Rep. Marc LaHood

Maddy summaryHB 463 automatically expunges arrest records for individuals charged with certain controlled substance offenses when their case is dismissed under specific conditions. It directly affects defendants whose charges are dismissed due to completion of court programs (veterans, mental health, or pretrial intervention), lab results showing no controlled substance was present, or dismissal due to lack of probable cause. The bill requires courts to issue expungement orders within 30 days of dismissal in cases where lab analysis confirms no controlled substance was found, and prohibits courts from charging fees for this process. This policy change removes barriers to clearing records for eligible individuals without requiring additional court petitions.

Maddy summaryHB 54, titled "Relating to the display of and allowance for non-human behaviors in Texas schools," is a procedural bill that amends school discipline requirements. It mandates that Texas public school districts include specific factors in their student conduct codes, such as self-defense, intent, disability considerations, and homelessness status, when making disciplinary decisions like suspensions or expulsions. The bill requires schools to post these codes prominently and consider these factors in all disciplinary actions. It does not ban specific activities but standardizes how schools evaluate student behavior. The bill is currently pending in the Education Committee.

Maddy summaryHB 1675, known as "Mona's Law," allows perpetual care cemeteries in Texas to inter cremated remains of companion pets with human remains in specific ways. The bill permits pet remains to be buried in the same casket during human interment, placed in a separate adjacent grave, or stored in a columbarium beside human remains, while requiring cemeteries to include pet information on memorials. It defines "pet" as a domestic companion animal (excluding livestock) and prohibits euthanizing pets solely for burial with humans. The law applies to all perpetual care cemeteries in Texas and takes effect September 1, 2025.

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.

Maddy summaryHB 3858 requires counties and municipalities to obtain governor approval before building or operating temporary housing or emergency shelters for disaster victims. It establishes a two-step process: local governments must submit location details to the governor and request a public safety assessment (including crime rate analysis) from the department. The department conducts the safety assessment, which the governor reviews to determine if the location is safe for disaster victims. The governor must approve safe locations or provide a written explanation if a location is deemed unsafe. This bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly affects local governments planning disaster shelters.

Maddy summaryHB 25 requires Texas public schools to provide daily physical activity for students in prekindergarten through grade 8, mandating at least 30 minutes of moderate/vigorous activity per day for younger students (pre-K-grade 5) and 135-225 minutes weekly for middle schoolers (grades 6-8), with scheduling flexibility. It directly affects all Texas public school students in these grades and prohibits school staff from withholding physical activity as punishment for academic or behavioral reasons. The bill also adds a new requirement that higher education institutions receiving certain funds must develop nutrition curricula aligned with Texas nutrition guidelines. This legislation focuses on structured physical education and activity standards, not on nutrition food policies. The bill is currently pending in committee after being favorably reported as substituted.

Maddy summaryHB 5510, titled the Women and Child Protection Act, creates civil liability for distributing abortion-inducing drugs and establishes a private civil right of action against individuals or organizations that facilitate access to elective abortions. The bill directly affects abortion assistance organizations - defined as entities providing financial support, travel arrangements, childcare, or logistical services to enable abortions - as well as those distributing abortion-inducing drugs. Key provisions include authorizing private lawsuits for damages related to these activities and creating criminal offenses for certain violations. The law harmonizes existing abortion-related provisions in Texas law while focusing on civil enforcement mechanisms rather than criminal penalties for patients.

Maddy summaryHB 3189 strengthens penalties for human trafficking by elevating certain offenses to a first-degree felony. It increases punishment when trafficking occurs within 1,000 feet of schools, school bus stops, colleges, youth shelters, juvenile facilities, or child-care centers, or during school events or on school buses. If proven, offenders face life imprisonment or 25-99 years in prison instead of lesser penalties. The bill applies only to offenses committed on or after its effective date (September 1, 2025), not past actions. This change directly affects traffickers who target locations where children or vulnerable youth gather.

Maddy summarySB 14, titled the Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act, creates the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office within the governor's office to streamline how state agencies develop and review regulations. The office will help agencies identify unnecessary rules, reduce costs for businesses and individuals, and establish a public online portal for searching regulatory information. This bill directly affects state agencies that create regulations and the public who interact with those regulations. The new office will operate until 2037 unless extended under the Sunset Act, with its work focused on improving regulatory efficiency and transparency.

Maddy summaryHB 2684 requires health care providers to inform pregnant women diagnosed with a life-threatening condition in their preborn child about available perinatal palliative care options. The bill mandates the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to create and maintain online informational materials describing palliative care services and a geographically indexed list of providers (excluding abortion providers). It directly affects pregnant women facing such diagnoses and their health care providers. The law aims to ensure access to supportive care focused on reducing suffering for both the pregnant woman and her preborn child. The bill also establishes an administrative penalty for noncompliance, though specific penalty details are not provided in the truncated text.