Rep. Cas Garcia Hernandez

Maddy summaryHB 2275 requires that surplus lines insurance contracts (specialized policies for high-risk or hard-to-place coverage) containing arbitration agreements must specify that any arbitration occurs in Texas and follows Texas law. It mandates that both the arbitration process and contract interpretation be governed by Texas statutes, applying only to contracts delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026. Existing contracts before that date remain subject to prior law. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly affects insurers writing surplus lines policies in Texas.

Maddy summaryHB 1585 restricts where housing finance corporations in Texas can operate. It limits their area of operation based on their sponsoring local government: municipal sponsors must stay within the sponsoring city's boundaries, county sponsors are limited to unincorporated county areas, and multi-sponsor corporations can only operate within all sponsoring cities' boundaries and the unincorporated areas of all sponsoring counties. The bill amends Texas Local Government Code sections to clarify these geographic boundaries for all housing finance corporations. This directly affects housing finance corporations sponsored by cities, counties, or multiple local governments across Texas.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Texas licensing authorities to issue provisional occupational licenses for six months to applicants with criminal convictions who are otherwise qualified for the license, unless they have specific serious convictions listed in the Occupations Code. The provisional license begins upon the applicant's release from incarceration if they were imprisoned. It applies to most occupational licensing fields (like healthcare or trades) but excludes applicants convicted of offenses under Section 53.021(a). The bill provides a pathway for certain applicants to obtain licenses without full revocation of eligibility.

Maddy summaryHB 4635 requires insurance companies and health maintenance organizations to disclose when artificial intelligence (AI) is used to deny a claim. Insurers must provide claimants with a written notice containing three specific items: (1) confirmation that AI made the denial, (2) the basis for the AI decision, and (3) instructions for appealing the denial. This law applies only to claims submitted on or after September 1, 2025, and does not apply to claims denied without AI involvement.

Maddy summaryHB 3261 shortens the waiting periods for certain individuals to petition for sealing their criminal records. It allows people under 25 years old who committed specific offenses (like misdemeanors or certain felonies) to apply for an "order of nondisclosure" immediately after completing probation, rather than waiting years. For example, misdemeanor offenders can now petition right after discharge (previously requiring a one-year wait), and state jail felony offenders can apply after one year instead of two. This change directly affects eligible criminal defendants seeking to hide certain past offenses from public view. The bill amends Texas Government Code Sections 411.0725 and 411.0727.

Maddy summaryHB 1079 would designate Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and Leadership Officer Training Corps (LOTC) programs as official public school career and technology education programs. This change would directly affect public schools offering these military-focused training programs, requiring them to be counted toward the state's career and technology education metrics. The bill also specifies that participation in these programs would serve as an indicator of military readiness within the public school accountability system. This legislation aims to formally integrate these programs into existing educational frameworks without altering their structure or curriculum. The bill is currently pending in committee after a public hearing.

Maddy summaryHB 3756 amends Texas' Alcoholic Beverage Code to allow certain nonresident sellers with winery permits to operate under specific conditions. It creates an exception for nonresident sellers holding a winery permit first issued on or before May 1, 2010, for wineries located in municipalities with populations between 130,000-150,000 within a county of 2-3 million people. The bill explicitly prohibits these permit holders from selling wine to the winery permit holder they serve. This change takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly affects nonresident alcohol sellers operating in qualifying Texas communities with existing winery permits.

Maddy summaryThis concurrent resolution (HCR 77) urges the U.S. Department of State and the International Boundary and Water Commission to ensure Mexico complies with the 1944 Treaty on shared water resources from the Rio Grande. It specifically addresses Mexico's failure to deliver the treaty-mandated minimum of 350,000 acre-feet of water annually (averaged over five years), leaving a current deficit of 984,814 acre-feet. The resolution highlights that Texas communities, agriculture, and industries - relying heavily on Rio Grande water - face economic harm due to these shortfalls, including lost crops, closed facilities, and higher water costs. It does not create new law but formally requests federal action to enforce the existing treaty.

Maddy summaryHB 946 prohibits oral agreements where auto insurance claimants release claims for property damage or injury in exchange for payment. It requires all such releases to be in writing to be enforceable, affecting both claimants (insureds or individuals with property/injury claims) and auto insurers. The law applies only to contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2026, and does not change existing agreements made before that date. It takes effect September 1, 2025, with the new written requirement for future settlements.

Maddy summaryHB 3364 prohibits veterinarians in Texas from establishing a veterinarian-client-patient relationship **solely** through telephone or electronic means. This means an initial in-person meeting is required to form the relationship, directly affecting veterinarians and pet owners seeking veterinary services. The bill amends the Occupations Code to clarify this requirement, taking effect September 1, 2025. It focuses on defining the foundational relationship for veterinary care, not on specific treatment protocols.