Relating to the declaration of an oil or gas emergency by the Railroad Commission of Texas and the liability of a person for assistance, advice, or resources provided in relation to an oil or gas emergency.
SB 1759 establishes a process for the Railroad Commission of Texas to declare an oil or gas emergency (such as an uncontrolled release of oil, gas, or produced water from a well) through a written proclamation that describes the emergency and affected area. The commission can initially declare an emergency for up to 30 days, with renewals for additional 30-day or 60-day periods as needed to protect public health and safety. It also shields individuals and organizations from lawsuits if they provide assistance, advice, or resources (including personnel or equipment) during a declared emergency, provided the help is given at the request of a government agency and without gross negligence or intentional misconduct. This law directly affects emergency responders and resource-providing entities by reducing legal barriers to rapid response during oil and gas incidents.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Feb 28, 2025
Signed May 27, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
3 edits
·
May 27, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from an 'Engrossed' version to an 'Enrolled' version, which is the final version signed by the Governor. The substantive policy content regarding oil or gas emergency declarations and liability protections remains unchanged. The primary differences are formatting adjustments, removal of draft annotations, and addition of official signatures and certification of passage votes.
TECHNICAL
Removed draft annotations and page numbers, replacing them with a clean, final bill text format suitable for official publication.
Added official signatures for the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Secretary of the Senate, Chief Clerk of the House, and Governor, certifying the bill's passage and approval.
Changed header from 'By: AABirdwell' to '89(R) SB 1759 - Enrolled version - Bill Text' to indicate this is the final enrolled version.
Floor votes · House May 6, 2025
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
51
Key actions
16
Committee
10
Amendments
6
May 27, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 12, 2025
Introduced
Senate concurs in House amendment(s)-reported
lower
May 12, 2025
Introduced
Senate concurs in House amendment(s)
upper
May 12, 2025
Introduced
House amendment(s) laid before the Senate
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage as amended reported
upper
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to 3rd reading as amended
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Committee
Referred to Energy Resources
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
upper
Apr 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Mar 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Mar 13, 2025
Committee
Referred to Natural Resources
upper
Mar 13, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
3 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Brian Birdwell
RRepublican
P
Drew Darby
RRepublican
P
Paul Dyson
RRepublican
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