Sen. Charles Perry

Maddy summarySB 27 modifies Texas education law to protect public school educators' rights and provide financial support. It requires salary reductions for unpaid leave to be calculated using annual salary divided by expected workdays (affecting teachers, counselors, and librarians), waives certification exam fees for first-time applicants in special education and bilingual programs, and prevents sanctions against educators who leave probationary contracts after the 45th day before school starts due to serious illness or spouse relocation. The bill directly impacts educators seeking certification and those on probationary contracts, while also directing the Texas Education Agency to cover exam fees for qualifying applicants. These changes aim to reduce financial barriers and provide clearer protections for educators during employment transitions.

Maddy summarySB 1316 prohibits e-cigarette advertising on signs located within 1,000 feet of schools or churches in Texas. The bill amends the Health and Safety Code to require this distance, measured from the nearest property line of the institution to the sign. It includes an exception for signs already advertising e-cigarettes within 500-1,000 feet of such institutions before September 1, 1997. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, directly affecting businesses that advertise e-cigarettes near schools or churches.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows authorized caregivers (like foster parents or guardians) to cover costs for out-of-network medical care - such as specialists outside Medicaid networks - for children in foster care. It requires caregivers to notify the child's caseworker within 10 business days of assuming responsibility, while ensuring the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services remains non-liable unless a court orders otherwise. The law preserves foster children’s access to Medicaid benefits and does not affect parental rights or court authority to mandate department coverage. It became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor.

Maddy summaryHB 1942 allows health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and insurance plans to directly contract with nurse practitioners (advanced practice registered nurses) for healthcare services, without requiring their supervising physician to also be contracted. It also permits insurers to list nurse practitioners as "preferred providers" on insurance plans, even if their supervising physician isn’t designated as preferred. The bill explicitly states it doesn’t change existing laws about physician supervision of medical practice. This affects nurse practitioners seeking insurance contracts, HMOs, and insurers offering preferred provider plans. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 1087 allows counties where the Llano River and James River meet to impose a hotel occupancy tax. The tax applies only to hotels not already subject to a similar tax under municipal rules (Chapter 351). This bill directly affects hotels in those specific counties and the local governments that would collect the tax. It amends the Texas Tax Code to add a new provision for this limited geographic area, ensuring no double taxation with existing municipal taxes. The bill takes effect immediately if approved by two-thirds of both chambers, or September 1, 2025, otherwise.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes Texas law to establish a presumption that courts should order retroactive child support beginning on the date of a child's conception, rather than the child's birth. It specifies that courts must determine the earliest conception date using medical evidence (per Health and Safety Code standards) or parental testimony. The bill also allows courts to order obligors to pay an equitable share of prenatal/postnatal health care costs for the mother and child. These changes apply only to paternity orders or acknowledgments of paternity executed on or after the bill's effective date.

Maddy summarySB 305 amends Texas Transportation Code Section 545.157(a) to clarify that passing is prohibited when approaching certain stationary vehicles displaying required visual signals. The bill specifically protects eight vehicle types: emergency vehicles, tow trucks, highway maintenance vehicles, utility service vehicles, municipal waste transport vehicles, toll project vehicles, animal control vehicles, and parking citation vehicles. These vehicles must be stationary with approved signals while operating near roadways. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, directly affecting drivers who might otherwise pass these vehicles on highways.

Maddy summarySB 1169 clarifies how local governments and water/sanitation agencies can jointly operate shared water and sewer systems. It amends Texas law to define "public entity" to include water/sewer corporations and establishes "public utility agencies" as legal entities for joint projects. Key provisions allow participating entities to jointly finance facilities through bonds, acquire land (including via eminent domain), and transfer property among partners. The law directly affects counties, municipalities, and water districts seeking to collaborate on infrastructure, streamlining their ability to plan, build, and manage shared utility systems under defined legal authority.

Maddy summarySB 1967 expands eligibility for Texas Water Development Board flood infrastructure funding to include nature-based flood mitigation projects and multi-purpose systems that capture stormwater or treated wastewater for water supply. It redefines "flood project" in the Water Code to explicitly cover planning, regulatory approval, structural construction, and nonstructural projects using natural features. This change directly affects communities, municipalities, and water districts seeking financial assistance for qualifying flood control and water management infrastructure. The bill amends the Water Code to include these expanded project types under the existing flood infrastructure fund, effective September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 1086 allows specific Texas counties (those bordering Oklahoma and bisected by U.S. Highway 62) to impose a tax on hotel stays. This tax would apply to hotels in those counties, but not to hotels located in cities that already have their own hotel tax under Chapter 351 of the tax code. The bill amends the Texas Tax Code to add this new authority for eligible counties. If enacted, it would provide these counties with an additional revenue source for local services, while avoiding double taxation on hotels in cities with existing hotel taxes. The bill is currently pending in the Texas Legislature.