Sen. Lois Kolkhorst

Maddy summarySB 568 amends Texas Education Code sections 8.051 and 29.001 to strengthen special education support in public schools. It requires regional education service centers to provide specific core services, including teacher training on state-mandated subjects and financial literacy, assistance for districts with special education compliance issues, and support for students needing specialized services. The bill also mandates the state education agency to develop a comprehensive system ensuring statewide compliance with federal and state special education laws, focusing on student outcomes and coordinated services. These changes directly affect Texas school districts, regional centers, and students with disabilities by standardizing support and accountability. The bill does not create new funding but reorganizes how existing Foundation School Program funds are administered for special education.

Maddy summarySB 2972 protects free expression at Texas public universities by requiring common outdoor campus areas to be treated as traditional public forums. It ensures students and employees can engage in protests, speeches, and other expressive activities there, as long as the activity is lawful and doesn’t significantly disrupt campus operations. The law permits universities to impose only reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on these activities, while explicitly excluding commercial speech, threats, defamation, and other unprotected categories. This policy change directly affects all public university students, faculty, and staff in Texas, effective September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1106 amends Texas' Family Code definitions of child abuse and neglect. It explicitly states that a parent or guardian's refusal to affirm a child's gender identity (including using preferred names/pronouns) or sexual orientation does not constitute abuse. The bill also clarifies that neglect includes specific failures like withholding medical care or leaving a child in immediate danger, but the key change is excluding these gender/sexual orientation refusals from abuse definitions. This directly affects parents, guardians, and child welfare systems in Texas by altering what legally qualifies as abuse under state law.

Maddy summaryHB 2715 amends Texas Local Government Code provisions governing the removal of certain political subdivision officers, specifically changing procedures for prosecuting attorneys. The bill requires removal petitions for prosecuting attorneys to be filed with the presiding judge of the administrative judicial region (not a district judge), and mandates that a judge from a different county handle the case to avoid conflicts of interest. It repeals outdated sections about judge assignments and specifies these changes apply only to removal petitions filed on or after the bill's effective date (June 20, 2025). This bill directly affects county prosecutors and local officials seeking their removal, altering court procedures for such cases.

Maddy summaryHB 20 establishes Texas' Applied Sciences Pathway program, allowing high school students to earn both diplomas and industry certificates through school-college partnerships. It requires courses in 20 specific high-wage, high-growth fields like plumbing, welding, IT, and oil/gas exploration, with a focus on successful job placement rates. Partnerships must offer non-duplicative, progressive coursework leading to both diplomas and certificates in these sectors. The program begins for the 2027-2028 school year, with industries reviewed every five years to match labor market needs.

Maddy summarySB 17 restricts certain foreign governments and entities from purchasing or acquiring title to specific types of real property in Texas if such ownership poses a risk to public health, safety, or welfare. It prohibits purchases of agricultural land, commercial, industrial, residential property, mines, minerals, or timber by organizations or governments from "designated countries" (identified by U.S. intelligence as national security risks). Exceptions include U.S. citizens/permanent residents, entities owned by them, homestead properties, and leaseholds under 100 years. The law creates a new Property Code Subchapter H (Sections 5.251-5.254) to implement these restrictions.

Maddy summaryHB 5662 authorizes Fort Bend County Water Control and Improvement District No. 12 to design, build, and maintain roads (including storm drainage improvements) within its boundaries under specific constitutional authority. The bill establishes that road projects must comply with local municipal or county construction standards and regulations, and requires Texas Transportation Commission approval if the state will maintain the road. It limits the district’s bond financing for road projects to no more than one-fourth of the district’s total assessed real property value. This bill directly affects the district’s ability to fund and manage road infrastructure projects within its jurisdiction.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases criminal penalties for unauthorized entry, occupancy, or damage to real property, affecting individuals who illegally occupy homes or damage property (e.g., squatters) and property owners seeking removal. It reclassifies offenses based on financial damage: minor issues become Class C misdemeanors, while damage exceeding $2,500 or specific scenarios (like disrupting water systems or damaging livestock fences) trigger higher penalties, including state jail felonies. Key provisions include raising penalties for property destruction, adding felony charges for tampering with catalytic converters during removal, and authorizing fees for enforcement. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly impacts property disputes and criminal justice outcomes.

Maddy summaryHB 109 designates the Waco Center for Youth as a state residential treatment facility for emotionally disturbed juveniles under state custody. It requires the Department of Family and Protective Services to provide free education services at this facility, with non-local students needing school district approval for services. The bill also allows one-time state grants for constructing or expanding specific inpatient mental health facilities, funded through legislative appropriations. This affects juveniles admitted to state facilities under certain conditions and impacts how education services are delivered at designated treatment centers.

Maddy summaryHB 5115 increases criminal penalties for election fraud in Texas by elevating the offense from a Class A misdemeanor to a second-degree felony under Election Code Section 276.013. It directly affects individuals who commit specific election fraud acts, such as tampering with ballots, voting for deceased voters, or counting invalid votes. The bill amends the law to impose harsher penalties for these violations, excluding certain scenarios like election officials acting in their official capacity (which remains a state jail felony) or attempted offenses (classified as a third-degree felony). This change applies only to offenses committed on or after its September 1, 2025 effective date.