Texas Bills

signed · Texas · House Jun 22, 2025

HB 2421: Relating to the date of dissolution of the Save Historic Muny District.

HB 2421 sets a deadline for the Save Historic Muny District to secure land preservation for the Lions Municipal Golf Course or face dissolution. The bill requires the district to enter into an agreement with the landowner by May 31, 2027, to purchase the land or preserve it as a public golf course or parkland. If no such agreement is in place by that date, the district must dissolve under Section 3988.0901 of the Local Government Code. This directly affects the district’s operations and its relationship with the city regarding the historic golf course property.

vetoed · Texas · Senate Jun 22, 2025

SB 1937: Relating to the testing of evidence containing biological materials in capital cases.

SB 1937 requires the state to have nuclear DNA testing performed on all biological evidence collected in capital cases (cases seeking the death penalty) before trial. The testing must be done by a state laboratory or an accredited lab, with the lab covering the costs. It creates a process where the state, defense, and lab expert must agree on which evidence qualifies for testing, with a presumption favoring the defendant's requests if they disagree. If evidence is destroyed during testing, the lab must provide the defendant with testing notes and results. The bill applies only to capital cases with indictments filed after its effective date and was vetoed by the governor on June 22, 2025.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice

signed · Texas · House Jun 22, 2025

HB 762: Relating to severance pay for political subdivision employees and independent contractors.

HB 762 limits severance pay for employees and independent contractors working with local governments (like cities, counties, and school districts) in Texas. It requires that severance pay from tax funds cannot exceed 20 weeks of the person's regular pay (excluding vacation or PTO) and prohibits payments if termination results from misconduct (including criminal conduct). Local governments must also post all severance agreements on their websites. The law applies to contracts entered into or lawsuits filed on or after September 1, 2025, and excludes public teaching hospitals.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✗ Labor & Employment

vetoed · Texas · Senate Jun 22, 2025

SB 3: Relating to the regulation of products derived from hemp, including consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids contained in those products; requiring occupational licenses and permits; imposing fees; creating criminal offenses; authorizing an administrative penalty.

SB 3 regulates consumable hemp products (like edibles, topicals, or beverages containing hemp-derived cannabinoids) in Texas. It requires businesses to obtain licenses with $10,000 fees per location, bans manufacturing products with cannabinoids other than CBD or cannabigerol, and mandates product testing before sale. The bill also creates criminal penalties for violations and allows administrative fines. This primarily affects hemp product manufacturers, retailers, and distributors in Texas. The bill was vetoed by the governor on June 22, 2025, so it did not become law.

signed · Texas · House Jun 22, 2025

HB 2518: Relating to the use of installment premium payment plans on Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policies.

HB 2518 prohibits third-party premium financing arrangements for Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) policies, requiring policyholders to use installment payment plans directly through TWIA at no additional cost. It applies to all TWIA policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, and became effective September 1, 2025. The bill directly affects Texas homeowners and property owners insured through TWIA who previously relied on third-party financing options. This change eliminates fees associated with external premium financing by mandating that TWIA provide its own no-cost installment plans.

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 22, 2025

SB 785: Relating to the regulation of new HUD-code manufactured housing.

This bill changes Texas municipal rules for new federally regulated manufactured homes (HUD-code). It requires cities and towns to allow installation in residential areas unless they deny applications in writing within 45 days. Municipalities cannot charge extra fees for transportation/installation beyond actual costs or create zoning barriers that block these homes in residential zones. The law ensures these homes can be placed in at least one residential zoning category without being prohibited across all residential areas. (Effective September 1, 2025)

Topics ✓ Housing

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 22, 2025

SB 650: Relating to requiring the use of electronically readable information to verify a purchaser's age in the retail sale of alcoholic beverages.

SB 650 requires retailers selling alcohol to verify customer age by scanning driver's licenses or ID cards with electronically readable information. It applies to all retail alcohol sales except on-premises sales at package stores. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, but businesses have until September 1, 2027, to comply, with no penalties for violations before that date. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission must adopt implementing rules by September 2027.

vetoed · Texas · Senate Jun 22, 2025

SB 2878: 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, mandatory expunction for certain persons, record retention, and youth diversion; increasing a criminal penalty; authorizing fees.

SB 2878 creates new judicial districts in Texas, including the 490th and 491st districts for Brazoria County and the 501st and 502nd districts for Fort Bend County, effective September 1, 2025. It also amends existing district boundaries, such as updating the 522nd Judicial District to cover Colorado, Gonzales, Guadalupe, and Lavaca counties, and adjusting the jurisdiction of the 274th Judicial District in Comal, Guadalupe, and Hays counties. These changes reorganize court operations, directly affecting case handling and administrative procedures in the specified counties. The bill was passed by the legislature but vetoed by the governor in June 2025.

signed · Texas · House Jun 22, 2025

HB 149: Relating to regulation of the use of artificial intelligence systems in this state; providing civil penalties.

HB 149, the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, regulates how businesses use artificial intelligence systems that capture or store biometric data (like fingerprints or facial scans). It requires companies to obtain explicit consent before using biometric data for commercial AI purposes, unless the data was publicly shared by the individual themselves. The law exempts financial institutions retaining voiceprints, AI training data, and systems used for security, fraud prevention, or investigating illegal activity. Violations result in civil penalties, and the law takes effect January 1, 2026.

Topics ✓ Technology

signed · Texas · House Jun 22, 2025

HB 3372: Relating to prohibiting certain personal services performed by school district administrators; providing a civil penalty.

HB 3372 prohibits school district administrators (excluding classroom teachers) from receiving financial benefits for personal services provided to specific entities, including businesses that work with their school district, curriculum service providers, or other school districts. The law directly affects administrators with significant operational duties, such as those managing campuses or programs, by banning conflicts of interest tied to district business relationships. Violations carry a $10,000 civil penalty per incident, and the bill took effect immediately upon the governor's signature on June 22, 2025. This legislation aims to prevent administrators from profiting from their official positions within the education system.

vetoed · Texas · House Jun 22, 2025

HB 449: Relating to the unlawful production or distribution of sexually explicit media using deep fake technology.

HB 449 would have made it a crime to create or share deepfake sexual media without the depicted person's consent, targeting AI-generated content that falsely shows real people in explicit situations. It defined "deep fake media" as computer-altered videos appearing authentic, and prohibited distributing such content showing a person's private body parts or sexual conduct. The bill applied only to offenses occurring after its effective date (September 1, 2025), and would have governed cases involving non-consensual deepfake content. However, the bill was vetoed by the Governor on June 22, 2025, so it never became law.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✗ Technology

signed · Texas · Senate Jun 22, 2025

SB 1758: Relating to the operation of a cement kiln and the production of aggregates near a semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility.

SB 1758 creates a legal exemption for cement kilns and aggregate production facilities that began operations before nearby semiconductor wafer manufacturing plants. Specifically, it states that owners/operators of such pre-existing cement/aggregate facilities cannot be held liable for vibration damage to semiconductor facilities caused by their operations, provided the cement/aggregate facility started before the semiconductor plant. The bill also establishes a two-year pilot program in Grayson County (ending in 2027) to study vibration impacts, managed by the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. This directly affects semiconductor manufacturers and cement/aggregate operators in areas where these facilities operate near each other. The law applies statewide but includes a limited pilot program for Grayson County.

Bill results