Texas Bills

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 12, 2025

SB 8: Relating to public school accountability and transparency, including the implementation of an instructionally supportive assessment program and the adoption and administration of assessment instruments in public schools, indicators of achievement, public school performance ratings, and interventions and sanctions under the public school accountability system, a grant program for school district local accountability plans, and actions challenging Texas Education Agency decisions related to public school accountability.

SB 8 establishes a new statewide "instructionally supportive assessment program" for Texas public schools, requiring the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to create assessments focused on student growth rather than punitive measures. It mandates that school districts provide parents with one-click access to their child’s test results through a secure parent portal, meeting specific security and privacy standards. The bill also requires districts to adopt local accountability plans with TEA grants and ensures transparency in school performance ratings and interventions. Directly affecting parents, school districts, and the TEA, the law aims to shift accountability toward supporting student learning through accessible data and updated assessment practices.

Topics ✓ Education ✓ Technology

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 12, 2025

SB 16: Relating to the operation and administration of and practices and procedures related to proceedings in the judicial branch of state government, including court security, court documents and arrest warrants, document delivery, juvenile boards, constitutional amendment election challenges, record retention, youth diversion, court-ordered mental health services, the powers of the Texas Supreme Court, and jurors; increasing a criminal penalty; authorizing fees.

SB 16 reorganizes judicial districts in Texas, renaming the 522nd Judicial District to include specific counties (Colorado, Gonzales, Guadalupe, and Lavaca) and adjusting jurisdiction for the 274th District Court (Comal, Guadalupe, and Hays counties). It directs the 173rd District Court (Henderson County) to prioritize civil and family law cases and the 392nd District Court to prioritize criminal cases. The bill clarifies that county clerks handle certain matters (like misdemeanors and juvenile cases) while district clerks manage others, and authorizes new fees while increasing penalties for specific crimes. These changes affect court operations, case handling, and administrative procedures across multiple Texas counties.

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 12, 2025

SB 6: Relating to abortion, including civil liability for the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs, exemptions from the Texas Citizens Participation Act and Religious Freedom Restoration Act, authorizing civil and qui tam actions, amendments to the fee-shifting statute governing abortion litigation, immunity defenses and limits on state-court jurisdiction and relief, the parens patriae standing of the attorney general, and the jurisdiction of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals; providing for severability.

SB 6 establishes civil liability for the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs, with limited exemptions for medical emergencies (like treating ectopic pregnancies or spontaneous abortions). It directly affects drug manufacturers, distributors, healthcare providers, and internet service providers by removing protections under Texas' Citizens Participation Act and Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Key provisions include authorizing civil lawsuits and "qui tam" actions (whistleblower suits), changing fee-shifting rules in abortion litigation, and limiting state-court jurisdiction over such cases. The bill also grants the Texas Attorney General special legal standing to enforce abortion laws and shifts jurisdiction for certain cases to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals.

Topics ✗ Healthcare

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 12, 2025

SB 4: Relating to the composition of the districts for the election of members of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Texas.

SB 4 establishes new boundaries for Texas' 38 congressional districts, defining which counties and specific subdivisions (like portions of Bowie and Harris counties) belong to each district. It directly affects Texas voters by determining which geographic areas elect representatives to the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill specifies exact county compositions and tract details for each district, such as District 1 covering East Texas counties and parts of Bowie County, and District 2 including sections of Harris County. These changes will govern how Texas residents are grouped for congressional elections starting in the next cycle. The bill passed the Texas Senate on August 12, 2025.

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 6, 2025

SB 7: Relating to the designation and use of certain spaces and facilities according to sex; authorizing a civil penalty and a private civil right of action.

Texas SB 7, the "Texas Women’s Privacy Act," requires public schools, government buildings, and other facilities operated by political subdivisions or state agencies to designate multiple-occupancy private spaces (like restrooms, locker rooms, and showers) for use solely by individuals based on biological sex. Biological sex is defined by physical characteristics at birth, including chromosomes, sex organs, and an unaltered birth certificate. The law allows limited exceptions for accommodations related to disabilities, children, or elderly individuals, but prohibits facilities from designating spaces for use by individuals of the opposite biological sex. Violations authorize civil penalties and a private right to sue. The bill directly affects public facilities and their access policies for all users.

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 6, 2025

SB 9: Relating to the calculation of the voter-approval tax rate for certain taxing units.

