Sen. Judith Zaffirini

Maddy summaryHB 4894 clarifies and validates the boundaries of the Creedmoor Municipal Utility District in Travis County, Texas. It amends the district's boundary description in law to correct field note errors in its original charter, specifically defining the district as a 134-acre tract with detailed metes and bounds. The bill ensures that past boundary errors do not invalidate the district's existing powers, including bond issuance, tax authority, or legal operations. This affects the Creedmoor Municipal Utility District and its residents by formally establishing its jurisdiction for utility services. The bill became effective immediately after being filed without the governor's signature on June 20, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 57 requires Texas public schools to include disability-specific accommodations for students with disabilities in their emergency planning. It mandates that school committees or teams developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or Section 504 plans must identify each disability requiring accommodations during mandatory drills or emergencies and specify the exact accommodations needed. Schools must then share this information with administrators responsible for emergency planning. The bill also requires school districts to incorporate these accommodations into their multihazard emergency operations plans. This law directly affects students with disabilities and ensures their safety needs are addressed in school emergency procedures.

Maddy summarySB 31, titled the "Life of the Mother Act," amends Texas Health and Safety Code to create a specific exception allowing abortions when a physician determines in "reasonable medical judgment" that a pregnancy poses a life-threatening risk of death or serious risk of substantial impairment to a major bodily function. It directly affects pregnant individuals with pregnancy-related conditions that threaten life or major bodily function, removing prior requirements that risks be imminent or that physical damage already occur. The law permits physicians to act proactively to address such risks before symptoms manifest, without needing to wait for documented harm. Signed by the governor on June 20, 2025, it became effective immediately.

Maddy summaryHB 3806 restricts certain activities of Texas state trust companies under banking supervision. The bill prohibits these companies from selling assets, lending funds, incurring debt, paying dividends, accepting new clients, changing leadership, or engaging in other activities that threaten their safety and soundness without prior approval from the banking commissioner. These restrictions apply during any period of supervision by the banking commissioner. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, directly affecting all Texas state trust companies operating under regulatory oversight.

Maddy summarySB 66 amends Texas Estates Code to explicitly allow supporters under a supported decision-making agreement to assist adults with disabilities in legal proceedings, including civil and criminal cases. This directly affects adults with disabilities who use supported decision-making agreements, clarifying that supporters may help them access legal information, understand options, and communicate decisions - without making decisions for them. The bill adds "legal proceedings" as a specific area where supporters can provide assistance, aligning with existing provisions for other life decisions like healthcare and finances. It does not create new authority but formalizes current practice by expanding the scope of permitted support in the agreement form.

Maddy summaryHB 2791 allows the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) to directly contract for goods and services needed to provide vocational rehabilitation services to Texans with disabilities. The bill requires TWC to select vendors using procurement methods that deliver the "best value," considering factors like cost, quality, vendor reliability, and long-term impacts. It specifically directs TWC to evaluate whether vendors meet the needs of rehabilitation recipients, support historically underutilized businesses, and ensure cost-effectiveness. This change gives TWC flexibility to streamline procurement while maintaining accountability for how taxpayer funds are spent on these critical services.

Maddy summaryHB 2 amends Texas education law to change how public school districts and charter schools compensate teachers. It requires schools to implement performance-based pay systems where teacher salaries differentiate based on appraisals, prohibits routine across-the-board raises, and mandates that all teachers be eligible for designations like "master" or "exemplary" based on evaluations. The bill also establishes criteria for districts to qualify for enhanced teacher incentive funding, including strategic evaluation systems for principals and placing highly effective teachers at high-need campuses. This directly affects school districts, charter schools, and classroom teachers by restructuring compensation and evaluation practices.

Maddy summaryHB 3146 amends Texas law to clarify that the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) directly conducts certain state agency hearings, replacing previous language requiring "cooperation with" SOAH. The bill updates sections in the Agriculture, Human Resources, Labor, and Transportation Codes to specify that SOAH administrative law judges will either enter final decisions or propose decisions to agency commissioners for final action. This affects state agencies that use SOAH for hearings and the individuals or businesses participating in those proceedings. The bill was signed into law on June 20, 2025, and takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 75 (SB 75) is a finding bill that establishes legislative justification for improving electric grid resilience, directly affecting vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure. The bill cites the 2021 and 2011 statewide power outages as evidence of grid vulnerabilities, highlighting disproportionate risks to elderly, underprivileged populations, and communities near industrial facilities like refineries. It emphasizes Texas' unique position as a net energy exporter with a self-contained grid and identifies weatherization of generation infrastructure as a key focus area to prevent future failures. The bill passed unanimously in committee and became law on June 20, 2025, after being signed by the Governor.

Maddy summaryHB 4765 establishes registration requirements for code enforcement officers and officers in training in Texas. It defines "code enforcement officer" as someone working for state or local government who conducts code enforcement, and "officer in training" as someone supervised by a registered officer. The bill requires individuals to hold a valid registration certificate (including passing an exam and having one year of experience) to use the title "code enforcement officer," while exempting those already licensed under other state laws. Local governments may still hire unregistered staff if they qualify for the exemption under Section 1952.002.