Texas Bills

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 795: Relating to the punishment for the offense of aggravated assault.

HB 795 amends Texas law to upgrade certain aggravated assault cases to a first-degree felony instead of a second-degree felony under specific circumstances. It directly affects individuals who commit aggravated assault while: using a deadly weapon causing serious injury to family members or causing traumatic brain/spine injury resulting in persistent vegetative state; assaulting public servants, witnesses, or security officers during duty; discharging firearms at occupied buildings/vehicles; or participating in a mass shooting. The bill changes the penalty structure for these scenarios but only applies to offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025. This is a policy change to increase penalties for targeted violent acts against specific protected groups and in specific contexts.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 3111: Relating to the search of certain wireless communications devices by a peace officer.

HB 3111 prohibits Texas peace officers from searching a person's cellular phone or wireless communications device during a lawful arrest without first obtaining a warrant. The bill directly affects individuals arrested by law enforcement and requires officers to secure judicial authorization for such searches, with an exception for "skimmers" defined under state business law. Key provisions amend the Code of Criminal Procedure to establish this warrant requirement for device searches, replacing the previous practice allowing warrantless searches incident to arrest. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, if passed.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Technology

in committee · Texas · Senate Apr 15, 2025

SB 2104: Relating to the prohibition of military status discrimination.

SB 2104 amends Texas Labor Code to prohibit employment discrimination based on "military status," which includes current service members, reservists (including National Guard), honorably discharged veterans, and spouses/children of military personnel. The bill adds military status as a protected category in existing anti-discrimination provisions, making it unlawful for employers, employment agencies, or labor organizations to discriminate in hiring, firing, terms of employment, or training programs based on this status. It explicitly preserves existing state and federal veteran preference programs (like those under Section 302.154 or Chapter 657, Government Code). This law directly affects all Texas employers, job agencies, and labor organizations by expanding protections to cover military-affiliated individuals in the workplace.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment ✓ Veterans

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 4911: Relating to prosecution and punishment of certain criminal offenses prohibiting sexually explicit visual material involving depictions of children, computer-generated children, or other persons; creating criminal offenses; increasing criminal penalties.

HB 4911 makes it illegal to possess or intentionally access visual material containing depictions of children (including actual children under 18 or recognizable individuals as children) or computer-generated images that appear indistinguishable from real children under 18. The bill explicitly defines "computer-generated children" as AI-created images meeting specific criteria (appearing child-like, made via AI, and indistinguishable to a reasonable person). It increases criminal penalties for violating these provisions, targeting individuals who knowingly possess or access such material. This law directly affects anyone who possesses or accesses these specific types of visual material, including digital images or videos.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✗ Technology

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 3289: Relating to the payment of funds under construction contracts.

HB 3289 clarifies when disputes about construction contract payments are valid, preventing unrelated contract disagreements from delaying payments. It defines that a "good faith dispute" does not include disagreements about contracts or agreements unrelated to the specific construction work being paid for. This applies only to new construction contracts entered into on or after September 1, 2025, affecting government agencies and contractors working on public construction projects. The bill aims to streamline payments by limiting payment delays to disputes directly tied to the construction work itself.

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 5136: Relating to membership on and the applicability of the open meetings law to the governing board of a children's advocacy center.

HB 5136 requires the governing boards of Texas children's advocacy centers to follow the state's open meetings law (Chapter 551, Government Code), making their meetings public and transparent. It also sets specific membership rules: no member may serve more than 10 years (except for certain board members), and individuals who previously resigned or were removed from the board, or are closely related (within fifth degree) to current members, are ineligible. These changes directly affect the boards of all children's advocacy centers operating under Texas Family Code Chapter 264. The bill amends both the Family Code and Government Code to clarify these requirements and explicitly include such centers in the definition of "governmental body" subject to open meetings rules.

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 3296: Relating to the establishment of a higher education consortium for civic education and a grant program for that consortium.

HB 3296 establishes a Texas higher education consortium focused on civic education, requiring participating colleges (specifically Texas HBCUs and accredited institutions) to offer free civic education programs to state residents. The bill creates a state grant program to fund these programs, allowing institutions to partner with local governments, libraries, or community organizations to deliver curriculum, voter registration events, and digital resources. Grants cover faculty development, curriculum upgrades, infrastructure, and community partnership support. This directly affects eligible Texas colleges and students by removing cost barriers to civic education while expanding community-based program access.

Topics ✓ Education

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 2675: Relating to housing finance corporations.

HB 2675 clarifies the geographic boundaries where housing finance corporations (HFCs) can operate. It requires lenders to verify HFCs comply with Local Government Code Section 394.031 before making loans, limiting HFCs to their sponsoring local government’s boundaries: city-sponsored HFCs operate within city limits, county-sponsored HFCs in unincorporated county areas, and multi-sponsored HFCs within all sponsor boundaries. To operate outside these areas, HFCs must obtain written approval from all sponsoring governments and any affected municipalities or counties. The bill does not change HFCs’ financial powers (like borrowing or issuing bonds) but ensures their activities align with local government jurisdiction. (Pending in committee as of April 2025.)

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 4071: Relating to certain duties of the Texas Board of Nursing and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in relation to the reporting and publication of nursing program clinical site data.

HB 4071 requires the Texas Board of Nursing to annually publish public data on clinical sites used by nursing programs, including each site's location, number of students trained there, and total capacity. The bill also mandates the Board to provide the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board with a list of facilities meeting clinical site requirements (like hospitals or care centers) that are not required to participate. This law does not compel facilities to join or report additional information, and the first report must be submitted by June 1, 2026. The legislation directly affects the Texas Board of Nursing and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board through new reporting duties.

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 3589: Relating to the licensure and regulation of certain group home facilities; authorizing a fee; creating an offense.

HB 3589 establishes a new licensing requirement for group home facilities in Texas, which are defined as establishments providing lodging to three or more unrelated residents with services like meals, light housekeeping, or transportation (but not personal care). The bill requires operators to obtain a license from the Health and Human Services Commission, prohibits using the term "group home" without proper licensing, and creates exemptions for facilities like licensed nursing homes, hotels, retirement communities, and sorority houses. Existing facilities may apply for a six-month provisional license if they meet resident care standards. This directly affects operators of non-exempt group home facilities seeking to legally operate or use the term "group home."

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 147: Relating to the establishment of an electronic registry of livestock marks and brands.

HB 147 requires Texas livestock owners (cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats) to record their animal identification methods - such as brands, tattoos, or electronic devices - with county clerks using an electronic system. County clerks must maintain these records electronically and send copies to the Texas Animal Health Commission within 30 days of receipt. Owners must update their recorded marks every 10 years, starting six months after September 1, 2031. This replaces paper-based registration with a digital registry to improve tracking and compliance across the state.

in committee · Texas · House Apr 15, 2025

HB 446: Relating to workplace heat illness prevention, including the creation of a heat illness prevention advisory board; imposing administrative penalties; providing a private cause of action.

HB 446 creates new workplace heat illness prevention standards for employers in hot environments, directly affecting workers (especially in outdoor or high-heat occupations like construction and agriculture) and their employers. The bill establishes a state advisory board to develop prevention guidelines, imposes administrative penalties for violations, and allows workers to sue employers directly if heat safety rules are ignored. Key provisions include mandatory employer training, equipment requirements for extreme heat, and a legal pathway for workers to seek compensation without relying solely on state enforcement. The bill aims to reduce heat-related injuries by setting clear, enforceable safety requirements.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Bill results