Sen. Carol Alvarado

Maddy summarySB 1177 requires fire safety inspections at Texas public and private schools (including charter schools) to include checking all automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for functionality. Inspectors must verify AED pads and batteries have not expired and that the device's status light indicates it is ready for use. After inspections, inspectors must provide a written report to school principals (public schools) or directors (private schools), detailing how and when the report was delivered. The law applies to all schools subject to state or local fire safety requirements and took effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 198, known as the Wade Cannon Act, requires Texas cities and counties that employ firefighters to provide free occupational cancer screenings starting in a firefighter's fifth year of service, with annual screenings thereafter. The screenings must include specific tests: urine, pulmonary function, electrocardiogram, infectious disease screening, breast cancer screening, blood tests, and chest x-rays (limited to once every five years). Political subdivisions may exempt themselves if they already offer annual occupational medical exams meeting standards set by the National Fire Protection Association and approved by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. The law takes effect June 1, 2026, directly affecting all Texas firefighters employed by local governments.

Maddy summarySB 2717 would create the Texas Energy Efficiency Council within the state's regulatory framework. The council, composed of 11 ex-officio members from key state agencies (including the Public Utility Commission, Environmental Quality Commission, and Texas A&M Energy Systems Lab), would evaluate and recommend strategies for statewide energy efficiency. Its key duties include measuring energy efficiency performance, monitoring programs, coordinating federal funding opportunities (like from the U.S. Department of Energy), and establishing a central information hub for energy efficiency programs and resources. The bill directly affects state agencies, electric utilities, and programs focused on reducing energy consumption through efficiency measures.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment to allow Texas to create a property tax exemption for surviving spouses of veterans who died from service-connected conditions. Specifically, it would authorize the legislature to exempt all or part of the market value of a surviving spouse's primary home (homestead) from ad valorem taxes, provided the veteran died from a condition presumed service-connected under federal law and the spouse has not remarried. If a spouse moves to a new homestead, they could retain the same tax exemption amount as their previous home. The amendment requires voter approval in November 2025 and would take effect January 1, 2026, if approved.

Maddy summarySB 1265 requires the Texas Workforce Commission to create and maintain an online resource hub on its website by February 1, 2026, providing employers with comprehensive, current information about child-care resources. The hub must include details on child-care assistance programs, tax credits, dependent care savings accounts, employer best practices, and free tools to help employers support employee parents. It explicitly states the Commission won’t provide legal advice and employers aren’t obligated to adopt any suggested policies. The bill, signed into law on May 28, 2025, takes effect September 1, 2025, focusing solely on information access without mandating new employer actions or funding.

Maddy summarySB 2925 establishes a 15-member Task Force on Modernizing Manufacturing to study how Texas manufacturers can adopt automation and digital technologies. The task force includes representatives from small, mid-sized, and large manufacturers, automation experts, labor organizations, and state education agencies. Its duties include identifying barriers to technology adoption, developing policy recommendations, and assessing economic impacts like job creation and competitiveness. This bill, now law after being signed by the governor on May 28, 2025, does not fund new programs but directs the task force to report findings to the legislature by December 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 1802 requires Texas landlords to make a "diligent effort" to repair or fix conditions that materially affect a tenant's health or safety after receiving proper notice. It directly affects landlords and tenants in residential properties, specifically covering issues like failure to maintain hot water at 120°F or unsafe accessibility features (ramps, elevators, handrails). The bill mandates that tenants must notify landlords at the rent payment location, be current on rent, and give a follow-up written notice if repairs aren't made within a reasonable time. Landlords who fail to address these issues after proper notice become liable to tenants under the law.

Maddy summarySB 1361 establishes a state-funded disaster recovery loan program for Texas small businesses (21-99 employees) and micro-businesses. It creates a dedicated "small- and micro-business recovery fund" in the general revenue fund and requires the state bank to provide zero-interest loans to community development financial institutions (CDFIs). These CDFIs would then make interest-bearing loans to qualifying businesses that struggle to access capital after disasters. The program aims to help create jobs by expanding capital access for eligible businesses across Texas.

Maddy summaryHB 748, known as Trey's Law, prohibits the enforcement of confidentiality clauses in agreements that prevent disclosure of sexual abuse. The bill makes any provision in settlement, employment, or other agreements that blocks someone from sharing details about sexual abuse (including the act itself, identity of victims/perpetrators, or related facts) void and unenforceable. However, it does not restrict confidentiality around other settlement terms, such as payment amounts. For agreements signed before the law's effective date (September 1, 2025), parties must first obtain a court declaration confirming the clause's enforceability to avoid being voided.

Maddy summarySB 314 prohibits Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools from including seven specific food additives - brominated vegetable oil (BVO), potassium bromate, propylparaben, azodicarbonamide, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), red dye 3, and titanium dioxide - in free or reduced-price meals served under federal programs like the National School Lunch Program. The bill applies to food contracts entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2025, with potential earlier implementation if passed with a two-thirds legislative vote. It directly affects schools serving eligible students through federally funded meal programs. The law does not restrict additives in paid meals or other school food offerings.