Sen. Brandon Creighton

Maddy summarySB 13 requires Texas school districts to provide parents with access to records about their child's school library materials, including books or digital resources checked out. It mandates that school libraries prohibit the acquisition of materials rated "sexually explicit" by vendors or deemed "harmful" under Texas law, and restricts access to content described as "pervasively vulgar" or "educationally unsuitable." The bill also creates local school library advisory councils to help develop library policies. These changes directly affect parents, school districts, and students by expanding parental oversight of library resources and setting new standards for library collections. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 15 limits zoning restrictions for small residential lots (4,000 sq ft or less) in certain large Texas municipalities (population over 90,000 in counties over 300,000). It prohibits municipalities from requiring lots larger than 1,400 sq ft, wider than 20 feet, or deeper than 60 feet, and mandates a minimum density of 31.1 units per acre. The bill also bans restrictions on covered parking, parking space limits, building height (requiring at least 3 stories), and excessive open space requirements for small lots. Municipalities may still charge permitting fees equivalent to single-family lot fees but cannot impose other zoning rules inconsistent with these provisions.

Maddy summaryHB 12 requires the State Commission on Governmental Operations to review state agencies that regulate activities through licensing, such as professional or business licensing boards. The bill mandates that these agencies post online notices about the review process and public participation opportunities, and regulatory agencies must also notify licensees and seek their input. The commission must include findings, recommendations, and a 10-year performance analysis for regulatory agencies in its final report. This applies to state agencies in the executive branch with statewide licensing authority (excluding river authorities) and became effective September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1458 clarifies that school district police officers and reserve police officers who hold a valid peace officer license (as defined under Texas law) are officially recognized as peace officers. This affects Texas public school districts that employ security personnel or reserve officers under Education Code Sections 37.081 or 37.0816. The bill amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to explicitly include these school-affiliated officers in the definition of peace officers, ensuring their legal authority aligns with existing licensing requirements. It does not create new security mandates but formalizes the status of qualified school security personnel. The law took effect September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor on June 20, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 3070 abolishes the Texas Lottery Commission and transfers responsibility for administering the state lottery and regulating charitable bingo to the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). This bill directly affects the TDLR, which will now oversee lottery operations and charitable bingo licensing previously managed by the Lottery Commission. Key provisions include amending state code to replace "Texas Lottery Commission" with "Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation" in all relevant sections and adding a limited-scope sunset review for the lottery program. The bill also creates criminal offenses related to lottery activities, though specific details of these offenses are not detailed in the provided text.

Maddy summaryHB 4623 creates new liability standards for Texas public schools and their employees regarding student sexual misconduct. It holds schools financially responsible if they act with gross negligence or intentional misconduct in hiring or supervising employees who commit sexual misconduct against students or fail to report suspected abuse. The law caps damages at $500,000 per victim in successful claims and requires the employee who committed the act to be named as a defendant. This directly affects public school districts, charter schools, and all professional school employees covered by the definition, including teachers, administrators, and even student interns. The law became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor.

Maddy summaryHB 1481 requires Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to adopt written policies prohibiting student use of personal communication devices (such as cell phones, tablets, and smartwatches) during the school day on school property or at school events. Exceptions allow device use for students with documented medical needs, individualized education plans (IEPs), or health/safety protocols. Schools may implement either a full device ban or a secure storage system for devices during school hours, and must return confiscated devices or dispose of them after providing parents 90 days' written notice. The law takes effect immediately upon the governor's signature.

Maddy summarySB 1470 requires Texas' Department of Public Safety (DPS) to share data about residents applying for out-of-state driver's licenses or ID cards with the secretary of state. This data helps identify voters who: (1) have changed addresses, (2) no longer qualify for registration under state law, or (3) are registered in multiple states. The law aims to maintain accurate statewide voter registration lists by preventing duplicate registrations and address mismatches. It takes effect September 1, 2025, and applies to all Texas voters holding active licenses who apply for licenses in other states.

Maddy summaryHB 685 prohibits Texas municipalities from charging higher water or sewer rates to tax-exempt entities (like nonprofits, schools, or government facilities) compared to similar non-exempt entities receiving the same service. It requires equal rate structures for comparable utility service regardless of an entity's tax-exempt status. The law, effective September 1, 2025, amends the Local Government Code to establish this non-discrimination standard for municipal utility rates. This directly affects municipalities setting utility rates and tax-exempt organizations receiving water/sewer service.

Maddy summaryHB 3185 creates Chapter 426 in Texas' Government Code to establish procedures for investigating cybercrimes. It allows prosecutors to issue administrative subpoenas requiring electronic service providers (like internet companies) to produce specific records - such as names, addresses, connection logs, and payment information - during cybercrime investigations, provided there's reasonable cause to believe an account was used in a crime. The bill prohibits providers from disclosing sensitive user data like passwords, in-transit messages, email content, contact lists, or browsing history in response to these subpoenas. This directly affects prosecutors conducting cybercrime investigations and service providers managing user data. The law became effective September 1, 2025.