Sen. Charles Schwertner

Maddy summarySB 21 establishes the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve as a special fund outside the state treasury, managed by the comptroller of public accounts. The bill authorizes the state to invest in Bitcoin using defined custody methods, including "cold storage" (offline, physically secured storage) and requiring investments through "qualified custodians" (regulated financial institutions). This directly affects how the state manages certain funds, allowing the comptroller to allocate state resources into Bitcoin for financial resilience. The law became effective immediately upon the governor's signature on June 20, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 145 requires electric utilities, municipally owned utilities, and electric cooperatives to create wildfire mitigation plans and establishes rules for self-insuring against wildfire-related damages. Utilities may self-insure for certain wildfire damages and catastrophic property losses if the commission approves the plan as cost-effective, in the public interest, and beneficial to ratepayers, but cannot self-insure for wildfires caused by the utility's intentional, reckless, or grossly negligent actions. The commission must prioritize historical wildfire data, actuarial studies, and the risk of multiple disasters when reviewing self-insurance plans. The bill also includes administrative penalties for noncompliance with these requirements.

Maddy summarySB 23 increases the school district homestead tax exemption for elderly (65+) or disabled homeowners from $10,000 to $60,000 of their home's appraised value. This directly affects eligible homeowners who qualify for the exemption and school districts that may lose local tax revenue due to the change. The bill requires the state to provide additional aid to school districts to offset revenue losses from the higher exemption, starting with the 2025-2026 school year. The state aid calculation compares current revenue to what would have been collected under the previous exemption amount. The bill was signed into law on June 16, 2025, and is now effective.

Maddy summarySB 40 prohibits local governments (like cities or counties) from using public funds to pay bail bonds through nonprofit organizations that accept public donations. It directly affects local governments and nonprofits handling bail payments, banning the use of taxpayer money for this purpose. The bill allows taxpayers or residents to seek court orders to stop such spending and recover legal fees if they win a lawsuit. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 9 requires magistrates to document in writing within 24 hours if they determine no probable cause exists for an arrest. It mandates a detailed public safety report for bail decisions, including defendants' criminal history, pending charges, previous failures to appear, and violence-related offenses. The bill also regulates charitable bail organizations and updates procedures for setting bail conditions. These changes directly affect defendants, magistrates, and charitable bail organizations by standardizing information used in pretrial release decisions.

Maddy summaryThis Texas bill (SB 4) increases the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $100,000 to $140,000 per homeowner, directly affecting residential property owners. School districts will receive additional state aid to offset revenue losses from this exemption increase, calculated as the difference between current local revenue and what would have been available before the change. The compensation mechanism applies starting with the 2023-2024 school year for the initial exemption increase and will extend to future changes proposed for 2025. This ensures school districts maintain funding stability despite reduced local tax revenue from larger homestead exemptions.

Maddy summarySB 2268 amends Texas law to allow the Texas Energy Commission to extend the December 31, 2025, deadline for disbursing initial funds for energy loans if market conditions require it. Applicants may request disbursement after this deadline, and the Commission must review each request individually and approve or deny it. The bill directly affects businesses and projects seeking loans from the Texas Energy Fund. It creates a case-by-case process for deadline extensions while maintaining the original deadline as the default. The law took effect immediately upon the Governor's signature on June 12, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis is a procedural resolution (SCR 54) that corrects a technical error in Senate Bill 2268. It instructs the Senate enrolling clerk to revise Section 2 of S.B. 2268 by replacing a reference to a specific utility loan provision with a corrected version. The correction clarifies rules for construction loans to municipally owned utilities and electric cooperatives, ensuring they may be secured by certain liens on utility assets. The resolution was passed and signed by both chambers in June 2025, making the correction official.

Maddy summaryHJR 7 proposes a constitutional amendment to dedicate a portion of Texas' state sales and use tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund. It would require that this dedicated revenue be allocated exclusively to water infrastructure projects, with new rules allowing temporary suspension during declared disasters. The bill would amend the state constitution to establish this dedicated funding stream, replacing current flexible allocation methods for water fund money. This proposal was reported adversely by the Senate Finance Committee with a 14-0 vote against in May 2025.

Maddy summarySJR 5 proposes a constitutional amendment that would allow judges to deny bail to individuals accused of certain violent or sexual offenses punishable as first-degree felonies, or continuous human trafficking. It directly affects people facing these specific charges by requiring judges to find, by clear and convincing evidence, that bail would not ensure court appearance or community safety. Key provisions include mandating written orders with specific findings for bail denials and requiring judges to consider standard bail factors under existing law. The amendment must be approved by voters in November 2025 to take effect, as it is a proposed constitutional change rather than an immediate law.