SB 9 amends Texas Tax Code sections to update how local taxing units (like cities, counties, and school districts) calculate voter-approval tax rates when implementing or adjusting sales taxes. It introduces specific formulas that account for new sales tax revenue by adding a "sales tax gain rate" to the calculation, ensuring the voter-approval rate reflects the impact of the new revenue source. The bill differentiates rules based on the taxing unit type, applying multipliers of 1.08 for special districts, 1.035 for small municipalities/counties (<30,000 population), and 1.025 for others. These changes directly affect how local governments determine tax rates that require voter approval when they add or modify sales taxes.

in committee · Texas · Senate Aug 6, 2025

SB 67: Relating to powers and duties of the Texas Division of Emergency Management for a local state of disaster; enhancing a criminal penalty.

SB 67 amends Texas law to clarify and expand the Texas Division of Emergency Management's (TDEM) authority to declare a local state of disaster for cities or counties. It requires TDEM to monitor for conditions requiring such a declaration (e.g., imminent harm to residents) and first attempt to notify local officials. If local leadership does not respond within a reasonable time, TDEM's administrative head may declare the disaster without waiting for local approval. This change aims to accelerate emergency responses during crises when local officials are unavailable, while specifying that declarations expire once the governor or local leaders become available.

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 6, 2025

SB 15: Relating to recording requirements for certain documents concerning real property; creating the criminal offenses of real property theft and real property fraud and establishing a statute of limitations for those offenses.

This bill (SB 15) claims to address real property recording requirements and create "real property theft" and "real property fraud" offenses, but the actual bill text amends criminal procedure law (Code of Criminal Procedure §12.01) to extend statute-of-limitations periods for specific felony indictments. It lists offenses like murder, sexual assault, trafficking, and tampering with evidence as having "no limitation" for prosecution, but does not create new real property theft or fraud crimes as the title suggests. The bill was reported adversely by the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce (10-0 vote) and did not advance further. The discrepancy between the bill's title and its actual content (criminal procedure amendments) appears to be a mischaracterization in the legislative summary.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 4, 2025

SB 5: Relating to the regulation of certain products derived from hemp, including consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids contained in those products; requiring occupational licenses and registrations; imposing fees; creating criminal offenses; authorizing an administrative penalty.

SB 5 regulates hemp-derived consumable products (like edibles, oils, and topicals containing cannabinoids such as CBD) sold in Texas. It requires businesses to obtain occupational licenses, imposes fees, and prohibits sales to anyone under 21. The bill creates criminal penalties for violations and administrative fines, while exempting certain products (like hemp seed oil in food), research activities, low-THC cannabis, and medical prescriptions. These changes directly affect hemp product manufacturers, retailers, and distributors operating in Texas.

in committee · Texas · Senate Aug 4, 2025

SB 60: Relating to emergency preparedness and safety requirements for youth camps.

SB 60 requires youth camp operators in Texas to meet new emergency preparedness standards to obtain or renew their licenses. It mandates camps to maintain operable radios for real-time weather alerts, install emergency warning systems with public address capabilities (not reliant on internet), and monitor local weather and emergency alerts. Camps must also adopt a written emergency plan detailing evacuation routes, muster zones, and the location of emergency equipment like fire extinguishers and flotation devices. These requirements directly affect all licensed youth camps operating overnight accommodations in Texas.

passed · Texas · Senate Aug 4, 2025

SB 11: Relating to the duty of the attorney general to prosecute criminal offenses prescribed by the election laws of this state.

SB 11 requires Texas law enforcement agencies to report election-related crimes to the attorney general and gives the attorney general exclusive authority to prosecute these offenses. Local prosecutors and law enforcement must share relevant information with the attorney general to assist in these cases, and the attorney general can direct local offices to handle or support prosecutions. The law applies only to election crimes committed after its effective date (91 days after the legislative session). This shifts prosecution responsibility for election law violations from local to state-level authorities.

in committee · Texas · House Aug 4, 2025

HB 4: Relating to the composition of the districts for the election of members of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Texas.

HB 4 establishes new congressional district boundaries for Texas voters to be used in the 2026 U.S. House elections. It adopts the PLANC2308 redistricting plan based on 2020 Census data (TIGER/Line Shapefiles) to define district lines. The bill replaces all prior Texas congressional district maps, including those from 2021, and applies to elections starting with the 120th Congress (2026). This is a procedural redistricting bill directly affecting Texas residents' voting districts for federal elections beginning in 2026.

Bill results