HB 1638 allows certain small Texas cities to change their general election dates for city officers to align with the statewide November election. It applies specifically to cities with 9,000 or fewer residents located in counties under 4,800 square miles, using council-manager government, and currently holding elections on a different date. Cities must make this change by December 31, 2026, and the provision expires January 1, 2027. This bill modifies Texas Election Code Section 41.0052 to enable this date adjustment while requiring compliance with existing election rules.
HB 2584 allows the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to issue permits for land application of treated wastewater from oil and gas operations (called "produced water"). It directly affects oil and gas companies seeking to reuse this wastewater for irrigation or other beneficial purposes on land. The bill requires TCEQ to establish new environmental standards to prevent pollution of surface and groundwater during this land application process. This change applies only to permits filed on or after September 1, 2025, and does not affect existing permit applications.
HB 3643 modifies Texas law governing how municipalities or counties (called "units of election") can withdraw from metropolitan rapid transit authorities. It shortens the waiting period before a withdrawal election from five to two years after a previous withdrawal and establishes a new method for calculating a unit's financial obligation upon withdrawal. For small units (under 2% of the authority's total population), the bill replaces the standard calculation with the fair market value of remaining transit property. Transit authorities must annually estimate each unit's financial obligation and report it by July 1. This bill directly affects local governments seeking to leave regional transit systems.
HB 4472 increases the annual registration fee for certain trailers, travel trailers, and semitrailers in Texas from $20 to $45. This change directly affects owners of these vehicles weighing 6,000 pounds or less who register them in Texas. The bill amends the Transportation Code to set the new fee amount, effective September 1, 2025, for registrations applied for on or after that date. The policy change applies only to new registrations after the effective date, not to existing registrations.
HB 5376, known as "Tiffany's Law," grants Texas municipalities new authority to restrict or ban specific vehicle types from using toll roads within city limits. The bill allows cities to adopt ordinances that prohibit certain vehicles (like trucks or commercial vehicles) from toll projects or restrict them to designated lanes on highways. Municipalities must still permit restricted vehicles to pass other cars or enter/exit the highway, as required by the law. This change directly affects local governments and drivers of the specified vehicle classes using toll roads in participating cities, taking effect September 1, 2025.
HB 3684 modifies Texas franchise tax rules to exclude specific payments from taxable revenue for securities exchanges and their members. It requires exchanges to exclude transaction rebate payments made to members for securities transactions (buying/selling securities on an exchange), and members to exclude similar payments received from exchanges. These excluded payments are defined as compensation for providing market liquidity. The change applies only to franchise tax reports due on or after January 1, 2026, and affects entities operating as registered securities market operators.
HB 5347 requires new toll road projects in Texas to include at least one free frontage road lane in each direction of travel adjacent to the toll lanes. This applies only to toll projects with contracts signed after September 1, 2025, meaning existing toll projects remain unaffected. The entity building the toll road must construct and maintain these frontage roads, which will serve as free access options for drivers. The law takes effect on September 1, 2025, aiming to provide non-toll alternatives along new toll corridors.
HB 3821 creates a veteran discount program for electronic toll users on specific segments of State Highway 130 in Texas. It requires the Texas Department of Transportation to establish this program using toll revenue collected from the highway segment between U.S. Highway 183 and Interstate 10 (Segments 5 and 6). The discount prioritizes funding for this specific highway section, with any remaining toll revenue potentially extending discounts to other parts of State Highway 130. The program would take effect on September 1, 2025.
HB 1477 amends Texas election law to increase criminal penalties for election officials who fail to deliver precinct election returns on time. It raises the offense from a Class B to a Class A misdemeanor under Section 65.014(e) of the Election Code. The bill also clarifies that if records aren't delivered by the deadline, the Secretary of State or a judge may step in to complete the count and distribute records. This change applies to offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025.
HB 4509 updates Texas Family Code provisions to clarify court-ordered financial support for adult children with medically determinable disabilities. It amends chapter and subchapter titles to explicitly include "adult with medically determinable disability" and revises Section 154.001 to allow courts to order ongoing parental support for such adults indefinitely. The bill also specifies that orders for this support are excluded from certain termination rules under Section 154.004(c). This directly affects parents of adult disabled children and courts determining financial obligations under Texas law.
SB 2081 expands Texas' Homes for Texas Heroes home loan program to include municipal solid waste personnel. The bill adds a specific definition for "municipal solid waste personnel" as permanent, full-time local government employees who collect, sort, process, or dispose of solid waste, recyclables, organics, or household hazardous waste. This change directly affects waste management workers in cities and counties who previously weren't covered under the program. The bill modifies eligibility criteria in the Government Code to include these workers alongside firefighters, police officers, educators, and veterans, while maintaining existing income requirements (115% of area median income).
SB 536 expands eligibility for Texas's Homes for Texas Heroes home loan program to include licensed nurses who are not advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). The bill amends the Government Code to define "nurse" as an individual licensed under Chapter 301 of the Occupations Code, explicitly excluding APRNs. This change allows eligible nurses - meeting income limits (115% of area median family income) and residency requirements - to access low-interest home loans alongside other public safety workers, educators, and veterans. The program provides mortgage assistance to qualifying professionals who intend to reside in the purchased home as their primary residence.
