Rep. Greg Bonnen

Maddy summaryThis bill allows certain Texas state governmental bodies to hold closed meetings when deliberating specific defense, military, or aerospace issues. It covers matters involving the U.S. Department of Defense or NASA considering facilities in Texas, or economic incentives for private entities tied to federal defense programs. The law modifies existing open meeting requirements to permit these closed sessions for the defined topics, without requiring public discussion.

Maddy summaryHB 3251 transfers management of the First Capitol State Historic Site and its replica building in West Columbia, Texas, to the Texas Historical Commission (THC). The bill requires the THC to preserve, maintain, and operate the site by expanding visitor facilities - relocating the replica to a historically accurate location, constructing a replica senate building, and building a visitor center. It also mandates the THC to develop educational programs, preserve historical artifacts, and manage site operations through staff training and infrastructure improvements. This bill directly affects the site's historical preservation efforts and public access, with no financial or policy changes for citizens beyond enhanced visitor experiences.

Maddy summaryHB 4736 amends Texas law to clarify how the Texas Emergency Services Retirement System manages its pension funding. It defines key terms like "legacy liability" (the unpaid pension debt as of August 2024) and "liability layers" (how pension obligations change yearly due to factors like investment returns). The bill sets a deadline - either 15 years from the valuation date or September 1, 2055 - for fully covering the system's unfunded pension debt through contributions. These changes directly affect Texas emergency service employees and retirees who rely on this retirement system for benefits. The bill focuses on measuring and managing the system's financial health, not altering benefit amounts or contribution rates.

Maddy summaryHB 3272 makes it a criminal offense to operate an unmanned aircraft (drone) in specific ways over Texas spaceports. It prohibits intentionally flying drones over spaceports, causing drones to contact spaceport property or personnel, or interfering with spaceport operations. The law defines "spaceport" as facilities licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration for spacecraft launches, landings, or recovery. Exemptions include government entities, spaceport owners/operators, and those with prior written authorization from spaceport operators or the FAA.

Maddy summaryHB 1088 modifies Texas law to extend the deadline for minors to file lawsuits about medical malpractice involving gender transition care. Specifically, it sets a deadline of the claimant's 25th birthday for claims related to puberty suppression drugs, cross-sex hormones, or surgery performed on minors for gender transitioning or reassignment. This provision applies only when the minor was under 12 at the time of treatment (per existing law) and the claim involves malpractice in the provision of these specific treatments. The change takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies only to claims accruing after that date.

Maddy summaryHB 4503 requires that electronic health records (EHRs) for Texas residents be stored exclusively within the United States and remain inaccessible to individuals outside the country, applying to medical facilities, health care practitioners, and government entities. The bill mandates that EHRs include specific medical history details about metabolic health and diet for chronic disease treatment while prohibiting the collection of credit scores or voter registration information. It also authorizes civil penalties for non-compliance with these requirements. The law aims to regulate EHR storage and content without specifying enforcement timelines or penalty amounts.

Maddy summaryHB 5510, titled the Women and Child Protection Act, creates civil liability for distributing abortion-inducing drugs and establishes a private civil right of action against individuals or organizations that facilitate access to elective abortions. The bill directly affects abortion assistance organizations - defined as entities providing financial support, travel arrangements, childcare, or logistical services to enable abortions - as well as those distributing abortion-inducing drugs. Key provisions include authorizing private lawsuits for damages related to these activities and creating criminal offenses for certain violations. The law harmonizes existing abortion-related provisions in Texas law while focusing on civil enforcement mechanisms rather than criminal penalties for patients.

Maddy summarySB 14, titled the Regulatory Reform and Efficiency Act, creates the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office within the governor's office to streamline how state agencies develop and review regulations. The office will help agencies identify unnecessary rules, reduce costs for businesses and individuals, and establish a public online portal for searching regulatory information. This bill directly affects state agencies that create regulations and the public who interact with those regulations. The new office will operate until 2037 unless extended under the Sunset Act, with its work focused on improving regulatory efficiency and transparency.

Maddy summaryHB 5099 establishes a shared savings program requiring certain health benefit plans (like HMOs, PPOs, and basic coverage plans) to disclose average contracted rates for health care services. The bill mandates that plan issuers create a toll-free number and online portal so enrollees can request these rates for specific services from the previous year. It also requires out-of-network providers to give enrollees written cost estimates for proposed services. The program applies only to nonemergency care covered under these specific plans, directly affecting health benefit issuers, enrollees, and health care providers.

Maddy summaryHB 19 would establish rules for local governments (like cities and counties) regarding how they issue debt (such as bonds for projects) and repay it. The bill specifically requires local governments to set an ad valorem property tax rate (based on property value) and use the revenue from that tax to pay off the debt they issued. This directly affects local governments that borrow money for infrastructure or other projects. The bill focuses on creating a clear process for debt issuance and repayment using property tax revenue, without changing existing tax rates or borrowing limits. (Note: Summary based on bill title and committee actions; full text not available.)