Texas Bills

signed · Texas · Senate May 29, 2025

SB 984: Relating to access to individualized investigational treatments for patients with life-threatening or severely debilitating illnesses.

SB 984 creates a new chapter in Texas law to expand access to personalized medical treatments for patients with life-threatening or severely debilitating illnesses. It allows patients who have exhausted all FDA-approved options to receive individualized investigational treatments - such as gene therapies or vaccines tailored to their genetic profile - after their physician confirms eligibility and obtains written consent. Healthcare facilities must comply with federal human subjects protections, and physicians must verify the illness severity and base treatment recommendations on the patient's genomic data. This law directly affects patients with specific severe conditions, their doctors, and medical facilities providing these specialized treatments.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · House May 29, 2025

HB 1778: Relating to human trafficking, prostitution, and child pornography and to the prosecution of sexual or assaultive offenses or the prosecution of a failure to stop or report those offenses; amending and harmonizing certain statute of limitations provisions; creating a criminal offense; increasing a criminal penalty.

HB 1778 requires Texas district courts to report monthly on cases involving human trafficking, prostitution, and child pornography offenses to the Office of Court Administration. It creates a new council to coordinate state agency efforts, including the Attorney General, Department of Family and Protective Services, and other key agencies like the Texas Workforce Commission. The bill harmonizes statute of limitations for prosecuting sexual assault and failure-to-report offenses, aligning time limits across related crimes. These changes aim to improve data collection and interagency collaboration for addressing trafficking, prostitution, and child exploitation. The law became effective September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · House May 29, 2025

HB 2596: Relating to the issuance of certain protective orders for certain burglary offenses.

HB 2596 expands protective order eligibility in Texas to include victims of specific burglary offenses (those punishable under Penal Code Section 30.02(c)(2) or (d)). It requires prosecutors to automatically file protective order applications for these victims after a defendant’s conviction or deferred adjudication. The bill also allows courts to issue temporary protective orders without a hearing if there’s a clear danger of harm. This change applies directly to burglary victims and modifies Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Articles 7B.001, 7B.002, and 7B.003. The law became effective September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · Senate May 29, 2025

SB 2141: Relating to the issuance of specialty license plates to state and federal judges.

SB 2141 allows Texas to issue specialty license plates for current or visiting state and federal judges. The plates must display "State Judge" or "U.S. Judge" unless the judge chooses to have plates without that designation. The bill defines "state judge" to include justices of the supreme court, court of criminal appeals, court of appeals, district court judges, presiding judges of administrative judicial districts, and statutory county court judges. This law takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies directly to eligible judges seeking these specialty plates.

signed · Texas · Senate May 29, 2025

SB 1931: Relating to the designation of a portion of Business U.S. Highway 83-S in Hidalgo County as the SP4 Rodolfo Valdez Memorial Highway.

SB 1931 names a specific segment of Business U.S. Highway 83-S in Hidalgo County (between its intersections with U.S. Highway 83 relief route near La Joya) as the "SP4 Rodolfo Valdez Memorial Highway." This commemorative bill does not change laws or policies but honors SP4 Rodolfo Valdez, a military veteran. The Texas Department of Transportation will install markers at each end of the highway segment and at intermediate points to display the memorial designation. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.

Topics ✓ Veterans

signed · Texas · House May 29, 2025

HB 2663: Relating to the affirmation required to be made by an operator as part of an application to the Railroad Commission of Texas for an extension of the deadline for plugging an inactive well; providing an administrative penalty.

HB 2663 requires oil and gas operators applying to the Railroad Commission of Texas for an extension on plugging inactive wells to submit a written affirmation confirming specific actions. For wells inactive 5-10 years, operators must confirm they've emptied production fluids; for wells inactive 10+ years, they must remove all surface equipment and related materials (except utility-owned electric equipment). The Railroad Commission can impose a $25,000 administrative penalty per violation for false affirmations regarding electric service termination or equipment removal. This bill directly affects oil and gas operators managing inactive wells and takes immediate effect.

