Rep. Janis Holt

Maddy summaryHR 128 amends Texas House rules to impose specific penalties on members who absent themselves without permission to disrupt legislative proceedings. It directly affects House members who deliberately skip sessions to hinder the House's work. Key provisions include a daily fine of $1,500 (three times the standard $500 per diem), reimbursement for sergeant-at-arms costs to secure attendance, loss of committee leadership roles, and potential seniority recalculation for repeated absences. Penalties apply only when absence is proven to impede House business, and members retain constitutional rights to representation.

Maddy summaryHB 265 strengthens Texas youth camp oversight by requiring the health department to review camp safety rules by April 2026, in consultation with a newly structured advisory committee. The committee must include nine members representing emergency management, law enforcement, pediatric care, child psychology, abuse prevention, camp operators, parents, and geographic diversity. The bill mandates camp operators to provide safe facilities and conduct annual criminal background checks on staff, including sex offender database verification. These provisions directly affect youth camp operators, staff, and campers by establishing clearer safety standards and oversight mechanisms.

Maddy summaryHB 295 changes Texas election rules for voters who move within their county but haven't updated their registration. It allows voters to cast ballots in their current precinct immediately after submitting a statement verifying their new address and meeting residency requirements, instead of waiting 30 days for registration changes to take effect. The bill requires voters to provide the same information needed for initial registration, including their current address and a statement confirming they reside in the precinct. This applies only to address change notices submitted after the bill's effective date. The law affects voters who relocate within their county but haven't updated their registration records.

Maddy summaryHB 308 creates a new criminal offense for trespassing on or near school or day-care center property. It applies to individuals who enter school property or remain within 250 feet of it if their conduct is disruptive, threatening, or harassing to students, staff, or school operations, and they lack a valid reason (like custody) or written permission from the school. The law requires that the person ignores a reasonable request to leave from school staff before being charged. Violating this law is classified as a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine. The bill specifically targets disruptive behavior near schools, not general trespassing.

Maddy summarySB 2 allows justices of the peace in counties without medical examiners to skip autopsies for deaths caused by natural disasters (like hurricanes or floods), provided they confirm: 1) the death resulted from disaster injuries, 2) no unlawful act caused it, and 3) no family member is seeking an autopsy. It requires the state to create a training program for these justices on managing mass fatality events, including autopsy decisions, body documentation, and coordinating with agencies. The law expires April 1, 2027, and directly affects local officials handling disaster-related deaths in rural counties. The bill does not impose licensing or fees, as implied in its title but not reflected in the actual text.

Maddy summaryHB 254 amends Texas law to define eligibility for grants under the Rural Infrastructure Disaster Recovery Program. It specifies that counties qualify if they have a population under 100,000, a gross domestic product below $3 billion (or $2 billion after amendment), a poverty rate exceeding 10% (or 15% after amendment), and are located in a disaster area where damages exceed 10% of the county's prior year sales tax revenue. Non-county political subdivisions also qualify if they lie entirely or partially within a qualifying county. The bill establishes clear, measurable criteria to determine which rural areas can access disaster recovery funding.

Maddy summaryHJR 10 proposes amending the Texas Constitution to change the quorum requirement for the Texas Senate or House of Representatives from two-thirds to a simple majority of members. This would allow legislative business to proceed with fewer members present, directly affecting how both chambers conduct sessions and pass legislation. The amendment must be approved by Texas voters in a May 2, 2026, election, with the ballot asking whether "a majority of the members" should constitute a quorum. If passed, this change would alter a core procedural rule governing legislative operations.

Maddy summaryHB 298 creates a rule for when Texas state legislators lose their seats due to missing sessions. If a senator or representative misses 14 unexcused floor sessions during a regular legislative session (or 3 during a special session) without majority approval from their chamber, their seat becomes vacant. This applies only to absences occurring after the bill’s effective date and does not affect existing terms. The bill directly affects legislators who fail to attend sessions without valid justification approved by their chamber’s majority.

Maddy summaryHR 58 amends the Texas House of Representatives' permanent rules to remove a restriction preventing the minority party from appointing a member as vice-chair of standing committees. It also eliminates a separate budget for the vice-chair position. These changes directly affect committee leadership structure by allowing bipartisan appointments for vice-chairs and removing dedicated funding for that role. The bill specifically revises Rule 4, Section 4A (removing the party restriction) and adds Rule 4, Section 6A(c) (ending the separate budget). This is a procedural rule change focused on internal committee operations, not a policy affecting public programs or services.

Maddy summaryHB 296 modifies Texas election rules for voters who change their residence within a county but haven't updated their registration. It requires voters to submit a signed statement confirming their new address and residency before voting in their current precinct, with registration changes taking effect 30 days after submitting the notice. The bill directly affects voters who move within a county but haven't completed registration updates, ensuring they can vote while their address change processes. It repeals a previous provision allowing immediate registration changes and applies only to address notices submitted on or after the bill's effective date.