Rep. Carl Tepper

Maddy summarySB 2 establishes a state-funded education savings account program in Texas, allowing eligible families to use public funds for approved educational expenses. The program directly affects Texas families with children who have disabilities or who live in low-income households (at or below 500% of the federal poverty level). The comptroller administers the program, funding accounts with state money that can cover approved education costs like tuition, books, or tutoring. The bill becomes effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor on May 3, 2025. This creates a new state-funded option alongside public schools for participating families.

Maddy summaryHB 5580 requires sheriffs in Texas counties with 100,000+ residents to seek written agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under federal Section 287(g), allowing local officers to enforce federal immigration law. Sheriffs in smaller counties may also pursue such agreements. The bill mandates that agreements specify scope, duration, and limitations, and requires sheriffs to allocate necessary resources for implementation. It also creates a competitive grant program to fund sheriffs in counties under 1 million population that have entered these agreements, supporting their participation through detailed implementation plans. The legislation directly affects county sheriffs and their departments across Texas.

Maddy summaryHB 54, titled "Relating to the display of and allowance for non-human behaviors in Texas schools," is a procedural bill that amends school discipline requirements. It mandates that Texas public school districts include specific factors in their student conduct codes, such as self-defense, intent, disability considerations, and homelessness status, when making disciplinary decisions like suspensions or expulsions. The bill requires schools to post these codes prominently and consider these factors in all disciplinary actions. It does not ban specific activities but standardizes how schools evaluate student behavior. The bill is currently pending in the Education Committee.

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 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 2546 updates eligibility for Texas school buses under the Clean School Bus Program. It changes the cutoff year for buses eligible for replacement from "pre-2007" to "pre-2011" model year (meaning buses from 2010 or earlier). The bill also requires replacement buses to be current model year or the previous year at application time. School districts applying for grants would be directly affected by these updated criteria. The changes take effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis concurrent resolution (HCR 77) urges the U.S. Department of State and the International Boundary and Water Commission to ensure Mexico complies with the 1944 Treaty on shared water resources from the Rio Grande. It specifically addresses Mexico's failure to deliver the treaty-mandated minimum of 350,000 acre-feet of water annually (averaged over five years), leaving a current deficit of 984,814 acre-feet. The resolution highlights that Texas communities, agriculture, and industries - relying heavily on Rio Grande water - face economic harm due to these shortfalls, including lost crops, closed facilities, and higher water costs. It does not create new law but formally requests federal action to enforce the existing treaty.

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 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 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.