losses from the higher exemption, starting with the 2025-2026 school year. The state aid calculation compares current revenue to what would have been collected under the previous exemption amount. The bill was signed into law on June 16, 2025, and is now effective.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

Trey Martinez Fischer (D) Morgan Meyer (R) Diego Bernal (D) Todd Hunter (R) Paul Bettencourt (R) · 121 co-sponsors

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 16, 2025

SB 40: Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds to pay bail bonds; authorizing injunctive relief.

SB 40 prohibits local governments (like cities or counties) from using public funds to pay bail bonds through nonprofit organizations that accept public donations. It directly affects local governments and nonprofits handling bail payments, banning the use of taxpayer money for this purpose. The bill allows taxpayers or residents to seek court orders to stop such spending and recover legal fees if they win a lawsuit. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 16, 2025

SB 9: Relating to the confinement or release of defendants before trial or sentencing, including regulating charitable bail organizations, and the conditions of and procedures for setting bail and reviewing bail decisions.

SB 9 requires magistrates to document in writing within 24 hours if they determine no probable cause exists for an arrest. It mandates a detailed public safety report for bail decisions, including defendants' criminal history, pending charges, previous failures to appear, and violence-related offenses. The bill also regulates charitable bail organizations and updates procedures for setting bail conditions. These changes directly affect defendants, magistrates, and charitable bail organizations by standardizing information used in pretrial release decisions.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 16, 2025

SB 4: Relating to an increase in the amount of the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district and the protection of school districts against certain losses in local revenue.

This Texas bill (SB 4) increases the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $100,000 to $140,000 per homeowner, directly affecting residential property owners. School districts will receive additional state aid to offset revenue losses from this exemption increase, calculated as the difference between current local revenue and what would have been available before the change. The compensation mechanism applies starting with the 2023-2024 school year for the initial exemption increase and will extend to future changes proposed for 2025. This ensures school districts maintain funding stability despite reduced local tax revenue from larger homestead exemptions.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

signed · Texas · House Jun 12, 2025

HB 346: Relating to the fee amounts prescribed by the secretary of state for expedited commercial and business record searches or filings and the exemption from the franchise tax and certain filing fees for veteran-owned businesses.

HB 346 modifies fee structures for expedited business record searches and filings with Texas' Secretary of State, setting maximum fees of $15 for security interest searches and $25 for corporate filings. It repeals existing exemptions from franchise tax and certain filing fees for veteran-owned businesses, removing a prior benefit. The bill requires the Secretary of State to publish any varying fee schedules online and aligns with the law's effective date of September 1, 2025. This directly affects veteran-owned businesses (by ending tax/file fee exemptions) and all businesses using expedited services (by establishing new fee limits).

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✗ Veterans

signed · Texas · House Jun 12, 2025

HB 2464: Relating to the authority of a municipality to regulate a home-based business.

HB 2464 limits city regulations on qualifying home-based businesses by prohibiting municipalities from banning these businesses or requiring licenses, permits, or rezoning for operations that meet "no-impact" criteria. It directly affects homeowners operating small-scale businesses from residential properties that do not exceed occupancy limits, generate traffic or noise, or visibly disrupt neighborhoods. Key provisions prevent cities from mandating fire sprinklers in single-family homes or multi-family units with two or fewer residences, while still requiring compliance with basic health, safety, and noise ordinances. The bill defines "no-impact" businesses as those with minimal employees/clients, no street parking impact, invisible operations, and no noise violations. This law became effective immediately upon the governor’s signature on June 12, 2025.

Topics ✓ Housing

signed · Texas · House Jun 12, 2025

HB 9: Relating to an exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion of the appraised value of tangible personal property that is held or used for the production of income.

HB 9 creates a property tax exemption for businesses owning tangible personal property (like equipment or inventory) used to generate income. It exempts $125,000 of the appraised value of such property at each location within a taxing unit, regardless of the property's individual value. The exemption applies to all businesses holding income-producing property at a single address, and related businesses operating under a unified enterprise must aggregate their property to calculate the exemption. Additionally, businesses leasing such property receive the full $125,000 exemption for all leased items, even if located across different taxing units.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 12, 2025

SB 2268: Relating to loans and grants awarded from the Texas energy fund.

SB 2268 amends Texas law to allow the Texas Energy Commission to extend the December 31, 2025, deadline for disbursing initial funds for energy loans if market conditions require it. Applicants may request disbursement after this deadline, and the Commission must review each request individually and approve or deny it. The bill directly affects businesses and projects seeking loans from the Texas Energy Fund. It creates a case-by-case process for deadline extensions while maintaining the original deadline as the default. The law took effect immediately upon the Governor's signature on June 12, 2025.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 11, 2025

SB 2308: Relating to the establishment of a consortium to conduct United States Food and Drug Administration's drug development clinical trials with ibogaine to secure the administration's approval of the medication's use for treatment of opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorder, and any other neurological or mental health conditions for which ibogaine demonstrates efficacy and to the administration of that treatment.

SB 2308 establishes a Texas grant program to fund clinical trials of ibogaine with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval as a treatment for opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorders, and other neurological or mental health conditions where ibogaine demonstrates efficacy. The program provides state funding to public-private partnerships conducting FDA drug development trials, targeting organizations with capacity to lead these trials and seek FDA approval. Eligible applicants must be for-profit, nonprofit, or public benefit entities capable of conducting the required trials and future research. This policy change directly supports the FDA approval process for ibogaine treatment, without authorizing its immediate use.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · House Jun 5, 2025

HB 126: Relating to the compensation and professional representation of prospective student athletes and student athletes participating in intercollegiate athletic programs at certain institutions of higher education.

HB 126 allows student athletes at certain Texas public universities to earn compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) during non-team activities and to hire legal representation for NIL-related contracts. It prohibits institutions from restricting these NIL opportunities or blocking legal assistance for athletes. The law resolves conflicts with athletic association rules by permitting compliance with both state law and conference regulations. This becomes effective immediately as it was signed into law by the governor on June 5, 2025.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 3069: Relating to the creation of the Montgomery County Management District No. 3; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose assessments, fees, and taxes.

SB 3069 creates Montgomery County Management District No. 3, a local government unit in Montgomery County, Texas. The bill authorizes the district to issue bonds and impose assessments, fees, and taxes on properties within its defined boundaries to fund public improvements. Key provisions include funding for transportation, recreation, water/wastewater systems, street landscaping, and pedestrian infrastructure to promote economic development, safety, and community vitality. The district is explicitly designed to supplement, not replace, existing county and city services for residents and businesses in the area. Property owners within the district’s boundaries will directly bear the financial obligations through these assessments and fees.

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 3, 2025

SB 3068: Relating to the name of and appointment of directors for the Harris-Montgomery Counties Management District.

SB 3068 renames the "Harris-Montgomery Counties Management District" to the "Southeast Regional Harris-Montgomery Counties Management District" in Texas law. It updates the district's name in all legal references within Chapter 3891 of the Special District Local Laws Code. The bill modifies the appointment process, allowing the district's board to either recommend directors to the Harris County Commissioners Court or petition the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for appointments. This affects the district's governance structure and administrative procedures but does not change its core functions or jurisdiction. The name change and procedural updates take effect immediately if passed with a two-thirds vote, or September 1, 2025, otherwise.

Bill results