Texas Bills

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 51: Relating to the review and approval of certain proposed municipal initiatives and referenda.

HB 51 requires Texas home-rule cities (cities with charters allowing citizen-initiated measures) to submit proposed local ordinances or referenda to the state Attorney General for review before holding elections. The Attorney General must check within 30 days (with a possible two-week extension) whether any part of the proposed measure violates state law. If a violation is found, the city cannot hold the election on that measure; if the Attorney General fails to complete the review on time, the city must hold the election. The law applies only to petitions submitted after the bill's effective date, which is 91 days after the legislative session ends.

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 59: Relating to the selection of the chief appraiser of an appraisal district; authorizing a fee.

HB 59 authorizes the Texas comptroller to charge a fee of up to $50 per person for training courses related to property appraisal. It requires specific continuing education content for appraisal review board members, including topics like valuation methods, independence requirements, and appeal processes. The bill affects appraisal districts, their chief appraisers, and review board members by mandating state-approved training and prohibiting appraisal districts from providing their own training. It does not change how chief appraisers are selected but focuses on standardizing and funding training for review board members. The fee structure aims to recover costs for the state-administered training program.

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 107: Relating to municipal and county ad valorem tax relief.

HB 107 requires Texas counties and municipalities to use excess tax revenue for property tax relief. It defines "surplus revenue" as funds collected above amounts needed to cover budget growth adjusted for population increases and inflation. Local governments must apply this surplus to directly reduce the property taxes owed by residents in the current fiscal year. The bill establishes specific formulas using the state's consumer price index and population growth rate to calculate the required relief.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

introduced · Texas · Senate Aug 15, 2025

SB 28: Relating to the regulation of groundwater produced in the boundaries of a groundwater conservation district.

SB 28 limits groundwater transfers outside a conservation district by restricting permits that would allow an applicant to exceed 5% of the district's modeled available groundwater (effective after December 2025). It requires groundwater districts to obtain approval from at least two-thirds of neighboring districts in the management area before issuing permits for transfers exceeding 25,000 gallons daily, considering regional water goals. Exceptions apply for potable water transfers to retail utilities within their service areas or emergency interconnects between utilities. The bill directly affects entities seeking large-scale groundwater permits and groundwater conservation districts managing water transfers. These provisions aim to regulate cross-district groundwater use while preserving regional water sustainability goals.

Topics ✓ Environment

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 53: Relating to the issuance of anticipation notes and certificates of obligation by certain local governments.

HB 53 amends Texas law to clarify which local governments (municipalities, counties, and specific hospital districts) can issue short-term borrowing tools ("anticipation notes") and long-term debt instruments ("certificates of obligation"). It defines "public work" for these purposes to include infrastructure like roads, water treatment plants, flood control projects, and public safety facilities (police/fire stations), while explicitly excluding new sports venues, convention centers leased to for-profits, and hotels. The bill directly affects local governments seeking to finance public infrastructure projects by expanding eligibility for certain debt instruments and setting clear boundaries on what qualifies as a "public work." It does not create new funding but streamlines existing borrowing mechanisms for defined projects.

Topics ✓ Transportation

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 145: Relating to certain requirements related to water availability, including requirements that certain plats for the subdivision of land include evidence of groundwater supply.

HB 145 requires developers to attach a certification to land subdivision plans (plats) in areas relying on groundwater. This certification, prepared by a licensed engineer or geoscientist, must confirm adequate groundwater availability and follow rules set by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Local governments (municipalities and county commissioners courts) must reject any plat lacking this certification. The bill directly affects developers seeking to subdivide land and local authorities reviewing subdivision applications, ensuring groundwater supply is verified before development proceeds.

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 39: Relating to the provision of funding under the public school finance system on the basis of property values that take into account optional homestead exemptions.

HB 39 amends Texas law to adjust how school districts calculate property values for state funding. It directs that taxable value for school finance purposes must exclude certain homestead exemptions, including those under Tax Code Sections 11.13(b), (c), and (n), as well as captured appraised value in designated reinvestment zones. This change directly affects Texas public school districts by altering the property value base used to determine state funding allocations. The bill modifies Education Code Section 7.062(c) and Government Code Section 403.302(d) to implement this adjustment in funding calculations.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education

introduced · Texas · Senate Aug 15, 2025

SJR 3: Proposing a constitutional amendment to limit the time in which the legislature may enact or modify districts for the Texas Legislature or the United States House of Representatives.

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to restrict when the Texas legislature can redraw voting districts for both the Texas Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. It would require redistricting bills to be enacted only during specific, constitutionally defined timeframes: for state districts, only during the legislature's required apportionment period; for U.S. House districts, within a window tied to the federal census release date (either by September 1 or a 120-day period after). An exception allows limited redistricting within one year if courts invalidate districts, but prohibits it during periods when the Legislative Redistricting Board has exclusive authority. The amendment must be approved by voters in the November 2026 election.

introduced · Texas · Senate Aug 15, 2025

SJR 1: Proposing a constitutional amendment establishing the Texas Redistricting Commission to redistrict the United States House of Representatives and the Texas Legislature.

This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to create the Texas Redistricting Commission, replacing the current Legislative Redistricting Board. The new commission would handle redistricting for Texas' U.S. House delegation and both chambers of the Texas Legislature, taking effect January 1, 2030. The commission must convene for its first meeting on the first business day after January 31, 2031, and the existing board would be abolished on the 2030 effective date. This change directly affects how Texas draws electoral district boundaries for federal and state legislative elections.

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 113: Relating to the authority of a political subdivision to propose for voter approval the issuance of general obligation bonds for a purpose rejected by voters at a bond election held during the preceding five years.

HB 113 would prevent local governments (such as cities or counties) from resubmitting a bond proposal for the same purpose to voters within five years of a previous rejection at a bond election. The bill adds a new rule to Texas law stating that if voters previously rejected a bond for a specific project, the government cannot ask again for that same project within five years. This rule would only apply to bond elections ordered on or after the bill's effective date. The legislation does not change existing bond requirements but limits how often a government can retry a rejected proposal.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes ✗ Housing

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 161: Relating to the authority of the attorney general to investigate violations of law by certain local governments and to take action against those local governments to enforce the law.

HB 161 authorizes the Texas Attorney General to investigate and sue local governments (municipalities or counties) for violating state law. If the AG finds a violation, they may file a lawsuit, and during the case, the comptroller must withhold state funds, the local government cannot raise property tax rates above their "no-new-revenue" limit, and grant applications are denied. If the AG wins, the local government faces a five-year ban on exceeding tax rate limits or receiving state grants, plus potential penalties. The bill creates specific court procedures, assigning exclusive jurisdiction to the First Business Court Division and Fifteenth Court of Appeals.

Topics ✗ Budget & Taxes

introduced · Texas · House Aug 15, 2025

HB 78: Relating to the authority of the legislature or a state court to declare certain federal actions to be unconstitutional federal actions, including the effect and enforcement of such a declaration.

HB 78, the Texas Sovereignty Act, would authorize the Texas legislature or state courts to declare certain federal actions unconstitutional, based on the bill's interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. The bill's preamble argues that federal powers are limited to those explicitly delegated in the Constitution, with all other powers reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment. It establishes a framework for making such declarations and specifies their legal effect and enforcement within Texas. This bill directly affects Texas's legal relationship with the federal government and could influence how federal laws are applied in the state.

Bill results