Rep. Terry Wilson

Maddy summaryHB 342 allows Texas counties with populations under 1.2 million (that don't use countywide polling) to combine election precincts under specific conditions. It permits combining precincts with fewer than 500 registered voters to reduce election costs, or for larger counties (250,000+ population) to combine precincts with 500-750 voters. Combined precincts must not exceed 10,000 voters and cannot dilute voting rights for protected groups under federal law. The bill affects county election administrators in smaller Texas counties managing precinct boundaries.

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 summaryHJR 203 proposes a constitutional amendment to create the Texas Health Care Workforce Education Fund, which would provide dedicated funding to eligible Texas state universities for training health care workers. The fund would be financed through legislative appropriations, gifts, grants, and investment earnings, with distributions limited to 7% of the fund’s average value annually to preserve long-term purchasing power. Eligible universities would use these funds to address workforce shortages in health care fields, with allocations determined by a formula established by the legislature. This amendment requires voter approval after legislative passage and does not change current funding mechanisms for higher education.

Maddy summaryHB 245 allows military service to count toward retirement credit in Texas' state Employees Retirement System when that service is treated as law enforcement or custodial officer service. It affects Texas state employees who served in the military and later work as law enforcement or custodial officers, enabling them to include their military service in their retirement calculations. The bill requires that the employee wasn't previously enrolled in the retirement system before their military service, or their job immediately before military service was in a qualifying position. It also mandates that their first post-military employment must be in a role that qualifies for such credit. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 4909 creates "My Texas Future," an online portal requiring public high school students in Texas to voluntarily share academic records with public colleges and universities to apply for admission. Students must opt-in before graduation (with specific opt-out options for parents, 18+ students, or counselor authorization), but it is not mandatory to share data. The bill mandates school districts to provide a multilingual form for this opt-in process and links it to high school graduation eligibility for public school students. This policy change directly affects Texas public high school students by making college application participation a condition for earning a diploma.

Maddy summaryHB 4762 establishes the Higher Education Research Security Council to strengthen security at Texas's top research universities. The Council, composed of security officers from these institutions, will develop security policies, create an accreditation program for secure research, and provide annual training on background checks and security tools. It must meet quarterly and submit annual reports to state officials, directly affecting Texas's tier one research institutions (as defined by the Carnegie Classification) and their security personnel.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Texas colleges, universities, and local governments to reduce electricity use by 5% annually for six years, beginning September 1, 2025. It applies to all public entities covered under the Health and Safety Code, including state agencies. Each entity must establish yearly targets to meet the 5% annual reduction goal. The law takes effect on September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 5265 creates the Texas Health Care Professional Education Fund to dedicate state funding toward increasing health care degree production at eligible public universities. The bill directly affects Texas public universities designated as "general academic teaching institutions" that offer health care professional degrees (such as bachelor's, master's, or doctoral programs in fields listed by federal education standards). Key provisions establish the fund outside the state treasury, managed by the comptroller through a trust company, with distribution rules designed to preserve fund value and ensure predictable annual funding. The goal is to meet state workforce needs by providing a stable, independent funding stream specifically for health care degree programs at qualifying institutions.

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.