Sen. Tan Parker

Maddy summarySB 1355 requires distillers and rectifiers (businesses with specific liquor permits) to provide invoices detailing liquor purchases to wholesalers within 30 days of delivery. Wholesalers must pay these invoices within 30 days of receiving the invoice, or the distiller may report the unpaid account to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The Commission will maintain a public list of delinquent wholesalers and may deny permit renewals, transfers, or cancellations for permit holders with unpaid accounts under this section. This bill directly affects distillers/rectifiers and wholesalers by creating clear payment deadlines and linking permit status to timely payment of liquor purchases.

Maddy summaryHB 112 creates a legal framework for establishing science park districts in Texas counties with populations of 800,000 or more, or adjacent to such counties. It requires property owners to petition the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office to form a district, which would be governed by a board and overseen by the Texas Science Park Commission. The bill aims to support technology companies, scientific research, workforce development, and infrastructure through collaboration between universities, industry, and government. Districts must operate without acting as agents for private interests, focusing on public benefits like strengthening domestic supply chains and innovation ecosystems.

Maddy summarySB 1030 exempts certain aircraft components and property required for normal aircraft operations from Texas sales and use taxes. Specifically, it removes taxes on tangible personal property permanently attached to aircraft or necessary for their operation (such as fuel or maintenance parts). This applies to aircraft owners or operators covered under existing tax code provisions. The exemption takes effect September 1, 2025, and does not apply to taxes accrued before that date.

Maddy summarySB 442 makes it a crime to create or share computer-generated videos (deepfakes) that falsely depict real people engaging in sexual acts they did not perform. It requires creators to obtain written consent in plain language from the person depicted, describing the content and how it will be used. Violations are now a Class A misdemeanor (up to a year in jail), or a third-degree felony for repeat offenses. The law directly affects individuals who produce or distribute such deepfakes without valid consent, targeting non-consensual sexual deepfakes specifically. It does not apply to content with disclaimers or labels indicating it is fictional.

Maddy summarySB 570 requires Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to adopt attendance policies aimed at preventing truancy. These policies must inform students and parents about attendance benefits, describe consequences like academic impacts and potential truancy court referrals, and mandate schools to notify parents about absences via email/text or mail. Schools must also hold meetings with parents when students risk truancy and provide referrals to support services for students struggling to attend. The policy takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summarySB 1098 requires Texas pharmacies to disclose the lowest cash price for a prescribed drug or biological product to patients. If the cash price is lower than the patient's insurance copayment, pharmacists must offer the option to pay the lower cash price instead of the copayment amount. This directly affects patients filling prescriptions, particularly those with insurance plans where copayments exceed cash prices. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, aiming to increase prescription price transparency and give patients cost-saving options.

Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 1370 requires counties with a population exceeding 2.5 million (based on the latest federal census) to establish and maintain a medical examiner office. Counties with fewer than 1 million residents may choose to create such an office. The bill also allows two or more counties (regardless of size) to form a joint medical examiner district covering their entire contiguous areas. This law takes effect on September 1, 2025, directly impacting county governments in Texas.

Maddy summarySB 1277 amends Texas Tax Code provisions governing municipal sales and use taxes used for street maintenance, establishing different expiration timelines based on specific municipal characteristics. The bill sets expiration dates at 4 years for most cities, 8 years for cities with interstate highways (population ≥150,000 and 66% voter approval), and 10 years for cities meeting other specific criteria like airport proximity or a narrow population range (11,450-11,550). It requires reauthorization elections to extend these taxes, with ballots specifying the tax rate and expiration date. The bill directly affects municipalities that currently impose such taxes, determining when their street maintenance funding must be renewed through voter approval. This is a procedural change to tax expiration rules, not a new tax or funding mechanism.

Maddy summarySB 2969 creates a new criminal offense for entering restricted areas in animal facilities like zoos without permission, directly affecting individuals who trespass in cages or enclosures. It defines "harass" as actions disregarding animal well-being or disrupting normal behavior (e.g., feeding or breeding), and makes unauthorized entry a misdemeanor-level crime (or a felony if the animal is injured or dies). The bill requires convicted individuals to pay restitution to the facility for property damage or animal injury. This law applies to facilities open for public visitation, conservation, education, or science, with no defense for inadequate facility security or self-defense claims.

Maddy summarySB 1897 prohibits Texas advanced communications service providers from using equipment from "federally banned companies" (those listed by the FCC) in new infrastructure after August 31, 2025, and requires removal of existing banned equipment by September 1, 2025. It directly affects telecom companies providing advanced communications services in Texas that currently use equipment from these banned vendors. The bill mandates annual registration with the state commission for providers using banned equipment and authorizes an annual fee to cover administrative costs. Violations could result in administrative penalties, though specific penalty amounts are not detailed in the provided text.