Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson

Maddy summaryHB 5526 creates a program allowing public schools in Texas counties with fewer than 1 million residents to authorize security volunteers. Eligible volunteers must be either honorably retired law enforcement officers meeting federal standards or veterans, and cannot be current school employees or contractors. Volunteers may carry handguns while providing security on school grounds and in school vehicles, subject to background checks and school-specific safety training. Schools adopting the program must include it in their emergency plans and coordinate with local emergency services.

Maddy summaryHB 3312 requires Texas school districts and charter schools to retain video surveillance recordings from special education settings for at least 12 months after recording, or until an incident involving staff or students is fully resolved (including all appeals). It directly affects schools, employees involved in reported incidents, and parents of students in documented incidents. The bill specifies that recordings can be released to involved employees, parents, certain investigators (like child protective services), school administrators, or attorneys within one week of a request. Schools must allow unlimited viewing of incident-related recordings by affected parties and cannot restrict access to attorneys representing them.

Maddy summaryHJR 98 is a Texas legislative resolution requesting Congress to call a constitutional convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. It seeks to propose amendments that would impose spending limits on the federal government, reduce federal power over states, and establish term limits for federal officials and members of Congress. Texas formally applies to Congress to initiate this process, with the resolution intended as a continuing application until at least 34 states (two-thirds) support the same purpose. This is a procedural request - Texas has no authority to create new laws, but aims to join other states in advancing this constitutional mechanism.

Maddy summaryHB 3369 amends Texas Education Code to change how school officials handle disruptive spectators at athletic events. It removes the requirement for referees or judges to issue a verbal warning before ejecting spectators who behave inappropriately. The law directly affects school officials (like referees) and spectators at district or UIL-sanctioned sports events, allowing immediate ejection without prior warnings. The bill applies starting the 2025-2026 school year and takes effect September 1, 2025, unless it receives a two-thirds vote for immediate implementation.

Maddy summaryHB 4101 limits funeral service providers' liability for mental anguish damages. It applies only to claimants (like family members with legal rights to a body or remains) seeking emotional distress damages due to mishandled remains. Providers are not liable unless claimants prove three specific conditions: the remains were mishandled, reasonable practices would have prevented it, and the claimant suffered severe emotional distress from their close relationship with the deceased. This creates a clear legal standard for such claims, restricting liability to cases meeting all three criteria.

Maddy summaryHB 3458 bans pet stores from selling dogs or cats, with limited exceptions for animal control agencies and nonprofit adoption organizations that meet specific criteria. These exceptions require organizations to not obtain animals for compensation, breed them, or have ties to breeders or brokers, and pet stores cannot charge fees or claim ownership for adoption showcases. Violations carry a civil penalty of up to $500 per day per animal sold. The law applies only to animals obtained by pet stores on or after the effective date.

Maddy summaryHB 4820 allows specific water districts bordering the Gulf of America and an international border to issue short-term debt (notes) during disaster declarations without the usual three-year term limit. It directly affects districts in counties without cities over 750,000 population and not adjacent to such counties. The bill requires these districts to submit note authorizations to the attorney general for approval and makes issued notes "incontestable" in court during the declared disaster period. This change streamlines emergency funding access for affected water districts while maintaining oversight through attorney general review.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes the process for dissolving certain Texas districts by requiring property owners representing at least two-thirds of the district's taxable property value (based on county tax rolls) to petition for dissolution, instead of a simple majority. It applies to both municipal management districts (under Local Government Code) and ship channel security districts (under Water Code). The new threshold takes effect September 1, 2025, and does not apply to petitions filed before that date. Existing petitions filed under the previous law remain governed by the prior rules.

Maddy summaryHB 1837 creates a mandatory training program for Texas law enforcement officers on handling fentanyl-related offenses. The bill requires the Department of Public Safety to establish training covering collaboration with prosecutors on fentanyl cases, identifying border-related criminal activity involving Penalty Group 1-B substances (like fentanyl), and safest handling methods for these drugs. It also includes instruction on proper opioid antagonist use (for overdose reversal) and allows the training to count toward officers' required continuing education hours. The program directly affects local peace officers and aims to improve safety and investigative capabilities related to fentanyl trafficking.

Maddy summaryHB 2151 clarifies that second offenses of indecent assault (Penal Code Section 22.012) require sex offender registration, but only if the conviction is not deferred. This directly affects individuals convicted of a second indecent assault offense who receive a final conviction rather than a deferred adjudication. The bill amends Texas law to explicitly include this offense under "reportable convictions" for sex offender registration, aligning it with similar offenses like sexual assault and indecency with a child. The change ensures consistent application of registration requirements for specific repeat offenses involving sexual misconduct.