Rep. Hillary Hickland

Maddy summaryHB 2626 creates the Central Texas Water Alliance, a regional water authority designed to manage water resources across Central Texas. It directly affects local governments (like cities and counties) and private entities within the alliance's territory by granting the Alliance three key powers: the authority to issue bonds for water projects, the power of eminent domain to acquire land for infrastructure, and the ability to impose fees for water services. The bill defines "water" broadly to include groundwater, surface water, and treated wastewater, and establishes the Alliance's territory based on sponsor areas and service boundaries. This legislation provides a legal framework for coordinated water management under Texas Constitution Section 59.

Maddy summaryHB 125 creates the Tarleton State University College of Osteopathic Medicine as a new academic unit within Tarleton State University. The bill establishes that the college will operate under the oversight of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, offer osteopathic medicine degrees under Tarleton's authority, and partner with public or private teaching hospitals. This legislation directly affects Tarleton State University students seeking osteopathic medicine degrees and expands Texas' network of medical education institutions. The bill amends Texas Education Code to formally include the new college in the state's list of authorized medical and dental programs.

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 503 amends Texas law to expand eligibility for two salary assistance grant programs. It raises the population cap for qualifying counties (from 300,000 to 400,000) for the rural sheriff's office grant program and for qualifying prosecutor's offices (from 300,000 to 400,000 population in their jurisdiction). Counties and prosecutor's offices in jurisdictions with 300,000-400,000 residents can now apply for higher grant amounts: $650,000 for sheriff offices and $375,000 for prosecutor offices. The bill takes effect immediately if approved by two-thirds vote, or September 1, 2025, otherwise.

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 summaryThe bill text for HB 1743 is not currently available in the provided context. The summary section is empty, and the system notes "This version is not currently available, but is coming soon." Without access to the full bill text or detailed summary, a factual summary of the bill's provisions, key mechanisms, or affected parties cannot be generated. The recent actions indicate it is pending in committee but do not describe the bill's content.

Maddy summaryHB 1308 would have required Texas state contractors, private employers, and government entities to use the federal E-Verify system to confirm employees' legal work status. It mandated that contractors register and maintain participation in E-Verify for state contracts, with limited exceptions for essential agency operations. The bill also authorized suspending licenses of private employers who hire individuals not lawfully present in the U.S. This bill was introduced in 2024 but was withdrawn from the legislative schedule on April 28, 2025, and did not become law.

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 3990 requires state, municipal, and county buildings in Texas to display only three flags: the U.S. flag, the Texas state flag, or the official flag of the local municipality or county. The bill prohibits displaying any other flags, including those representing organizations or causes, at these government-owned or operated facilities. It defines "display" as showing flags where visitors or employees can see them, and mandates that U.S. and state flags must be in official colors without alteration. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly affects all public buildings operated by Texas state, city, or county governments.

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.