Rep. Morgan Meyer

Maddy summaryHB 18 expands the Texas comptroller’s authority to fund emergency communication systems by adding specific provisions to the state’s funding rules. It authorizes state funds to support early warning systems for natural disasters and interoperable emergency radio systems, including their equipment, operations, and administration. This change directly affects local governments and emergency services providers who deploy these systems. The bill modifies existing funding mechanisms under the Government Code to ensure resources are available for these critical communication tools.

Maddy summaryHB 291 would add specific substances, including kratom and kratom products, to the Texas Controlled Substances Act. This would subject kratom products to the same legal restrictions as other controlled substances, making their sale and possession illegal without authorization. The bill also increases civil penalties for violations and creates new criminal offenses, with higher penalties for related activities.

Maddy summaryHB 9 amends Texas Tax Code sections to change how local governments calculate voter-approval tax rates when property values or revenue sources (like sales tax) change. It affects all Texas taxing units (counties, cities, and special districts) that need voter approval for tax increases. The bill introduces three distinct calculation formulas based on the unit type: special districts use a 1.08 multiplier, small municipalities/counties (<75,000 population) use 1.035, and other units use 1.025, all adjusted for "sales tax gain rate" and debt rates. This directly impacts how local governments determine if a proposed tax hike requires voter approval or can be implemented without it.

Maddy summaryHB 17 requires Texas school districts to include specific, standardized statements in property tax notices sent to homeowners. The bill mandates that notices must show how population changes and state inflation rates affected the district's previous tax collections, plus a comparison to the proposed current tax revenue. This directly affects property owners by providing clearer context for tax rate decisions. The key provision (added as Section 44.004(c-3)) requires districts to state: "In the [previous year], the population changed by [X]%, inflation was [Y]%, and if adjusted for these factors, the district would collect [$Z] instead of the proposed [amount]." Failure to include this information could allow property owners to seek legal action to block tax collection.

Maddy summaryHB 4 establishes new congressional district boundaries for Texas voters to be used in the 2026 U.S. House elections. It adopts the PLANC2308 redistricting plan based on 2020 Census data (TIGER/Line Shapefiles) to define district lines. The bill replaces all prior Texas congressional district maps, including those from 2021, and applies to elections starting with the 120th Congress (2026). This is a procedural redistricting bill directly affecting Texas residents' voting districts for federal elections beginning in 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 249 prohibits youth camp operators from constructing new overnight accommodations at resident youth camps located within a 100-year floodplain, as defined by FEMA or USDA flood maps. This law directly affects camp operators seeking to build new facilities in flood-prone areas, banning such construction starting on the bill's effective date. The bill defines a "100-year floodplain" as areas with a 1% annual flood risk and allows the executive commissioner to create implementing rules. It applies only to new construction beginning after the bill takes effect, 91 days post-session.

Maddy summaryHB 32, the Texas Women's Privacy Act, requires that certain facilities - such as restrooms, locker rooms, and family violence shelters - be designated and used based on biological sex, defined as the physical condition of being male or female at birth as determined by sex organs, chromosomes, and original birth records. The law applies to correctional facilities, family violence shelters, institutions of higher education, local governments (political subdivisions), and state agencies. It authorizes civil penalties for violations and creates a private right of action, allowing individuals to file lawsuits if they believe the law has been breached. The bill does not apply to state agencies as political subdivisions but covers them separately under the law's definition of "state agency."

Maddy summarySB 835, known as Trey's Law, invalidates any nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement that prevents someone from disclosing an act of sexual abuse. The law directly affects survivors of sexual abuse who may have signed such agreements, making those specific clauses unenforceable. Key provisions state that agreements cannot prohibit disclosure of sexual abuse details (defined using existing Texas Penal Code and Family Code offenses), though other settlement terms like payment amounts remain valid. This change applies to all agreements entered into before, on, or after its effective date of September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 40 is a procedural bill that clarifies and streamlines operations for Texas' business court. It requires all business court prefiling orders to apply statewide (Section 1), mandates that appeals from business court cases go directly to the 15th Court of Appeals with a 120-day resolution deadline (Section 2), and specifies how to replace lost business court records (Section 3). The bill also adds business court clerks to authorized personnel for taking depositions (Section 4) and requires specific information in initial pleadings for all business court cases (Section 5). These changes directly affect parties involved in business court litigation and court staff handling business court cases. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.

Maddy summaryHB 75 requires magistrates in Texas to provide written findings within 24 hours when they determine no probable cause exists for a criminal arrest. This applies specifically to cases involving offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025. The law aims to create a clear, documented record of the magistrate's decision in these initial proceedings. It directly affects magistrates handling pretrial detention hearings for criminal defendants.