Texas Bills

signed · Texas · House May 28, 2025

HB 4215: Relating to the regulation of delivery network companies; requiring an occupational permit; authorizing a fee.

HB 4215 requires delivery network companies (like food or goods delivery apps) operating in Texas to obtain an occupational permit from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. This applies to businesses using digital platforms to arrange deliveries from restaurants or stores to customers, but excludes companies that only deliver their own products. The bill authorizes the state to charge a fee for these permits, creating a new regulatory requirement for these companies. The law takes effect on September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · Senate May 28, 2025

SB 1265: Relating to certain duties of the Texas Workforce Commission with respect to child-care resources.

SB 1265 requires the Texas Workforce Commission to create and maintain an online resource hub on its website by February 1, 2026, providing employers with comprehensive, current information about child-care resources. The hub must include details on child-care assistance programs, tax credits, dependent care savings accounts, employer best practices, and free tools to help employers support employee parents. It explicitly states the Commission won’t provide legal advice and employers aren’t obligated to adopt any suggested policies. The bill, signed into law on May 28, 2025, takes effect September 1, 2025, focusing solely on information access without mandating new employer actions or funding.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

signed · Texas · Senate May 28, 2025

SB 296: Relating to driving safety or motorcycle operator training course dismissal.

Texas Senate Bill 296 allows eligible defendants charged with certain traffic offenses to avoid criminal conviction by completing an approved driving safety or motorcycle operator training course instead of facing penalties. It applies to Texas drivers, military members, or their spouses/dependents who haven’t completed such a course in the past 12 months, excluding severe speeding violations (e.g., 95+ mph or 25+ mph over the limit). Defendants must request the course by their court appearance date, pay a maximum $10 administrative fee, and provide proof of financial responsibility. Successful completion results in charge dismissal, with the court reporting completion to the Department of Public Safety. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Texas · House May 28, 2025

HB 1620: Relating to nonsubstantive additions to, revisions of, and corrections in enacted codes, to the nonsubstantive codification or disposition of various laws omitted from enacted codes, and to conforming codifications enacted by the 88th Legislature to other Acts of that legislature.

HB 1620 is a procedural bill focused on administrative maintenance of Texas law, not policy changes. It updates the state's legal codes by codifying laws omitted from existing codes, correcting minor errors, and aligning references across statutes without altering substantive rules. For example, it revises the Agriculture Code to reflect prior legislative updates (like H.B. 2308) while preserving the original law's meaning. This bill affects how legal references are organized but does not change any rights, obligations, or regulations for citizens or businesses. It became law automatically on September 1, 2025, after passing both chambers and being filed without the governor's signature.

signed · Texas · Senate May 28, 2025

SB 1666: Relating to the payment of restitution.

SB 1666 shortens the time for unclaimed restitution payments from five to three years. If a victim entitled to restitution doesn’t claim payment within three years of the clerk receiving the first payment, or if the clerk can’t locate the victim for three years after the last payment, unclaimed funds will be transferred to the compensation fund for crime victims. The bill requires the state department to provide clerks with the victim’s last known address and a detailed payment history (including dates, amounts, and addresses sent to), which must remain confidential. These changes streamline handling of unclaimed funds while protecting victim privacy and ensuring timely transfers to the compensation fund.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · Senate May 28, 2025

SB 2925: Relating to the establishment of the Task Force on Modernizing Manufacturing.

SB 2925 establishes a 15-member Task Force on Modernizing Manufacturing to study how Texas manufacturers can adopt automation and digital technologies. The task force includes representatives from small, mid-sized, and large manufacturers, automation experts, labor organizations, and state education agencies. Its duties include identifying barriers to technology adoption, developing policy recommendations, and assessing economic impacts like job creation and competitiveness. This bill, now law after being signed by the governor on May 28, 2025, does not fund new programs but directs the task force to report findings to the legislature by December 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House May 28, 2025

HB 1899: Relating to the required age for a license or permit relating to the conduct of a public fireworks display.

HB 1899 lowers the minimum age requirement for obtaining licenses and permits to conduct public fireworks displays in Texas. It amends the Occupations Code to reduce the age from 21 to 18 years for both pyrotechnic operator licenses (Section 2154.101) and public fireworks display permits (Section 2154.201). This change directly affects individuals under 21 who previously could not legally operate such displays. The bill took effect September 1, 2025, after being signed into law by the Governor on May 28, 2025.

signed · Texas · House May 28, 2025

HB 5702: Relating to the creation of the Llano Historic Railroad Authority; providing authority to impose fees.

HB 5702 creates the Llano Historic Railroad Authority, a new local agency in Llano County, to maintain and operate the historic Austin & Northwestern Railroad route listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The authority will restore rail infrastructure, run tourist train excursions and educational programs, and promote tourism and historical awareness in the area. It is authorized to impose fees for services like train tours and concessions to fund these activities. The bill directly affects Llano County residents, visitors, and local tourism businesses by establishing a dedicated body for managing this historic resource.

Topics ✓ Transportation

signed · Texas · House May 28, 2025

HCR 86: Designating Denton as the official Halloween Capital of Texas for a 10-year period ending in 2035.

This ceremonial resolution designates Denton as Texas' official Halloween Capital for a 10-year period ending in 2035, replacing its previous "Redbud Capital" designation. The resolution recognizes Denton's annual "31 Days of Denton Halloween" event, which features month-long festivities including themed activities, pumpkin carving, and downtown celebrations that attracted over 660,000 attendees in 2024. The designation is purely symbolic and does not create new laws or funding.

signed · Texas · Senate May 28, 2025

SB 2052: Relating to suits affecting the parent-child relationship between a parent and a nonparent.

SB 2052 amends Texas Family Code sections 153.002 and 156.101 to establish a legal presumption in custody disputes between a parent and a nonparent (such as a grandparent or caregiver). It creates a rebuttable presumption that a parent acts in the child's best interest and that the child's best interest lies with the parent. Nonparents can challenge this presumption only by proving with "clear and convincing evidence" that denying them access would significantly harm the child's physical health or emotional development. This law applies to all pending or new cases filed on or after September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House May 28, 2025

HB 116: Relating to grounds for the involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship.

HB 116 modifies Texas Family Code provisions regarding parental support obligations after a court terminates a parent's rights. It requires financially able parents whose rights were terminated (under specific grounds like abandonment, endangerment, or failure to support) to provide child support until the child turns 18, graduates high school, is adopted, or reaches legal adulthood - whichever occurs first. The bill also clarifies the legal grounds for termination, including cases where parents left children without support for 3-6 months, endangered children's well-being, or abandoned children during pregnancy. This directly affects parents whose rights were terminated under Family Code Sections 161.001(b)(1)(S), (T), or (U), and children in foster care or substitute care. The law took effect September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · House May 28, 2025

HB 37: Relating to perinatal bereavement care provided by certain hospitals, a perinatal bereavement care initiative, and a perinatal bereavement care hospital recognition program.

HB 37 requires hospitals with maternal care designations to provide bereavement counseling options and perinatal bereavement devices (which delay tissue deterioration for up to 72 hours after pregnancy loss or infant death) to families following intrauterine fetal demise, neonatal death, or stillbirth. The Texas Department of State Health Services must establish a perinatal bereavement care initiative offering hospitals training for staff on compassionate communication and resources like devices with maintenance support. This law directly affects designated hospitals and families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss in Texas. The initiative aims to improve access to supportive care during this difficult time, with the law taking effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Healthcare

Bill results