Rep. Angie Button

Maddy summaryHB 4558 amends Texas law to require clerks of court to notify specific parties when they reasonably suspect a property-related document is fraudulent. The bill mandates written notice to the person against whom a purported judgment is directed, or to the grantor, grantee, and property owner for documents creating liens or claims on real or personal property. A document is presumed fraudulent if it originates from a non-existent court or claims a lien without legal basis under Texas law. This change establishes a clearer process for addressing potential fraud in property filings, affecting property owners, debtors, and those named in disputed documents.

Maddy summaryHB 4560 updates Texas property law by adding stricter requirements for recording real estate deeds and heirship affidavits. For deeds filed by title companies or similar entities, the grantor’s signature must be notarized or witnessed by two people; for deeds filed by individuals, both buyer and seller must sign, have two witnesses, and then get the document notarized. Heirship affidavits (used to establish property inheritance) must be signed by the person making the affidavit and all heirs, witnessed by two people, and then notarized. The bill would take effect on September 1, 2025, unless passed with a two-thirds legislative vote for immediate implementation.

Maddy summaryHJR 174 proposes a constitutional amendment to allow Texas lawmakers to exempt certain perishable retail inventory from property taxes. If approved by voters, it would permit the legislature to create a law exempting items like fresh food, medicine (including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and dietary supplements), and other perishable goods held for retail sale from ad valorem taxation. The amendment requires voter approval in the November 2025 election and would not immediately change current tax laws. It directly affects retailers selling these perishable items by potentially reducing their property tax burden.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryHB 4083 would exempt retail businesses from paying property taxes on certain perishable inventory held for sale. The bill defines eligible items as fresh food (produce, meat, dairy, bakery goods), prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and dietary supplements. Businesses qualify for the exemption if they don't owe delinquent state or local taxes as of January 1 of the tax year, and the exemption only applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. This exemption requires voter approval of a related constitutional amendment in 2025 to take effect.

Maddy summaryHB 36, the Sharon Radebaugh Family Violence Protection Act, requires courts to mandate GPS tracking devices for high-risk defendants charged with family violence offenses as a condition of bond. The bill also establishes that defendants may be charged a fee to cover the cost of the GPS monitoring system and requires courts to collect data on bond conditions in family violence and certain other criminal cases. This directly affects defendants facing family violence charges (who may wear GPS devices), victims (who may receive related resources), and courts (which must track bond conditions). The law aims to enhance victim safety through stricter offender monitoring and data collection, without specifying new victim services beyond the data collection requirement.

Maddy summaryHB 3258 imposes a 10% penalty on property owners who fail to file required rendition statements or property reports with their appraisal district on time. The penalty equals 10% of the total taxes owed for that year on the property, and the chief appraiser must notify the owner by certified mail. The penalty is added to the property tax bill as a separate line item and becomes part of the tax lien securing the debt. This change applies only to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. The bill modifies existing Texas Tax Code provisions to standardize this penalty structure.

Maddy summaryHB 1035 requires property owners seeking a property tax exemption for child-care facilities to submit an affidavit with their application. This applies to owners leasing property to "qualifying child-care facilities" (licensed facilities participating in Texas' child-care program and serving 20% subsidized children). The affidavit must certify that the tenant receives a clear disclosure of tax savings, that rent reflects these savings (via net lease or rent credit), and that rent does not exceed market rates for comparable space. The law ensures tax benefits directly reduce costs for child-care operators by mandating transparency in lease pricing.

Maddy summaryHB 1757 updates Texas requirements for becoming a certified public accountant (CPA). It specifies that applicants must either complete 150 academic hours (with accounting coursework) or hold a bachelor's degree in accounting, pass the CPA exam, meet work experience standards, and pass a professional conduct exam. The bill adds a new requirement: individuals with a bachelor's degree must now complete two years of work experience to qualify for certification. It also allows Texas to accept CPA exam results from other states under specific reciprocity conditions, such as if exams were prepared by AICPA or NASBA. The changes take effect September 1, 2025, after the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy adopts implementing rules.

Maddy summaryHB 1681 clarifies that certain payment processing services provided by marketplace providers (like online platforms connecting buyers and sellers) are not subject to Texas sales and use taxes. Specifically, it amends the Tax Code to exclude services related to processing sales or payments for marketplace sellers from being classified as taxable "data processing services" (per Section 151.0035(b)(4)). This directly affects marketplace providers and their sellers by removing tax liability for specific payment settlement activities, such as routing transactions through approved payment networks or financial institutions. The bill does not change tax obligations for services already subject to tax under prior law.