Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying activities.
This bill prohibits cities, counties, and other local governments (political subdivisions) from using public funds to hire registered lobbyists or pay nonprofit organizations that primarily represent local governments and hire lobbyists. It allows local officials to provide information to legislators, testify, or advocate for policy changes without triggering the restriction, and exempts associations representing sheriffs or law enforcement officers. Taxpayers can seek court orders to stop prohibited spending and recover public funds used in violation. The law aims to limit the use of public money for lobbying activities while preserving basic communication with lawmakers.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Aug 2025
Committee Review
Aug 2025
Senate Passage
Aug 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Aug 15, 2025
Last action Aug 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Engrossed
·
3 edits
·
Aug 19, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from a traditional legislative format to a modern digital format, with no substantive changes to the actual policy content. The core restrictions on using public funds for lobbying activities remain exactly the same, including the same exemptions and enforcement mechanisms.
Scope change
No change in scope or applicability; only formatting and presentation were updated.
TECHNICAL
The entire document was reformatted from traditional legislative markup to a modern digital format, with line numbers and page headers removed and text reorganized for digital readability.
A new header line was added at the top indicating this is the 'Engrossed version' of SB 13.
Traditional legislative page headers, line numbers, and amendment markup symbols (like AAs and 1...1) were removed.
Floor votes · Senate Aug 18, 2025
How they voted
20–12
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 33
Aug 18, 2025
D
Democratic12
91% Nay
R
Republican21
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
28
Key actions
6
Committee
6
Amendments
2
Aug 20, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
lower
Aug 20, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Aug 20, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Aug 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Aug 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed to engrossment
upper
Aug 18, 2025
Amended
Amendment fails of adoption
upper
Aug 18, 2025
Introduced
Amendment(s) offered
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
15 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Adam Hinojosa
RRepublican
P
Angela Paxton
RRepublican
P
Bob Hall
RRepublican
P
Brandon Creighton
RRepublican
P
Brent Hagenbuch
RRepublican
P
Brian Birdwell
RRepublican
P
Charles Schwertner
RRepublican
P
Donna Campbell
RRepublican
P
Kevin Sparks
RRepublican
P
Lois Kolkhorst
RRepublican
P
Mayes Middleton
RRepublican
P
Paul Bettencourt
RRepublican
P
Pete Flores
RRepublican
P
Phil King
RRepublican
P
Tan Parker
RRepublican
Co
Joan Huffman
RRepublican
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 13
Scope: TX
Hi! I can help you understand SB 13. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline