Rep. Mihaela Pleșa

Maddy summaryHB 1727 defines "school social work services" as specialized support for students and families to address learning barriers, connect home/school/community, and promote safety. It requires school social workers to spend at least 80% of their time on specific duties like collaborating with school staff, developing violence/suicide prevention plans, and providing behavioral health referrals. The bill directly affects school social workers in Texas public school districts and the students/families they serve. It takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial resolution, not a substantive bill. It formally commemorates DiscoverSTEM's Innovation Day at the Texas State Capitol on March 18, 2025, recognizing the organization's work with youth (ages 10-18) in STEM education, innovation programs, and patent development. The resolution extends the Texas House of Representatives' recognition to DiscoverSTEM and its participants but does not create any new laws, funding, or policy changes. It serves solely as a symbolic expression of support for the organization's educational initiatives.

Maddy summaryHB 2381 requires firearm owners who lose or have their guns stolen to report the incident to a police officer within 10 days of discovering the loss. Owners must provide their name, firearm details, and the date the loss was discovered. Failure to report within this timeframe is classified as a misdemeanor (Class C, escalating to Class B for repeat violations). The Texas Department of Public Safety will forward all reports to the National Crime Information Center for tracking. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 2380 proposes to amend Texas Penal Code Section 46.06 by prohibiting firearm transfers to specific groups. It bans selling or giving firearms to minors under 18 (except with parental written permission), people under 21, individuals who are intoxicated, those convicted of felonies within five years of release, and people subject to active protective orders. Exceptions include transfers for peace officers or military personnel performing official duties. Violations would be Class A misdemeanors, with certain offenses (like selling to under-21s with handguns) classified as state jail felonies. The bill does not affect legal firearm owners but restricts transfers to the specified prohibited groups.

Maddy summaryHB 2356 makes it a criminal offense to intentionally possess, manufacture, transport, repair, or sell specific devices designed to modify handguns to shoot automatically without manual reloading. The bill directly affects individuals handling prohibited items like automatic handgun modification devices, machine guns, short-barrel firearms, armor-piercing ammunition, zip guns, and other listed devices - unless registered federally or classified as curios/relics. Key provisions expand criminal penalties under Texas Penal Code Section 46.05 for these specific devices, with the law applying only to offenses occurring on or after its effective date (September 1, 2025). The bill does not change existing laws for offenses committed before this date.

Maddy summaryHB 2146 would create a civil lawsuit for individuals who experience nonconsensual removal or alteration of a condom during sexual contact. It allows victims to sue for actual damages (including mental anguish), court costs, and attorney fees if a condom was intentionally removed or altered without consent before sexual contact without protection. The law applies only to incidents occurring on or after its effective date of September 1, 2025. This bill provides a legal remedy for victims but does not criminalize the act.

Maddy summaryHB 2058 requires hospitals with specific maternal care designations to provide supportive counseling and medical cooling devices (like specialized blankets or cradles) to parents and families following a perinatal death or stillbirth. It creates a grant program to help these hospitals cover costs for staff training on compassionate care and purchasing/maintaining cooling devices. The bill also establishes a hospital recognition program for facilities excelling in perinatal palliative care. These provisions directly affect Texas hospitals licensed under Chapter 241 that serve maternal care patients. The law aims to improve access to and quality of grief support services for families experiencing pregnancy or infant loss.

Maddy summaryHB 2057 designates October 15 as "Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day" in Texas. The bill requires state agencies to observe this day through ceremonies and activities that honor those who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss (including miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, or newborn death) and provide resources to affected families. It does not create new funding or programs but mandates official recognition through state actions. The designation applies to Texas state government operations and would take effect September 1, 2025. This bill directly affects state agencies and public events, not individual citizens or private entities.

Maddy summaryHB 2051 limits how much school property tax revenue can be recaptured by the state under Texas' public school finance system. It directly affects school districts that purchase attendance credits to lower their local revenue levels. The bill requires districts to retain tax revenue sufficient to cover their average maintenance and operations costs per student (based on the prior three years' data, adjusted for inflation), preventing recapture from reducing this retained revenue below that level. This change modifies the recapture process to protect districts from losing too much local tax revenue when balancing budgets.

Maddy summaryHB 1577 expands property tax exemption eligibility for surviving spouses of certain first responders in Texas. It adds federal law enforcement agents (including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, Customs and Border Protection agents, and Homeland Security deportation officers) to the definition of "first responder" eligible for the homestead tax exemption. Surviving spouses qualify if they were Texas residents at the time of the first responder's death (in the line of duty), have not remarried since the death, and meet other standard requirements. The exemption applies to the total appraised value of their primary residence and takes effect for tax years beginning January 1, 2026.