Rep. Jeff Leach

Maddy summarySB 2024 prohibits the marketing, advertising, selling, or offering for sale of e-cigarette products that use cartoon characters targeting minors, mimic products marketed to children (like school supplies or candy), resemble food items, include celebrity imagery, or are shaped like everyday items (e.g., highlighters, headphones, or toys). It also bans e-cigarette products manufactured in China. The law creates criminal penalties for violations and applies to offenses committed on or after its effective date of September 1, 2025. This bill directly affects e-cigarette manufacturers, retailers, and marketers operating in Texas.

Maddy summarySB 571 updates Texas education law to restrict employment of contract employees who work in public schools and have direct student contact. It prohibits school districts and contractors from hiring individuals with certain criminal convictions (like felonies or misdemeanors listed under Section 22.085) or those identified in a misconduct registry for specific offenses. The bill also expands access to this registry - used to track ineligible employees - to include private schools, non-profit teacher organizations, and school contractors. These changes apply only to new contracts entered on or after September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 3441 creates legal liability for vaccine manufacturers who advertise a harmful vaccine within Texas. It defines "advertise" broadly to include paid promotions across media (TV, internet, influencers), but excludes doctor-patient discussions or clinic materials. If a manufacturer's advertised vaccine causes injury, victims can sue within three years for actual damages, attorney fees, and court costs. The law applies only to cases where harm occurs on or after its effective date of September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 535 restricts the use of evidence about a victim's past sexual behavior in criminal trials for specific offenses, including sexual assault (Penal Code §22.011), trafficking (§20A.02), indecency with a child (§21.11), and related cases. The bill generally prohibits such evidence - whether as reputation, opinion, or specific instances - unless a court holds a private hearing (in camera) and determines it meets narrow exceptions, like proving consent or rebutting medical evidence. Courts must seal records of these private hearings to protect victims' privacy. This law applies to cases under Texas Penal Code sections 20A.02, 20A.03, 21.02, 21.11, 22.011, and 22.021. It became effective September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 2972 protects free expression at Texas public universities by requiring common outdoor campus areas to be treated as traditional public forums. It ensures students and employees can engage in protests, speeches, and other expressive activities there, as long as the activity is lawful and doesn’t significantly disrupt campus operations. The law permits universities to impose only reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on these activities, while explicitly excluding commercial speech, threats, defamation, and other unprotected categories. This policy change directly affects all public university students, faculty, and staff in Texas, effective September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands criminal penalties for cruelty to nonlivestock animals (such as pets and wildlife) by defining specific prohibited acts, including torture, abandonment, failure to provide care, cruel transport, and causing injury without consent. It creates a legal defense for veterinarians and their assistants acting within their professional duties, shielding them from prosecution for negligence during routine care. The law applies only to offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025, and does not affect existing penalties for cruelty involving livestock animals. This amendment clarifies prosecutable conduct while providing professional protection for veterinary staff.

Maddy summaryHB 20 establishes Texas' Applied Sciences Pathway program, allowing high school students to earn both diplomas and industry certificates through school-college partnerships. It requires courses in 20 specific high-wage, high-growth fields like plumbing, welding, IT, and oil/gas exploration, with a focus on successful job placement rates. Partnerships must offer non-duplicative, progressive coursework leading to both diplomas and certificates in these sectors. The program begins for the 2027-2028 school year, with industries reviewed every five years to match labor market needs.

Maddy summarySB 17 restricts certain foreign governments and entities from purchasing or acquiring title to specific types of real property in Texas if such ownership poses a risk to public health, safety, or welfare. It prohibits purchases of agricultural land, commercial, industrial, residential property, mines, minerals, or timber by organizations or governments from "designated countries" (identified by U.S. intelligence as national security risks). Exceptions include U.S. citizens/permanent residents, entities owned by them, homestead properties, and leaseholds under 100 years. The law creates a new Property Code Subchapter H (Sections 5.251-5.254) to implement these restrictions.

Maddy summarySB 2337 requires proxy advisors (firms providing voting recommendations to shareholders) in Texas to disclose when their advice considers non-financial factors like environmental or social goals instead of solely focusing on financial returns. It applies to proxy advisors serving shareholders of companies based in Texas or with their main office in Texas. Key provisions mandate that if advice isn’t purely financial, advisors must add clear warnings, get written acknowledgment from recipients, notify the company involved, and publicly disclose this on their website. The bill aims to ensure transparency about potential conflicts when non-financial criteria influence voting recommendations.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases criminal penalties for unauthorized entry, occupancy, or damage to real property, affecting individuals who illegally occupy homes or damage property (e.g., squatters) and property owners seeking removal. It reclassifies offenses based on financial damage: minor issues become Class C misdemeanors, while damage exceeding $2,500 or specific scenarios (like disrupting water systems or damaging livestock fences) trigger higher penalties, including state jail felonies. Key provisions include raising penalties for property destruction, adding felony charges for tampering with catalytic converters during removal, and authorizing fees for enforcement. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly impacts property disputes and criminal justice outcomes.