Rep. Mihaela Pleșa

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Texas licensing authorities to issue provisional occupational licenses for six months to applicants with criminal convictions who are otherwise qualified for the license, unless they have specific serious convictions listed in the Occupations Code. The provisional license begins upon the applicant's release from incarceration if they were imprisoned. It applies to most occupational licensing fields (like healthcare or trades) but excludes applicants convicted of offenses under Section 53.021(a). The bill provides a pathway for certain applicants to obtain licenses without full revocation of eligibility.

Maddy summaryHB 1411 allows certain school district employees to use their personal leave days for school holidays, meaning they can receive pay for days when school is closed (instead of taking unpaid time off). This applies only to non-exempt employees (not covered by federal overtime rules) and those with non-annualized pay. Employees may use up to two personal leave days per year for school holidays under this provision. The law takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Texas Employees Retirement System to make a one-time supplemental payment in January 2026 to eligible retirees and beneficiaries. The payment equals the lesser of $2,000 or the retiree’s regular December 2025 annuity amount, added to their existing monthly benefit. It excludes certain disability retirees, elected officials’ families, and other specific categories listed in the bill. The payment is in addition to regular benefits and subject to standard tax withholdings.

Maddy summaryHB 5144 aims to prohibit deceptive trade practices by businesses that assist veterans with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) claims. The bill targets companies that charge fees or provide services related to VA benefits applications, seeking to prevent misleading tactics like false promises of guaranteed approval. However, the full bill text is unavailable in the provided context, so specific provisions, affected parties, or enforcement mechanisms cannot be detailed. Without access to the complete legislative language, a precise summary of how the law would operate or who it directly impacts is not possible. Please consult the bill's PDF version for the full text and detailed provisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Texas public universities to disregard undergraduate applicants' academic records older than 10 years when evaluating admission, but requires them to retain the most recent 5 years of grades and credits. Colleges must publicly post their specific policies on this practice and cannot selectively ignore only parts of the 10-year window - they must disregard all records from that period if they choose to apply the policy. The law applies to admissions for the 2025 fall semester and affects how institutions count credits toward degree requirements for students using this "academic fresh start" option. It also ties state funding for relevant credits to this policy starting in 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 2783 requires certain Texas counties to automatically enroll eligible county employees in the county’s deferred compensation plan (a retirement savings program) unless the employee opts out. Employees would contribute 3% of their pay automatically through payroll deductions to a default investment option chosen by the plan administrator, replacing the previous requirement for employees to actively consent. This applies to counties that choose to adopt the automatic enrollment policy through a commissioners court order, and counties must inform new employees about their participation options and responsibilities. Employees can later adjust their contribution amount, switch investment options, or opt out entirely through the county’s designated process.

Maddy summaryHB 1713 increases criminal penalties for damaging electric vehicle (EV) charging stations by elevating offenses involving impairment of EV supply equipment to a Class A misdemeanor. This change applies when the damage causes impairment or interruption to EV charging infrastructure, regardless of the financial loss amount. The bill specifically targets individuals who disrupt or tamper with public or private EV charging equipment, making such acts punishable more severely than general property damage under Texas Penal Code. It directly affects anyone who intentionally damages or interferes with EV charging stations, including vandals or those causing accidental disruption during maintenance. The amendment modifies existing penalty tiers to prioritize protection of emerging EV infrastructure.

Maddy summaryHB 1295 requires Texas' statewide health coordinating council to develop and update a long-range plan every two years aimed at improving health literacy across the state. The plan must study low health literacy's economic impact, identify risk factors, and examine strategies like plain language instructions for patients and health care providers. The bill also mandates that the state health plan explicitly address health literacy as a key concern and include specific strategies to improve it, with the goal of enhancing patient safety, reducing preventable errors, and achieving better health outcomes. This directly affects the health coordinating council (which must create the plan) and the state health plan (which must integrate health literacy efforts).

Maddy summaryHJR 203 proposes a constitutional amendment to create the Texas Health Care Workforce Education Fund, which would provide dedicated funding to eligible Texas state universities for training health care workers. The fund would be financed through legislative appropriations, gifts, grants, and investment earnings, with distributions limited to 7% of the fund’s average value annually to preserve long-term purchasing power. Eligible universities would use these funds to address workforce shortages in health care fields, with allocations determined by a formula established by the legislature. This amendment requires voter approval after legislative passage and does not change current funding mechanisms for higher education.

Maddy summaryHB 1716 expands Medicaid counseling access in Texas by allowing recipients to select licensed marriage and family therapist associates, licensed master social workers (pursuing clinical licensure), and licensed professional counselor associates. These providers, who are working toward full licensure, must be reimbursed at 50% of the rate paid to psychiatrists or psychologists for similar services. Reimbursement is capped at 3,000 hours or the supervised practice hours required for full licensure. The bill applies to counseling services provided under Medicaid, including at federally qualified health centers.