Rep. Josey Garcia

Maddy summaryHB 178 requires Texas public school districts to include "ethnic studies, world geography, or world history" as one of the three required social studies credits for high school students, alongside existing mandates for U.S. history, government, and economics. It directly affects all Texas public school students in grades K-12 by modifying the social studies curriculum structure under the foundation high school program. The bill adds ethnic studies as a specific, mandatory option for fulfilling the social studies credit requirement, while maintaining other existing subject requirements. This change applies to all Texas public school districts offering grades K-12.

Maddy summaryHB 1368 requires Texas public schools (with 10,000+ students) to notify parents in writing if they lack a full-time nurse, school counselor, or librarian for more than 30 consecutive instructional days. Schools must send this notice within 30 days of the absence starting, offering bilingual options for non-English speaking families. The law applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year and allows schools to post notices on their websites if accessible via three clicks. It does not apply to schools with fewer than 10,000 students.

Maddy summaryHB 4336 allows hospital employees to take custody of newborns without a court order under specific conditions. It applies to infants 60 days old or younger who are voluntarily left with hospital staff immediately after birth (e.g., handed to an employee or placed in a designated safety device) and where the parent does not express intent to return. The bill amends Texas Family Code Section 262.302(a) to formalize this process, removing the need for judicial oversight in these emergency situations. The law will take effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 3134 establishes a regulatory framework for "advanced air mobility" in Texas, primarily affecting electric aircraft and vertiports (landing/takeoff sites for air taxis). The bill requires the Texas Department of Transportation to create an office for technical support, develop a statewide strategic plan, identify uniform planning standards for vertiports, estimate electric grid capacity needs, and provide guidebooks to local governments. It specifically applies to aircraft over 300 pounds capable of carrying passengers or cargo, focusing on electric vertical takeoff aircraft and urban air mobility infrastructure. The law aims to enable future air taxi services by standardizing planning and infrastructure requirements across the state.

Maddy summaryHB 5224 establishes a process for designating certain natural gas facilities as "seasonally critical" during energy emergencies. It requires the Texas Railroad Commission to create rules defining criteria for facilities that must provide critical information during emergencies, with designations limited to specific seasons (e.g., winter heating periods) based on operational needs. Facilities must be prepared to operate during weather emergencies to qualify, and the Public Utility Commission will receive a list of these seasonal designations by March 2026. This affects natural gas producers, transporters, and related infrastructure operators under the Railroad Commission's jurisdiction.

Maddy summaryHB 1534 requires Texas courts to confirm before a full court hearing that the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) properly notified parents or alleged perpetrators about specific rights. It mandates that DFPS inform individuals before interviews about their right to record the interview and request an administrative review of DFPS findings, and that DFPS provided required investigation information to parents/custodians as soon as possible after starting an investigation. If these notices weren't given, the court cannot use evidence from the interview or investigation in the hearing, unless excluding it would significantly harm the child's health or development. The law applies to cases filed on or after September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 4813 requires Texas to automatically align its controlled substance schedules with federal changes made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for certain drugs. Specifically, if a substance in Texas' Schedule I is FDA-approved for medical use (under Section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act), gets rescheduled federally to a lower category, or is deleted from federal schedules, Texas must delete or reschedule it "as soon as practicable" after notice. This applies only to substances affected by federal actions on or after the bill's effective date (September 1, 2025). The bill ensures Texas law follows federal medical approvals without requiring new state hearings for these specific changes, directly affecting the Texas Health and Safety Code commissioner and entities handling these substances.

Maddy summaryHB 2858 would establish a temporary guest worker program in Texas, requiring the governor to seek federal authorization and negotiate a memorandum of understanding with Mexican states. It would allow Texas businesses to hire Mexican temporary workers using U.S. nonimmigrant visas, but only after businesses prove they cannot find sufficient local workers for the position and that hiring won't lower wages or worsen conditions for local workers. The program would mandate that Mexican workers meet federal visa requirements, pass background checks, and demonstrate job-specific skills through standardized testing. This bill failed to advance past the vote stage on May 12, 2025, and remains pending.

Maddy summaryHB 3717 establishes a Texas grant program to fund private entities conducting U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug development trials using ibogaine. The program targets organizations (for-profit, nonprofit, or public benefit corporations) that can design and execute FDA trials to seek approval of ibogaine as a medication for treating opioid use disorder, co-occurring substance use disorder, and other neurological or mental health conditions where ibogaine shows effectiveness. Applicants must submit detailed trial designs, team expertise, and FDA approval strategies. The grant covers costs for these trials, aiming to advance ibogaine's potential approval as a treatment option.

Maddy summaryHJR 138 proposes amending the Texas Constitution to prohibit the state legislature from imposing taxes based on the carbon content of fuels or emissions of carbon dioxide from goods and services. If approved by voters, it would prevent Texas from enacting any carbon tax policy. The bill failed to pass the Texas Legislature on May 12, 2025, so it did not advance to a voter referendum. This would have directly affected all Texans by blocking a potential state-level carbon tax mechanism.