Sen. Royce West

Maddy summarySB 224 (Family Code Section 264.752(d)) prohibits child-placing agencies in Texas from requiring relatives or designated caregivers to meet any standards beyond those established by state law or Health and Human Services Commission rules. This directly affects relatives and designated caregivers who care for children in foster or kinship placements. The key provision bars agencies from imposing additional, unregulated requirements on these caregivers. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, ensuring agencies can only enforce legally defined standards.

Maddy summarySB 592 prohibits cemetery organizations from restricting plot owners' choices for purchasing or installing markers, memorials, or effigies. It allows cemeteries to set specific physical requirements (like size, color, or installation method) but bans rules that prevent owners from using outside vendors or contractors. Violating this rule subjects cemeteries to a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per violation, with the Attorney General authorized to enforce it. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies only to violations occurring after that date.

Maddy summarySB 228 prohibits the use of AI-manipulated political advertisements that create realistic but false depictions of candidates or officeholders. Specifically, it bans publishing, distributing, or broadcasting AI-altered images, audio, or videos that misrepresent a candidate’s appearance, speech, or conduct in a way that would change a reasonable person’s understanding of them. Violating this law is a Class B misdemeanor. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies only to political ads published after that date.

Maddy summarySB 598 increases school safety funding in Texas by raising two key allotment components. It raises the per-student payment from $10 to $100 per student in average daily attendance and increases the campus-level allotment from $15,000 to $60,000 per school campus. These changes will apply to all Texas public school districts starting September 1, 2025. The bill directly affects school districts by providing higher annual funding for safety-related expenses under the state's public school finance system.

Maddy summarySB 590 modifies Texas law governing revisions to open-enrollment charter school charters. It requires the Texas Education Commissioner to notify the State Board of Education (SBOE) whenever proposing to approve a charter revision, giving the SBOE 60 days to vote against it (with a majority vote needed to block the revision). If the SBOE doesn’t act within that window, the revision takes effect. The bill also restricts the SBOE to voting only on revisions proposed by the Commissioner, not on unsolicited requests. This directly affects charter school operators seeking to revise their charters and the SBOE’s role in the approval process.

Maddy summarySB 220 allows employees with intellectual or developmental disabilities who suffer sexual assault or abuse at work to sue their employers for negligence, overriding standard workers' compensation exclusivity. It applies only to cases where the employer's careless actions (like failing to prevent the assault) caused the injuries, and the victim meets the disability definitions in Texas law. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and only covers injuries from incidents occurring after that date. This change directly affects vulnerable workers in specific disability categories who experience workplace sexual violence.

Maddy summarySB 653 creates a sales tax refund program for construction companies building certain affordable housing projects. It allows refunds for sales and use taxes paid on building materials used in qualifying projects - defined as housing subsidized by federal or state tax credits awarded on or after September 1, 2025. Refunds are capped at $50,000 per single-family home or $5,000 per apartment unit, with annual limits of $100,000 per project type and a total state cap of $2 million per fiscal year. Applications are processed by the state comptroller on a first-come, first-served basis, with a 180-day waiting period between submissions.

Maddy summarySB 649 clarifies how Texas public school districts can use existing school safety funds and creates a new dedicated mental and behavioral health allotment under the Foundation School Program. It specifies that safety funds must cover infrastructure improvements (like secure fencing and door upgrades), security personnel (including school resource officers), and emergency training. The new mental health allotment requires districts to fund licensed counselors, behavioral health services, threat reporting systems, and restorative justice programs. This bill directly affects all public school districts receiving state funding under the Foundation School Program, changing how they allocate resources for safety and student mental health support.

Maddy summarySB 603 prohibits landlords from charging tenants late fees for the landlord’s own nonpayment or late payment of utility bills (e.g., electricity or water) that the landlord provides to the tenant under the lease. It directly affects tenants in new leases or renewals signed on or after September 1, 2025. The bill allows landlords to still charge tenants for their own late payments of utility fees owed to the landlord, but not for the landlord’s own utility payment delays. This does not change landlords’ ability to collect standard late fees for rent or other lease obligations.

Maddy summarySB 581 exempts endowment and other charitable funds at Texas public universities from certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements. It specifically removes compliance obligations under Section 51.3525(d) for institutional funds, including endowments, as defined in the Property Code. The bill targets how these funds may be used, ensuring they are not subject to rules affecting DEI initiatives. The exemption applies starting the 2025-2026 academic year, with implementation dependent on legislative vote thresholds.