Sen. Brandon Creighton

Maddy summarySB 2786 exempts certain public safety students from the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) assessment requirement. It specifically applies to students working as emergency medical technicians (EMTs) employed by local governments, firefighters defined under state law, or peace officers (like police) serving in government roles. The bill amends the Education Code to add these three categories to the existing list of exemptions, waiving the TSI assessment for them. This change directly affects students pursuing or working in these public service careers while enrolled in college. The law takes effect immediately if passed with a two-thirds vote, or September 1, 2025, otherwise.

Maddy summaryHB 2061 designates a specific bridge on State Highway 242 over Interstate 69 in Montgomery County as the "Lance Corporal Armando Hernandez Memorial Bridge." The bill requires the Texas Department of Transportation to install markers at each end of the bridge and at intermediate locations along the highway. This is a commemorative designation honoring Lance Corporal Armando Hernandez, with no substantive policy changes or financial obligations beyond standard marker installation. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the Governor on June 20, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 843 requires Texas school districts to report detailed information about bonds, taxes, and related projects to a new Texas Education Agency database. The database must include bond election results, project lists funded by bonds, tax rate projections, and maintenance tax proposals. School districts must submit this data to the agency, which will maintain the database and allow report generation by geographic area. The bill became law on June 20, 2025, and takes effect September 1, 2025, directly affecting all Texas public school districts.

Maddy summarySB 1191 requires the Texas commissioner of education to develop a standardized method for calculating high school grade point averages (GPAs). This method must give equal additional weight to Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), OnRamps dual enrollment, and dual credit courses. Texas public school districts must use this standard method when calculating students' GPAs, affecting all high school students in the state. The bill became effective immediately on June 20, 2025, after being signed by the governor.

Maddy summarySB 2798 extends the "no statute of limitations" rule to specific fraud offenses under Texas law, meaning prosecutors can pursue these cases indefinitely without time limits. It directly affects defendants accused of certain fraud crimes and prosecutors handling such cases, as it removes the previous deadline for filing charges. The bill amends Article 12.01 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure to include these fraud offenses under existing categories where prosecution is permitted without time restrictions. The law became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the Governor on June 20, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 5652 creates Montgomery County Municipal Utility District No. 258 to provide water, sewer, and road infrastructure services in a defined area of Montgomery County. The district can use limited eminent domain authority for utility projects, issue bonds to fund infrastructure, and impose assessments, fees, and taxes on property owners within its boundaries. This directly affects landowners in the district, who will pay for services through these assessments and fees. The bill establishes the district's governance structure and confirms its public purpose under Texas law.

Maddy summarySB 6 establishes new requirements for large electricity users in Texas, specifically those with a single-site demand exceeding 75 megawatts (or a lower threshold set by the commission). It requires these large users to disclose if they’re pursuing similar electricity service requests elsewhere, while protecting their submitted information from unauthorized sharing. The bill also mandates that utilities (including cooperatives and municipal systems) must pass through reasonable interconnection costs to these large users. This affects major commercial and industrial electricity consumers and their utility providers across Texas’s ERCOT power region.

Maddy summarySB 2148 requires Texas electricity providers in the ERCOT region to conduct annual simulated or tabletop exercises for load shedding during summer and winter months, plus additional exercises every two years focused on preparing for physical attacks on critical infrastructure like substations and control centers. It mandates that transmission, distribution, and generation providers coordinate with law enforcement and the independent grid operator to define roles during attacks, and submit written attestations confirming this coordination. The bill affects all major electricity service providers in Texas’ ERCOT power region, requiring them to participate in these drills. The first full implementation must occur by December 31, 2026, as specified in the bill’s timeline. These exercises aim to improve grid resilience by ensuring clear protocols for critical infrastructure threats.

Maddy summaryHB 609 (effective September 1, 2025) creates an exemption allowing oyster farmers with cultivated oyster mariculture permits to discharge cleaning water from oyster-growing structures into state waters. It directly affects permit holders operating under Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Chapter 75. The bill permits cleaning only at authorized locations using untreated water from that site, prohibits adding chemicals or soap, and requires compliance with all other permit conditions. This change streamlines routine maintenance for oyster farming operations while maintaining environmental safeguards.

Maddy summaryTexas House Bill 706 requires Texas to recognize valid handgun licenses issued by other states, directly affecting out-of-state license holders who travel or reside in Texas. The bill mandates that Texas will recognize such licenses only if the other state either has a mutual agreement with Texas or conducts background checks through the FBI's National Crime Information Center before issuing licenses. Texas must publish and update an annual list of states that recognize Texas-issued licenses. The law took effect September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor on June 20, 2025.