Sen. José Menéndez

Maddy summarySB 196 requires Texas public school districts to use state-developed instructional modules on preventing sexual abuse and sex trafficking in health classes starting with the 2025-2026 school year. The modules must cover topics including abuse prevention strategies, reporting procedures, trafficking recruitment tactics, and healthy relationship boundaries. School districts must provide parents written notice about the curriculum, including the right to review materials and opt their child out of the instruction. This bill directly affects public school students, parents, and school districts across Texas.

Maddy summarySB 543 amends Texas unemployment law to allow workers who leave their jobs due to sexual harassment to qualify for benefits, provided they first reported the harassment to their employer, law enforcement, or filed a formal complaint with the EEOC or Texas Commission on Human Rights. The bill adds this as a specific exception to disqualification, requiring documented reporting before leaving the workplace. It applies only to unemployment claims filed on or after September 1, 2025, and does not affect claims filed earlier. This directly affects Texas employees experiencing workplace sexual harassment who follow the required reporting steps. The change updates eligibility criteria to recognize sexual harassment as a valid, urgent work-related reason for separation.

Maddy summarySJR 20 proposes a constitutional amendment in Texas that would establish a fundamental right for all residents to make personal reproductive decisions without state interference. The amendment states that individuals have the right to reproductive autonomy as central to liberty and dignity, and it would limit state restrictions to only those justified by a "compelling state interest" using the "least restrictive means available." This amendment would be submitted to Texas voters in the November 2025 election, with the ballot asking whether to adopt the right to reproductive autonomy. It directly affects all Texas residents by enshrining this right in the state constitution, though it does not change current laws until approved by voters.

Maddy summarySB 166 creates a tuition and fee exemption for students who were under the conservatorship of Texas' Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). It directly affects students who were in DFPS care on specific dates, such as their 18th birthday, high school graduation, or during dual credit enrollment. The bill exempts eligible students from tuition and fees at public Texas colleges and universities, including dual credit courses, provided they enroll by their 25th birthday. This exemption applies to the 2025 fall semester and beyond, as specified in the amended Education Code Section 54.366.

Maddy summarySB 202 allows each member of the Texas State Board of Education to hire one staff person to assist with their official duties. The bill amends the Education Code to explicitly permit this staffing arrangement, effective September 1, 2025. It directly affects individual board members by providing them with a new administrative resource, without changing education policy or impacting students, schools, or other stakeholders. This is a procedural change to board operations, not a substantive policy shift.

Maddy summarySB 165 creates outreach programs to help students who were in foster care or residential care claim tuition and fee exemptions at Texas public colleges. It requires the Texas Education Agency and Higher Education Coordinating Board to provide information to residential facilities, foster/adoptive parents, and schools serving grades 9-12. The bill also establishes a streamlined online application process where students can apply electronically, and the Department of Family and Protective Services automatically sends eligibility documentation to colleges. This directly affects students who were in foster care or residential care (including adopted students from such backgrounds) and aims to reduce paperwork for both students and agencies.

Maddy summarySB 142 allows volunteer deputy registrars in Texas to serve statewide - across all counties - rather than being limited to the county that appointed them. The bill updates election code to require standardized appointment certificates, clarifies that volunteers cannot receive county compensation without commissioners court approval, and expands their authority to distribute and accept voter registration forms anywhere in Texas. It also specifies that appointments terminate upon conviction for failing to deliver applications or other misconduct. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 358 amends Texas law to create a new defense for defendants charged with indecency with a child under Section 21.11 of the Penal Code. It allows a defense if the defendant was no more than three years older than the victim, did not use force or duress, and was not required to register as a sex offender under Chapter 62 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. This provision applies to offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025, and affects pending cases for offenses committed before that date. The bill does not change the core criminal offense but modifies the circumstances under which a defendant may avoid prosecution.

Maddy summarySB 359 requires Texas Medicaid and certain health insurance plans to cover abortion services, FDA-approved contraception (including device insertion/removal), and voluntary sterilization (like vasectomies) without cost-sharing or prior authorization. It mandates reimbursement for these services regardless of federal funding availability, overriding existing rules that tied coverage to federal matching funds. The bill also prohibits deductibles, coinsurance, utilization reviews, or delays in coverage for these reproductive health services. This applies directly to Medicaid recipients and individuals enrolled in health benefit plans subject to the Insurance Code provisions.

Maddy summarySB 186 establishes the Texas Students with Disabilities Scholarship Program to provide tuition and mandatory fee assistance at public colleges for eligible students with disabilities. The program directly affects Texas residents enrolled in associate or bachelor's degree programs or certificate programs at public institutions of higher education who meet specific eligibility criteria. To qualify, students must be Texas residents, enrolled at least half-time, apply for other financial aid, and verify a disability through a physician diagnosis or approved documentation. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board will administer the program, develop eligibility rules, and create a disability verification form with input from disability centers and advocacy groups. This bill creates a new state-funded scholarship program without requiring new state appropriations, instead allowing the board to use existing funds or accept donations.