HB 3722 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the height of a structure near certain airspace designated for use by Department of Defense contractors.

HB 3722 restricts the height of new structures near specific airspace used by Department of Defense contractors. It prohibits building any structure over 500 feet tall within five miles of an aerobatic training area designated by the Federal Aviation Administration before January 1, 2025. This directly affects developers and property owners planning construction near these designated training zones. The law aims to prevent obstructions that could interfere with military aviation training operations. It would take effect on September 1, 2025, if not passed as an immediate measure.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 26, 2025 Last action May 19, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 4 edits · May 13, 2025
MODERATE
The bill was significantly restructured and expanded. The original version focused on protecting airspace used by Department of Defense contractors, while the new version broadens protection to include any aerobatic training area designated by the FAA. The new version also adds a notification requirement for the Texas Department of Transportation and extends the timeline for certain provisions.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from protecting only airspace used by Department of Defense contractors to protecting any FAA-designated aerobatic training area, regardless of the user.
DEFINITION

Added a formal definition of 'aerobatic training area' as an FAA-designated long-term area where airplanes practice aerobatic flight maneuvers.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed eligibility from structures near airspace used by DoD contractors to structures near any FAA-designated aerobatic training area.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new requirement that the Texas Department of Transportation must be notified in writing of the area's location and boundaries by September 1, 2026.

TIMELINE

Added a notification deadline of September 1, 2026, for the Texas Department of Transportation to receive area boundary information.

Floor votes · House May 13, 2025

How they voted

9147
Passed · 6 other
Total votes 144
May 13, 2025
D Democratic58
12 Yea 43 Nay 3
74% Nay
R Republican86
79 Yea 4 Nay 3
91% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
32
Key actions
10
Committee
8
Amendments
2
May 19, 2025
Committee
Referred to Transportation
upper
May 19, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed as amended
lower
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
May 13, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (91-47-6)
house
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Recalled from subcommittee
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in subcommittee
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Committee
Referred to s/c on Defense & Veterans' Affairs by Speaker
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Cole Hefner
Cole Hefner
RRepublican
TX
5