Rep. Katrina Pierson

Maddy summaryHB 363 requires petitioners seeking to create a municipal utility district to send certified mail notice to county commissioners courts at least 30 days before filing their petition with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The notice must describe the proposed district's boundaries (using exact location details) and inform counties of their right to respond, review the petition, and submit written opinions. This bill amends the Water Code to add Section 54.0135 (requiring the notice) and updates Section 54.015 (adding a requirement that petitions include a copy of this notice). It applies only to petitions filed on or after the bill's effective date, directly affecting counties and those proposing new utility districts.

Maddy summaryHB 3356 modifies reliability requirements for specific electric generation facilities in Texas' ERCOT power grid. It applies to facilities with a standard interconnection agreement that have operated for at least one year and are not self-generators. The bill changes the deadline for the first reliability demonstration from the original date to January 1, 2027, while repealing prior provisions related to this requirement. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, directly affecting owners and operators of qualifying power plants in ERCOT.

Maddy summaryHB 5007 establishes a Texas Committee on Foreign Investment to review certain business transactions involving foreign entities that could affect Texas critical infrastructure, such as energy grids, hospitals, or water systems. The committee would assess deals where foreign-owned companies seek control of Texas assets in these sectors, with a focus on protecting sensitive infrastructure from potential risks. Transactions deemed "covered" under the bill would require review, and violators could face civil fines. The bill applies only to transactions not already governed by federal law.

Maddy summaryThis resolution declares the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) unwelcome at the Texas Capitol. It directly affects CAIR's access to state legislative facilities based on the resolution's stated reasons. The resolution cites alleged ties between CAIR and terrorist organizations (including Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood), FBI actions suspending contacts with CAIR, and specific legal cases involving CAIR associates convicted of terrorism-related offenses. The policy change is purely symbolic, establishing a formal statement of inaccessibility for CAIR at the Capitol without creating new legal requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 25 requires Texas public schools to provide daily physical activity for students in prekindergarten through grade 8, mandating at least 30 minutes of moderate/vigorous activity per day for younger students (pre-K-grade 5) and 135-225 minutes weekly for middle schoolers (grades 6-8), with scheduling flexibility. It directly affects all Texas public school students in these grades and prohibits school staff from withholding physical activity as punishment for academic or behavioral reasons. The bill also adds a new requirement that higher education institutions receiving certain funds must develop nutrition curricula aligned with Texas nutrition guidelines. This legislation focuses on structured physical education and activity standards, not on nutrition food policies. The bill is currently pending in committee after being favorably reported as substituted.

Maddy summaryHB 2207 prevents cities, counties, or school districts from asking voters to approve bonds for a specific project if that same project was rejected in a bond election within the past two years. It prohibits re-submitting identical bond proposals for voter approval during this two-year window. The rule applies only to bond elections ordered on or after September 1, 2025, and does not affect proposals for new projects or those never previously voted on. This is a procedural change to local government bond election rules.

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 summaryHB 391 requires rural area water districts to hold at least one quarterly board meeting within the district or within 10 miles of its boundary, unless meeting in the same county is deemed practical. It defines "rural area districts" as those with over half their water connections active and located outside high-population counties (over 800,000 people as of 2010). The bill allows meetings via phone or video conference for regular sessions, but mandates in-person meetings specifically for tax rate discussions. This applies directly to rural water districts meeting the defined population and connection criteria.

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 2666 reclassifies arson involving a government building as a first-degree felony (instead of second-degree) under Texas law. This change applies only to offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025, and increases penalties for intentionally damaging government buildings through fire. The bill specifically targets cases where the property damaged was a government building, habitation, or place of assembly/worship, with the government building provision being the focus of this amendment. It does not alter penalties for arson against other property types or for cases occurring before the effective date.