Texas Bills

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 2539: Relating to the adoption of an ordinance issuing a tax increment bond by certain municipalities that have designated a tax increment reinvestment zone.

SB 2539 amends Texas tax law to establish new requirements for municipalities issuing tax increment bonds within designated tax increment reinvestment zones. It requires municipalities to provide written notice to all property owners in the zone about a public hearing and obtain a majority vote from the governing body before adopting such an ordinance. The bill does not change the bond issuance process itself but adds transparency and local approval steps. It directly affects municipalities with reinvestment zones and property owners within those zones. The changes apply only to ordinances adopted after the bill's effective date (September 1, 2025, unless passed with a two-thirds vote).

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 2705: Relating to fees for the issuance of certain specialty license plates and an exemption from vehicle registration for certain trailers, semitrailers, tractors, and implements of husbandry.

SB 2705 exempts farm trailers, semitrailers, tractors, and farm equipment under 4,000 pounds from vehicle registration when operated temporarily on highways. It also removes fees for specialty license plates for volunteer firefighters, certified fire protection personnel, and specific fire service organizations. The bill modifies Texas Transportation Code sections to eliminate registration fees for qualifying farm vehicles and special plate fees for these firefighter-related plates. These changes take effect September 1, 2025, directly affecting Texas farmers using small equipment and fire service organizations seeking specialty plates.

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 442: Relating to the prosecution and punishment of the offense of unlawful production or distribution of certain sexually explicit media; increasing a criminal penalty.

SB 442 makes it a crime to create or share computer-generated videos (deepfakes) that falsely depict real people engaging in sexual acts they did not perform. It requires creators to obtain written consent in plain language from the person depicted, describing the content and how it will be used. Violations are now a Class A misdemeanor (up to a year in jail), or a third-degree felony for repeat offenses. The law directly affects individuals who produce or distribute such deepfakes without valid consent, targeting non-consensual sexual deepfakes specifically. It does not apply to content with disclaimers or labels indicating it is fictional.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✗ Technology

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 1152: Relating to creating the criminal offense of continuous manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance.

SB 1152 creates a new third-degree felony offense for individuals who repeatedly engage in drug-related conduct within a 12-month period. Specifically, it targets those who commit two or more separate acts that would each qualify as a drug offense under existing Texas law (Sections 481.112, 481.1121, 481.113, or 481.114) during the same timeframe. The bill streamlines prosecution by allowing juries to convict without unanimous agreement on specific dates, locations, or exact acts, as long as they agree on the pattern of behavior. It also prevents double conviction for related offenses committed within the same period and takes effect September 1, 2025. This bill directly affects individuals repeatedly involved in drug manufacturing or distribution.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 2425: Relating to the regulation of automated motor vehicles; creating a criminal offense.

SB 2425 would establish a regulatory framework for automated motor vehicles (self-driving cars) in Texas by defining key terms like "automated driving system" (Level 3-5 automation per SAE standards) and requiring authorization from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for operators. The bill creates a criminal offense related to the operation of these vehicles, though specific violations aren't detailed in the provided text. It would directly affect companies and individuals operating self-driving cars by mandating departmental approval, setting operational standards, and defining responsibilities for the "dynamic driving task" (e.g., steering, braking, and lane changes).

Topics ✓ Technology ✓ Transportation

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 2080: Relating to various matters pertaining to certain governmental entities that operate port facilities.

SB 2080 allows port authorities, navigation districts, and boards of trustees under Chapter 54 of the Transportation Code to establish electronic record-keeping systems for their documents, including converting hard copies to digital format while maintaining required retention periods under state or federal law. It clarifies that these port entities are excluded from the definition of "governmental entity" in certain state laws and updates the Tax Code to define "navigation-related commerce" to include activities requiring navigation district licenses or leases on port infrastructure. The bill directly affects port operations and record-keeping practices for these specific entities, with no new tax obligations or funding changes.

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 747: Relating to public school policies and programs regarding the production or distribution of certain intimate visual material by public school students.

SB 747 amends Texas education law to address the production and distribution of intimate visual material (including AI-generated content) by public school students. It expands the definition of cyberbullying to include sharing such material without consent and requires school districts to update anti-bullying policies with specific measures like student instruction on relationship-building, anonymous reporting systems, and annual bullying surveys. The bill also mandates the state to develop educational programs for schools about legal consequences and risks of sharing intimate visual material, particularly AI-created content. These changes apply to all Texas public schools starting with the 2025-2026 school year.

Topics ✓ Education

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 570: Relating to an attendance policy adopted by public schools to prevent truancy.

SB 570 requires Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to adopt attendance policies aimed at preventing truancy. These policies must inform students and parents about attendance benefits, describe consequences like academic impacts and potential truancy court referrals, and mandate schools to notify parents about absences via email/text or mail. Schools must also hold meetings with parents when students risk truancy and provide referrals to support services for students struggling to attend. The policy takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Topics ✓ Education

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 2799: Relating to increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of reckless driving.

SB 2799 increases criminal penalties for reckless driving in Texas based on the severity of injuries caused. If a driver causes bodily injury through reckless driving, the offense becomes a state jail felony; if serious bodily injury occurs, it becomes a third-degree felony. The bill amends Texas Transportation Code Section 545.401 to establish these tiered penalties, which apply only to offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025. This directly affects drivers whose reckless driving results in injury to others, raising potential jail time and fines beyond the current misdemeanor penalties.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✓ Transportation

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 2695: Relating to an education program to enable certain students to practice medicine in certain rural counties and to physician delegation of certain medical acts to advanced practice registered nurses, including in certain rural counties.

SB 2695, the Texas Cure Act, creates the Rural Admission Medical Program (RAMP) to address healthcare shortages in rural Texas. It provides scholarships and summer stipends to undergraduate students from counties with populations under 25,000, guaranteeing them admission to participating medical schools. The bill also aims to expand physician delegation of certain medical tasks to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in rural areas. These provisions directly affect rural students pursuing medical careers and healthcare providers in underserved counties. The program is administered by a council of medical schools and focuses on increasing rural physician recruitment and retention.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Healthcare

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 2541: Relating to the calculation of the unused increment rate of a taxing unit.

SB 2541 amends Texas property tax code to change how local taxing units (like cities and counties) calculate their "unused increment rate," which affects how they determine property tax revenue limits. The bill updates the calculation formula to include three years of historical revenue data instead of two, using the previous three tax years' "foregone revenue" amounts divided by current property values. This change applies only to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, with prior years governed by the old rules. The bill directly affects local governments' property tax calculations but does not create new taxes or revenue.

passed · Texas · Senate May 26, 2025

SB 1965: Relating to requirements for the addition of noncontiguous territory to certain special districts.

SB 1965 modifies Texas Water Code requirements for special districts (like water or utility districts) seeking to add land that is not connected to their current territory. It specifically applies when the proposed land is more than three miles from the district's boundaries and located in a different county. The bill requires districts to provide additional notice: to the county clerk, to property owners via certified mail at least 14 days before a hearing, and to follow standard district meeting notice procedures. These changes aim to ensure affected communities and local governments are properly informed before land is added to a district.

Bill results