Rep. Will Metcalf

Maddy summaryHB 3812 modifies Texas insurance rules for health care preauthorization. It allows physicians and providers to bypass preauthorization requirements for specific services if, over a six-month period, their requests for that service were approved at least 90% of the time and they provided it at least five times. Insurance companies must automatically exempt qualifying providers from preauthorization for those services. The law applies directly to health insurers and health maintenance organizations, reducing administrative burdens for providers who consistently demonstrate medical necessity for certain treatments.

Maddy summaryHB 4076 prohibits health care providers from denying organ transplants or related services (like evaluations, surgery, or waiting list placement) solely based on a patient's vaccination status. It allows providers to consider vaccination status only if medically significant to the transplant, following individualized assessment - such as if unvaccinated patients face higher infection risks. The law covers all transplant stages and protects providers who comply with it from penalties, while permitting alternatives like antibody testing instead of vaccination requirements. It takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies to all organ transplant candidates in Texas.

Maddy summaryHB 2688 amends Texas law governing public retirement systems for firefighters in large municipalities. It lowers the population threshold for municipalities to establish such a fund from 2 million to 1.6 million residents. The bill clarifies "normal retirement age" as either 20 years of service (for pre-2017 hires) or age 50 with 10 years of service (for post-2017 hires). It also updates terminology related to actuarial cost methods used to calculate pension funding requirements. The bill became law on September 1, 2025, affecting firefighters in qualifying Texas cities.

Maddy summaryHB 1584 requires Texas electric utilities to create and maintain a list of "priority facilities," including hospitals, police/fire stations, critical water/wastewater facilities, and certain correctional facilities. Utilities must provide an online tool for facilities to request inclusion (only if they qualify) and confirm within 14 days whether a facility is on the list. During declared emergencies, utilities must share this confidential list with Texas emergency management, and the list cannot be disclosed under public records laws. The law took effect September 1, 2025, directly impacting utilities and the named facilities.

Maddy summaryHB 1393 would amend Texas law to require the state to observe daylight saving time year-round, creating a new time zone called "Texas Time" for all areas currently using Central or Mountain Standard Time. This bill directly affects all Texans by changing the state's standard time practice, eliminating seasonal clock changes. The key provision states that Texas would permanently adopt daylight saving time, but the law's implementation is conditional: it only takes effect if the U.S. Congress passes federal legislation authorizing states to do so. The bill passed both chambers and was signed by the governor in June 2025, pending federal action.

Maddy summaryHB 4187 streamlines contracting for the Texas Historical Commission by allowing its executive director to bypass full competitive bidding when necessary. Specifically, it permits direct contracts with qualified vendors if initial bidding fails to produce competitive offers, increases costs, delays urgent work, or misses critical needs - after documented justification. The bill also clarifies that the Commission may use funds from the Historic Infrastructure Sustainability Trust Fund exclusively for maintaining, preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring state historic sites under its control. These changes aim to improve efficiency in managing historical properties without creating new funding.

Maddy summarySB 11 would allow Texas public school districts or charter schools (not affiliated with religious organizations) to adopt a policy requiring daily voluntary prayer and Bible/religious text reading periods on school campuses. To participate, students or employees must provide written consent from a parent/guardian or the employee themselves, acknowledging the choice to participate and waiving legal claims related to the policy. The bill prohibits mandatory participation, using public address systems for these activities, or substituting this time for instruction, and requires physical separation for those who opt out. School districts must also follow specific guidelines to accommodate non-participants, and the Texas Attorney General would provide legal guidance and defend districts in related lawsuits.

Maddy summarySB 24 requires Texas public schools to include specific instruction about communist regimes and ideologies in social studies curricula for students in grades 4 through 12. The bill mandates age-appropriate lessons covering historical events like the Holodomor, Cultural Revolution, and Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge, as well as comparative analysis of communist ideologies versus U.S. democratic principles. It also requires teaching modern threats from communist regimes and methods used to spread such ideologies, including propaganda and censorship. This policy directly affects all public school students in the specified grades across Texas. The law became effective immediately upon the Governor's signature on June 20, 2025.

Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 1121 exempts the installation, maintenance, operation, replacement, or minor modification of buried fiber-optic cables in existing road rights-of-way from certain notice requirements for projects on state or local public land. This directly affects telecommunications companies deploying or maintaining fiber-optic infrastructure, removing a prior requirement to notify authorities before such work. The bill amends the Natural Resources Code to add this specific exemption to a list of activities already considered low-impact and exempt from notification rules. The law took effect immediately on June 20, 2025, after receiving final approval from the governor.

Maddy summarySB 10 requires all Texas public elementary and secondary schools to display a specific, standardized version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom starting September 1, 2025. The law mandates a durable poster or framed copy meeting strict size (at least 16x20 inches) and content requirements, including only the exact text listed in the bill. Schools must display this unless they accept a privately donated version meeting the same specifications, and may optionally use district funds to purchase compliant displays. This directly affects every public school classroom in Texas, requiring a physical display of the specified religious text.