Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson

Maddy summaryHB 49 limits legal liability for businesses and landowners handling oil and gas waste in Texas. It shields parties who treat or reuse this waste (e.g., for drilling operations) from tort claims related to subsequent use, unless they acted with gross negligence or failed to follow environmental rules. The law specifically protects those who generate, transport, or treat waste, including surface estate owners, but does not cover cases involving intentional misconduct or negligence. Signed into law on June 20, 2025, and effective September 1, 2025, it directly affects oil and gas operators, waste treatment facilities, and landowners managing such waste.

Maddy summaryHB 2310 requires the Texas Education Agency, in collaboration with the Health and Human Services Commission and Texas Workforce Commission, to develop a strategic plan improving early learning opportunities for young children with disabilities or developmental delays. The plan must address barriers to inclusion in prekindergarten programs, early childhood special education, and subsidized childcare, while recommending policy, funding, and training changes. Key provisions include strategies for inclusive settings, analysis of current challenges, and recommendations for provider staffing and resource coordination. The bill directly affects children with disabilities and the programs serving them, including public schools, childcare providers, and early intervention services. It does not create new programs but mandates a coordinated state plan to enhance existing early education access.

Maddy summaryHB 1868 requires the Texas Coordinating Board to conduct a study on reducing the semester credit hour threshold for dual credit course funding from 15 to 9 hours under the public junior college finance program. The study must assess student benefits (like faster graduation timelines and cost savings) and evaluate the state's workforce capacity to teach dual credit courses, including instructor numbers, certification barriers, and strategies to expand qualified teachers. It mandates a report with findings and recommendations by December 1, 2026. The bill is procedural, focusing solely on analysis, not implementing funding changes. It became effective June 20, 2025.

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.

Maddy summaryHB 2306 changes parole eligibility for inmates convicted of specific trafficking offenses involving vulnerable victims. It prohibits parole for individuals serving sentences under Texas Penal Code Sections 20A.02 (regarding child victims), 20A.03, 21.02, 22.021(f), 51.03, or 51.04. The bill amends parole rules to explicitly exclude these trafficking offenses from eligibility, repealing prior provisions that may have allowed parole for such cases. This law takes effect September 1, 2025, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 4281 creates a new civil legal remedy for victims of fraudulent crowdfunding campaigns in Texas. It defines "fraudulent crowdfunding" as collecting donations with the intent to keep the funds instead of giving them to the intended recipient (the "donee"). Victims can sue to recover 125% of the stolen donations plus attorney fees, but the law only applies to cases occurring on or after its effective date of September 1, 2025. This bill directly affects individuals and organizations running crowdfunding campaigns who misappropriate funds, as well as those who are defrauded by such campaigns.

Maddy summaryHB 4535 requires healthcare providers to obtain written informed consent before administering any COVID-19 vaccine to patients, including parental or guardian consent for minors or individuals lacking decision-making capacity. The law mandates that consent forms include acknowledgment of receiving a standardized information sheet developed by the state health department. This sheet must detail vaccine benefits/risks, accelerated development timeline, availability of long-term studies, manufacturer liability status, and instructions for reporting adverse reactions through the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The law, effective September 1, 2025, applies directly to healthcare providers and patients receiving COVID-19 vaccinations in Texas.

Maddy summaryHB 2674 prohibits the Texas Education Agency, State Board of Education, and other educational institutions from adopting rules or policies that regulate homeschool educational programs. It directly affects homeschooling families in Texas by preventing state oversight of their curriculum, teaching methods, or operational standards. The bill adds Section 1.010 to the Education Code, explicitly banning such regulations, and takes effect September 1, 2025, for the 2025-2026 school year. This is a substantive policy change that removes potential state regulatory requirements for homeschools.

Maddy summaryHB 24 establishes new procedures for Texas municipalities to adjust zoning regulations or district boundaries. It requires a public hearing with 15 days' notice published in a newspaper and online before any zoning change takes effect. For changes that do not allow more residential development (non-comprehensive changes), property owners can protest by signing a written protest if they own 20% of the affected area or 60% of adjacent land within 200 feet. The bill, effective September 1, 2025, applies to all Texas cities and aims to balance development decisions with community input.

Maddy summaryHB 3627 allows the chair of Texas' State Board of Education to hire staff to support the board's work. The bill authorizes the chair to employ personnel, set their duties, pay them using existing legislative funds, and make employment decisions like promotions or terminations. Staff hired under this law would receive retirement benefits, expense reimbursements, and report directly to the board chair. The law took effect September 1, 2025, and affects the State Board of Education's internal operations.