Sen. Royce West

Maddy summaryHB 4643 requires Texas Medicaid and public benefits programs administered by the Health and Human Services Commission to conduct criminal background checks on specific individuals associated with providers and applicants. It mandates checks for owners with 5% or more ownership interest (including through mortgages or asset interests), corporate officers/directors, partnership partners, and "managing employees" (such as administrators or general managers). The law applies to all current Medicaid providers and those applying for enrollment. This policy change clarifies who must undergo background screenings under Texas law, aligning with federal regulations for provider eligibility.

Maddy summarySB 647 requires county clerks and other filing officers to send written notices to affected parties if they reasonably suspect a document about property ownership or claims (like fake court judgments or unauthorized liens) is fraudulent. It specifies that notices must go to the person named as the grantor/debtor, anyone claiming an interest in the property, and the last known property owner if different. The bill creates a presumption of fraud for documents from unrecognized courts or those not authorized by Texas or federal law. This law, effective September 1, 2025, directly affects property owners and individuals involved in real or personal property transactions by adding a verification step for questionable filings.

Maddy summarySB 293 updates Texas judicial oversight by requiring public notice of certain judicial reprimands and clarifying misconduct standards. It directly affects judges (including retired judges), the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and the public by mandating transparency in disciplinary actions. Key provisions include defining "official misconduct" to cover failures to meet court deadlines, violations of judicial conduct rules, and incompetence, while requiring the Commission to maintain public complaint files. The bill also authorizes administrative penalties for misconduct but does not change judicial compensation or retirement benefits. This law, signed by the Governor on June 20, 2025, takes effect January 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 114 transfers responsibility for certain veteran mental health programs from the Texas Health and Safety Code to the Texas Veterans Commission under the Government Code. The bill requires the Commission to administer a program including peer-to-peer counseling, suicide prevention training, veteran jail diversion services, and specialized initiatives for women veterans and rural veterans. Key provisions mandate training for peer service coordinators, coordination of mental health first aid, and access to licensed mental health professionals. This law directly affects Texas veterans seeking mental health support and takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 1121 exempts the installation, maintenance, operation, replacement, or minor modification of buried fiber-optic cables in existing road rights-of-way from certain notice requirements for projects on state or local public land. This directly affects telecommunications companies deploying or maintaining fiber-optic infrastructure, removing a prior requirement to notify authorities before such work. The bill amends the Natural Resources Code to add this specific exemption to a list of activities already considered low-impact and exempt from notification rules. The law took effect immediately on June 20, 2025, after receiving final approval from the governor.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Texas Family Code provisions affecting children in the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) conservatorship. It clarifies that "family preservation services" (time-limited, family-focused support to prevent foster care placement) must be provided to eligible families, including those with pregnant or parenting foster youth. The bill shifts responsibility for paying these services to the family member obtaining them, rather than the state. It also requires DFPS or contractors to submit detailed court reports before placing a child in temporary emergency supervision, documenting all attempted placements and reasons for rejection. These changes took effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a specific segment of U.S. Highway 67 in Dallas and Ellis Counties - between U.S. Highway 287 and Interstate 20 - as the "Eddie Bernice Johnson Memorial Highway." It requires the Texas Department of Transportation to install markers at each end of the highway and at intermediate sites along the route, in addition to any existing designations. The bill has no policy or operational changes beyond this ceremonial naming, which honors the late Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. It became law on June 20, 2025, and takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 2894 creates a state-funded "disabled veteran assistance payment" for Texas local governments that grant property tax relief to disabled veterans and experience significant revenue loss. It specifically applies to municipalities adjacent to U.S. military installations or counties containing such installations, with eligibility based on losing at least 2% of their general fund revenue (or 10% for larger municipalities with populations between 370,000-380,000 or 83,000-84,000). Local governments meeting these thresholds can receive state aid to offset the lost tax revenue starting in the 2025 fiscal year. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and does not change existing tax relief policies for disabled veterans.

Maddy summaryHB 4281 creates a new civil legal remedy for victims of fraudulent crowdfunding campaigns in Texas. It defines "fraudulent crowdfunding" as collecting donations with the intent to keep the funds instead of giving them to the intended recipient (the "donee"). Victims can sue to recover 125% of the stolen donations plus attorney fees, but the law only applies to cases occurring on or after its effective date of September 1, 2025. This bill directly affects individuals and organizations running crowdfunding campaigns who misappropriate funds, as well as those who are defrauded by such campaigns.

Maddy summaryHB 171 standardizes the medical certification process for individuals with chemical dependency requiring court-ordered treatment. It requires physicians to include specific details in examination certificates, such as the patient's treatment history and a clear opinion on whether dependency poses serious harm to the person or others. The bill mandates that courts commit eligible individuals to treatment facilities for a fixed period of 30 to 90 days, replacing prior flexible terms, based on either the patient's admission or clear evidence of dependency-related harm. This applies directly to people facing court proceedings under Texas' chemical dependency treatment laws.