Topics ✓ Environment

signed · Texas · House May 29, 2025

HB 3560: Relating to the licensing of mental hospitals and mental health facilities and the definition of facility for the purposes of the employee misconduct registry.

HB 3560 updates the definition of "facility" in Texas law to include mental health facilities and specific care providers under the employee misconduct registry. It adds new categories like facilities licensed under Chapters 555 and 577 of the Health and Safety Code, alongside existing types such as assisted living facilities, residential child-care centers, and home-based care providers under waiver programs. This change ensures all these facilities - directly affecting staff and patients in mental health and long-term care settings - are covered by the state’s employee misconduct registry. The bill amends licensing requirements for mental hospitals to include detailed application criteria for facility operators, physicians, and staff qualifications. It became law on May 29, 2025, and takes effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Healthcare

signed · Texas · Senate May 29, 2025

SB 746: Relating to guardianship matters.

Texas Senate Bill 746 amends the Estates Code to clarify and strengthen guardianship procedures, primarily affecting incapacitated persons and their court-appointed guardians. Key provisions include requiring guardians of the estate to preserve a ward’s existing estate plan (like wills or beneficiary designations) when consistent with the ward’s best interests, and restricting individuals with adverse interests (e.g., potential financial beneficiaries) from filing guardianship applications or contesting appointments. The bill also establishes liability protection for guardians ad litem (court-appointed advocates for incapacitated persons) who make recommendations in proceedings, and updates reporting requirements for guardians to file annual accounts with court approval. These changes aim to streamline guardianship processes while prioritizing the ward’s autonomy and financial planning.

signed · Texas · Senate May 29, 2025

SB 434: Relating to the authority of the Harris County Hospital District to employ and commission peace officers.

SB 434 allows the Harris County Hospital District to hire and commission peace officers (law enforcement officers) for its facilities, expanding an existing authority previously limited to other county hospital districts. The bill amends two state codes: it adds Harris County to the list of districts permitted to employ peace officers under the Health and Safety Code, and updates the Code of Criminal Procedure to explicitly include hospital district peace officers in the definition of peace officers. This change directly affects Harris County Hospital District staff and security operations, enabling them to deploy authorized law enforcement personnel. The bill became law on September 1, 2025, after passing both legislative chambers and receiving the governor's approval.

signed · Texas · Senate May 29, 2025

SB 901: Relating to the declaration of a candidate's ineligibility on the basis of filing an application for a place on the general primary election ballot or for nomination by convention with more than one political party.

This bill prohibits candidates from running in the same election year with more than one political party in Texas. It directly affects individuals seeking office by making them ineligible for general primary ballots, party nominations, and subsequent general elections if they file applications with multiple parties. The law requires the Secretary of State to remove ineligible candidates from ballots and notify them of their ineligibility, while also updating certification procedures for election officials to ensure compliance. The bill aims to clarify election rules regarding multi-party candidacies and prevent confusion on ballots.

signed · Texas · House May 29, 2025

HB 2003: Relating to provision to the Texas Department of Transportation of information regarding certain high-speed rail projects.

HB 2003 requires entities proposing high-speed rail projects in Texas to annually submit detailed financial and operational information to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This includes financing methods, cost projections, construction timelines, ridership estimates, and foreign investment disclosures. TxDOT must then make all submitted data publicly accessible on its website. The bill directly affects companies or organizations planning high-speed rail projects within Texas, mandating transparency about their financial and operational plans.

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Texas · Senate May 29, 2025

SB 1020: Relating to personal bond offices, to the notification provided to a judge regarding tampering with an electronic monitoring device while released on bond or community supervision, and to the availability of certain information regarding a person required to submit to an electronic monitoring program or being supervised by a community supervision and corrections department.

SB 1020 requires personal bond offices to maintain and update detailed records for individuals released on personal bond before sentencing. These records must include court appearance history, warrant status, and whether a person tampered with an electronic monitoring device. The bill also mandates that bond offices immediately notify courts if they suspect electronic monitoring violations. This affects defendants on bond with electronic monitoring, bond offices, and the courts handling their cases, creating a clearer reporting process for supervision compliance. The law became effective September 1, 2025.

Bill results