Rep. Steve Toth

Maddy summarySB 569 allows Texas school districts to adjust how student attendance is calculated during emergencies (like natural disasters or pandemics) to maintain funding under the Foundation School Program. It authorizes the commissioner of education to grant waivers or modifications to average daily attendance rules during crises, preventing funding cuts that would otherwise occur if attendance dropped due to virtual learning or school closures. The bill also permits the commissioner to charge a fee for processing these attendance adjustments. This directly affects school districts relying on state funding tied to attendance metrics during emergency periods.

Maddy summarySB 396 amends Texas Election Code Section 15.051(a) to require voter registrars to send written confirmation notices to voters in specific situations. It directly affects voters whose registration address is a commercial post office box, who haven’t voted in 25 months after a general election, or whose residence is suspected of changing. The key mechanism is a written notice demanding voters verify their current residence address. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and does not alter voter eligibility or removal procedures.

Maddy summaryHB 952 requires all mail-in early voting ballots to include a unique electronic code that election officials can scan to verify authenticity. It mandates that clerks and ballot boards use electronic devices to check these codes against issued ballots before counting, rejecting any ballot with a mismatched code. The bill explicitly prohibits creating records linking individual voters to these codes, ensuring voter anonymity. This change applies to all mail-in ballots processed under Texas election law, taking effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 294 prevents municipalities and property owners' associations from banning fruit/vegetable gardening or keeping small numbers of domestic animals (up to six chickens or rabbits) on single-family residential lots. The bill allows local governments to impose reasonable rules on visibility, noise, safety, and sanitation - such as requiring fenced areas, limiting roosters, or setting minimum space requirements (20 sq. ft per chicken, 9 sq. ft per rabbit) - without prohibiting the activities. It specifically excludes condominiums and voids any ordinances violating these provisions. The bill aims to support small-scale food production in residential areas while maintaining community standards.

Maddy summaryHB 4253 requires Texas voter registrars to send written confirmation notices to voters under specific circumstances to verify their residence address. This affects voters whose address is a commercial post office box, those who haven’t voted in 25 months after a general election, or when registrars suspect a residence change. The bill mandates that registrars notify voters to confirm their current address, with no change to voting eligibility or rights. It takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 2 establishes a state-funded education savings account program in Texas, allowing eligible families to use public funds for approved educational expenses. The program directly affects Texas families with children who have disabilities or who live in low-income households (at or below 500% of the federal poverty level). The comptroller administers the program, funding accounts with state money that can cover approved education costs like tuition, books, or tutoring. The bill becomes effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor on May 3, 2025. This creates a new state-funded option alongside public schools for participating families.

Maddy summaryHB 4317 limits severance pay for executive employees of Texas local governments (like cities, counties, and school districts). It requires that severance pay from tax revenue not exceed 20 weeks of the employee’s final salary (excluding vacation time) and prohibits it if the employee is terminated for misconduct. Political subdivisions must post all severance agreements online, and courts cannot enforce judgments violating these rules. The bill applies to new or renegotiated employment agreements entered into on or after September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 3618 requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to create policies governing searches of female inmates. It mandates that searches involving unclothed female inmates must be conducted by a female officer when available, and if a male officer must conduct such a search, they must submit a written report within 72 hours. The bill also limits visual body cavity searches (a visual inspection of genital or anal areas with clothing removed) to only "exigent circumstances" like immediate security threats - not routine program access like education or rehabilitation. These policies apply directly to female inmates in TDCJ facilities and must be adopted by September 1, 2025.

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 summaryThe context provided does not include the actual text or substantive details of HB 1378. While the bill title indicates it relates to "municipal and county regulation of certain electric energy storage," no specific provisions, mechanisms, or affected parties are described in the available information. The summary section is blank, and recent actions only note committee referrals without policy content. Without access to the bill text or a substantive summary, a factual description of the bill's provisions cannot be provided. For details, the user should refer to the PDF version of the bill text mentioned in the context.