Sen. José Menéndez

Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 735 requires public school districts and charter schools to report annually on Holocaust Remembrance Week instruction, including lesson materials and activities, by June 1 each year. It creates a grant program to fund school districts and Holocaust museums for developing age-appropriate lesson plans, student field trips, educator training, and bilingual curricula. The bill also mandates regional education centers to collaborate with Holocaust museums for educator training and establishes a four-year pilot program at colleges to train future educators in Holocaust history and remembrance. These provisions directly affect public school students, educators, school districts, and Holocaust museums across Texas.

Maddy summarySB 1986 requires pharmacists to affix a specific warning label on all opioid prescription containers. The label must state: "CAUTION: Opioid. Risk of Addiction, Respiratory Depression, and Overdose." This applies to prescriptions dispensed on or after March 1, 2026, affecting pharmacists who dispense opioids and patients receiving these medications. The Texas State Board of Pharmacy must adopt implementing rules by January 1, 2026. The bill does not change prescribing practices but mandates this standardized patient warning.

Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 2933 requires judges in Texas to complete mandatory training on elder abuse and related issues. Specifically, it mandates 12 hours of initial training for all district judges, county court judges, and other judicial officers during their first term or four years of service, including four hours on trafficking/child abuse (covering topics like grooming and medical findings), six hours on victim protection resources and gender bias, and one hour focused on elder abuse. Judges must also complete an additional five hours of training every subsequent term, with two hours on trafficking/child abuse topics and one hour on elder abuse. The bill directly affects all Texas judges with judicial authority, aiming to improve their understanding of elder abuse, child abuse, trafficking, and family violence through structured, topic-specific training requirements.

Maddy summarySB 2857 would create a state-administered prescription drug purchasing pool for certain employers and health insurers. It allows qualified public employers (like local governments and schools) and self-insured private employers to join the pool to purchase drugs at negotiated discounted rates through the Health and Human Services Commission. Participants would still pay for claims through their existing health coverage agreements, as the pool does not replace individual coverage responsibility. The bill establishes rules for enrollment, eligibility, and funding but does not change how health benefits are administered.

Maddy summarySB 1263 establishes a pilot program to increase safe disposal options for unused or expired prescription drugs, including controlled substances like opioids. Pharmacies in Texas may apply to participate if they are registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and meet federal collection requirements. The program, administered by the Department of State Health Services, would expand public access to collection bins at participating pharmacies. The bill amends the Health and Safety Code to define key terms and set eligibility rules for pharmacies joining the pilot. This policy change directly affects pharmacies that qualify and the public seeking safe drug disposal methods.

Maddy summarySB 1447 requires the Texas Education Agency to create standards for public schools using electronic devices and software. It mandates that schools minimize student data collection, obtain direct parental consent for most apps (except essential testing tools), and prohibit apps from conducting unauthorized mental health assessments. The bill also requires schools to provide parents with cybersecurity resources, set device deactivation periods for safety, and consider age-appropriate device use in classrooms. These standards apply directly to all Texas public school districts and charter schools, affecting how they manage student technology access.

Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 2721 establishes new licensing and regulatory requirements for entities handling human bodies or anatomical specimens for educational or research purposes. It creates definitions for "human body acquisition services," "non-transplant anatomical donation organizations," and "willed body programs," requiring these entities to obtain licenses, maintain secure electronic records with unique identifiers for body parts, and update a commission database tracking each specimen’s location. The bill directly affects institutions of higher education operating body donation programs, research facilities, and organizations that collect, process, or distribute bodies or body parts for medical training. Violations of the law are classified as state jail felonies, with the Texas Funeral Service Commission authorized to enforce these rules and revoke licenses for noncompliance.

Maddy summaryHB 2081 establishes the Building Better Futures Program to provide educational and occupational skills training for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Texas public and private colleges. The program requires participating institutions to have U.S. Department of Education approval for transition programs, implement selective admissions, and award certificates upon completion. It exempts participating programs from certain existing education code requirements (Sections 61.0512 and 61.822) and creates a competitive funding process administered by the Texas Education Agency. The bill directly affects students with disabilities seeking inclusive higher education opportunities and the institutions offering these specialized programs, effective immediately after the Governor signed it on May 26, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 2756 (the Jovian Motley Act) requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to provide annual training on de-escalation, crisis intervention, and behavioral health to correctional officers and their direct supervisors. The bill mandates specific training components, including communication techniques, alternatives to physical restraints, safety during cell extractions, and awareness of behavioral health concerns like suicide risk and substance use disorders. This training must be included in new officers' initial (preservice) training and completed annually by eligible employees. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, with TDCJ required to make the training available by December 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 203 prohibits Texas public school districts from disclosing a student's exact class rank before 11th grade, except for academic programs requiring it. Students and their families directly affected include those in grades 9-10 who may need their rank for college applications. The bill allows schools to share grade point averages and percentile rankings at any time. It takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year, pending final legislative approval.