Texas Bills

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1569: Relating to the availability of certain personal information of a member of the governing board of an institution of higher education, the chief executive officer of the institution, or the chief executive officer of a university system.

SB 1569 exempts specific personal information - including home addresses, phone numbers, emergency contacts, and social security numbers - from public disclosure requirements under Texas law for certain higher education officials. It directly affects governing board members and top executives (chief executive officers) at Texas institutions of higher education and university systems. The bill amends the Government Code to create a permanent privacy exception for this information, regardless of whether these officials previously opted into existing privacy protections. This change takes effect September 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Technology

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1568: Relating to the issuance of animal friendly specialty license plates.

SB 1568 requires Texas to issue specialty license plates featuring the words "Animal Friendly" and designs supporting animal welfare programs, including spay-neuter initiatives. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles must develop these plates in consultation with the Texas Humane Legislation Network. Vehicle owners who purchase these plates will directly fund animal welfare efforts in Texas. The law takes effect on September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 688: Relating to the date of the meeting of presidential electors of this state.

SB 688 amends Texas Election Code Section 192.006 to change the meeting date for Texas presidential electors from "the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December" to "the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December." This procedural change directly affects Texas's electoral process for presidential elections, aligning the state's elector meeting date with federal deadlines. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and was signed into law by the governor on May 24, 2025. It makes no substantive policy changes beyond adjusting the calendar for elector convening.

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1359: Relating to the creation, powers, duties, and financing of the Wise Regional Water District; granting a limited power of eminent domain; providing authority to issue bonds; providing authority to impose fees; creating a criminal offense.

SB 1359 creates the Wise Regional Water District to manage water and wastewater services in Wise County, Texas, directly affecting residents and local governments within the district's boundaries. The bill grants the district limited power of eminent domain for infrastructure projects, authority to issue bonds for financing, and the ability to impose fees on users to cover operational costs. It establishes a governing board appointed by Wise County officials and participating municipalities, with specific rules for contract members (like cities that agree to pay administrative fees) and service area boundaries. The district is designed to serve public water needs under Texas Constitution Section 59, with expansion possible through contracts with neighboring municipalities.

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1349: Relating to creating the criminal offenses of transnational repression and unauthorized enforcement of foreign law and to a study and law enforcement training regarding transnational repression.

SB 1349 creates new criminal offenses in Texas for "transnational repression" and "unauthorized enforcement of foreign law." It targets individuals acting as agents of foreign governments or terrorist organizations who commit specific crimes (like assault or harassment) with the intent to force someone to act for a foreign entity, restrict their movement, suppress protected speech, or retaliate for exercising free expression. The law increases penalties for these offenses, making them one category higher than the underlying crime (e.g., a first-degree felony becomes a first-degree felony with a 15-year minimum sentence). This bill directly affects foreign agents operating within Texas who engage in such conduct, aiming to protect First Amendment rights and prevent foreign interference in U.S. affairs. It became effective on September 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1490: Relating to adult high school charter program funding.

SB 1490 amends Texas Education Code Section 12.263(b) to change how attendance is calculated for adult high school charter programs. It establishes new attendance rates based on enrollment duration: 100% for students enrolled 75%+ of the year, 75% for 50-75%, 50% for 25-50%, and 25% for 10-25%. This directly affects adult education programs operating under charters by altering the attendance metrics used to determine state funding. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, replacing previous attendance thresholds for funding calculations.

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1025: Relating to the text of ballot propositions that increase taxes.

SB 1025 requires that ballot propositions seeking voter approval for tax increases must clearly state the specific tax amount or maximum rate and include the phrase "THIS IS A TAX INCREASE" in capital letters, using the same font size as the rest of the proposition. This applies only to future tax-related ballot measures in Texas elections (effective September 1, 2025, but enacted immediately upon the governor's signature on May 24, 2025). The bill directly affects voters and election officials by standardizing the wording of tax increase proposals on ballots. It does not change tax policy but ensures voters receive clear, upfront information about tax increases before voting.

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1172: Relating to exempting certain transactions from regulation by the Texas Real Estate Commission.

SB 1172 exempts specific real estate transactions involving natural resources from requiring a Texas Real Estate Commission license. It directly affects property owners, energy developers, and businesses dealing with mineral rights, water rights, standing timber, or energy sources like solar and wind. The bill adds definitions for "mineral" and "other energy source" and creates a new exemption (subsection 9) in the Occupations Code, removing licensing requirements for sales, leases, or transfers of these resource interests. This change applies to transactions such as selling oil/gas rights, solar installations, or timber, streamlining processes for these specific property dealings.

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1464: Relating to a hearing on the refusal to issue or the revocation or suspension of a vehicle title.

SB 1464 amends Texas law to restrict when vehicle owners can request a hearing about a refusal to issue, revoke, or suspend a vehicle title. It specifically bars hearings for titles related to salvage vehicles, vehicles in active court cases, or vehicles where ownership has been legally awarded to someone else. If an application violates these restrictions, the county assessor-collector must deny it without holding a hearing or notifying the state. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025.

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 1841: Relating to the confidentiality of certain information collected by certain local governments and airport governing boards.

SB 1841 makes specific personal information collected by local governments and airport authorities confidential, preventing disclosure under Texas public records laws. It directly affects airports, parking facilities, and local governments that collect data like names, license plates, payment details, parking timestamps, travel itineraries, and payment card numbers from users. The bill requires these entities to keep such information private rather than making it publicly accessible through standard transparency requests. This law, signed by the governor and effective September 1, 2025, updates Texas Transportation Code provisions to protect passenger data collected during airport visits and related services.

Topics ✓ Technology

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 985: Relating to the combination of certain election precincts.

SB 985 allows Texas counties to combine election precincts under specific conditions to avoid excessive election costs. It permits combining precincts with fewer than 500 registered voters (for counties under 1.2 million population) or between 500-750 voters (for counties with 250,000+ population), with a maximum of 10,000 voters per combined precinct. The bill requires that precinct combinations must not dilute voting strength or discourage participation by protected groups under federal Voting Rights Act. This applies to counties not using the countywide polling place program, primarily affecting local election officials and county commissioners courts.

signed · Texas · Senate May 24, 2025

SB 266: Relating to certain tax and fee collection procedures and taxpayer suits.

SB 266 updates Texas tax collection procedures by requiring taxpayers to provide contemporaneous records (such as invoices, contracts, or electronic documents) to support claims about tax, penalty, or interest amounts in disputes. It creates a new process for taxpayers to bypass the standard review of "managed audits" (a type of audit) and go directly to court by filing a notice within 60 days of receiving audit results, detailing specific disputed facts and legal grounds. The bill also specifies that penalties for disputed amounts are waived during court proceedings, but if a final court judgment isn’t paid within 20 days, a 10% penalty applies to the unpaid amount.

Bill results