Sen. Adam Hinojosa

Maddy summaryHB 1939 creates a 4% credit for Texas school districts that prepay attendance credit costs under the public school finance system. Specifically, districts that elect to pay for attendance credit using a specified payment method and pay the full amount by February 15 each school year receive this credit. The bill directly affects all Texas public school districts required to purchase attendance credit under Chapter 49 of the Education Code. The credit applies after other applicable reductions and takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 186 prohibits children under 18 from using social media platforms in Texas, subject to federal law. The bill defines "social media platform" to exclude email, internet service providers, news websites, and interactive gaming platforms. Social media platforms must verify users are 18 or older before account creation using a reasonable method relying on public or private data, then delete all verification information immediately. This law directly affects children under 18 and social media companies operating in Texas.

Maddy summarySJR 84 proposes a constitutional amendment to allow the Texas legislature to create a temporary property tax exemption for homeowners whose residence improvements (like additions or renovations) are completely destroyed by fire. If approved by voters in November 2025, this amendment would authorize future laws to exempt the appraised value of those destroyed improvements from annual property taxes for a specified period. The exemption duration and eligibility rules would be determined by the legislature through separate bills. This directly affects homeowners in Texas who suffer fire damage to their home improvements, providing potential tax relief during rebuilding.

Maddy summarySB 2420 requires app stores (like Apple App Store or Google Play) operating in Texas to verify users' ages using reasonable methods and assign them to specific categories: child (<13), younger teenager (13-15), older teenager (16-17), or adult (18+). It mandates parental consent for minors' accounts and defines key terms like "personal data" and "mobile device." The law directly affects app store operators serving Texas residents, with requirements taking effect January 1, 2026. This bill creates the "App Store Accountability Act" within Texas law to regulate age-based access to mobile applications.

Maddy summaryHB 1057 increases salary and retirement benefits for certified career or technology education teachers in Texas public schools. The bill amends state law to allow these teachers to count up to five years of relevant work experience in their field (up from two years) toward both their salary step placement and service credit in the Teacher Retirement System. This change directly affects career/tech teachers who have industry experience before teaching, enabling them to advance faster in salary and retirement benefits. The policy takes effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summarySB 1927 would have amended Texas law to prevent municipalities from banning the removal of Ashe juniper trees on residential properties or charging fees for such removals, except in specific areas. The exception applies to regions within 15 miles of active military bases (as defined in state law) and in counties with populations exceeding 2 million. This bill directly affects homeowners in those designated areas who might otherwise face restrictions on removing Ashe juniper trees. The bill was reported adversely by the Senate Local Government Committee on April 14, 2025, and did not advance further.

Maddy summarySB 747 amends Texas education law to address the production and distribution of intimate visual material (including AI-generated content) by public school students. It expands the definition of cyberbullying to include sharing such material without consent and requires school districts to update anti-bullying policies with specific measures like student instruction on relationship-building, anonymous reporting systems, and annual bullying surveys. The bill also mandates the state to develop educational programs for schools about legal consequences and risks of sharing intimate visual material, particularly AI-created content. These changes apply to all Texas public schools starting with the 2025-2026 school year.

Maddy summarySB 2183 modifies Texas law to define specific time periods when retail fireworks permit holders can sell fireworks to the public. The bill establishes seven distinct sales windows, including periods around Independence Day (June 24-July 4), the May holiday week, Diwali, and the December 20-January 1 holiday period. It repeals a previous subsection (h) that allowed additional sales near the Texas-Mexico border under certain conditions. This bill directly affects businesses holding retail fireworks permits by restricting their sales to these designated dates, effective September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 1708 creates an exception to county platting requirements for land gifted between close family members. Specifically, it removes the need for platting when property is transferred as a gift between relatives within the third degree of kinship (e.g., siblings, nieces/nephews, or grandparents). The bill clarifies that this exception applies only to the initial gift transfer, not to subsequent sales of the land. This change directly affects property owners in Texas counties who transfer land to close relatives as gifts, streamlining the process for these specific transactions.

Maddy summarySB 1377 creates a grant program to provide financial assistance to rural counties in Texas with populations of 68,750 or less. Qualified ambulance service providers in these counties can receive grants up to $500,000 (for counties under 10,000 people) or $350,000 (for counties between 10,000 and 68,750 people) to purchase ambulances. Counties must use the funds exclusively for ambulance purchases within five years and cannot reduce ambulance service budgets with this money. The comptroller administers the program, prioritizing counties farther from trauma centers and those with limited ability to fund ambulance services independently.