Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 2933 requires judges in Texas to complete mandatory training on elder abuse and related issues. Specifically, it mandates 12 hours of initial training for all district judges, county court judges, and other judicial officers during their first term or four years of service, including four hours on trafficking/child abuse (covering topics like grooming and medical findings), six hours on victim protection resources and gender bias, and one hour focused on elder abuse. Judges must also complete an additional five hours of training every subsequent term, with two hours on trafficking/child abuse topics and one hour on elder abuse. The bill directly affects all Texas judges with judicial authority, aiming to improve their understanding of elder abuse, child abuse, trafficking, and family violence through structured, topic-specific training requirements.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summarySB 2857 would create a state-administered prescription drug purchasing pool for certain employers and health insurers. It allows qualified public employers (like local governments and schools) and self-insured private employers to join the pool to purchase drugs at negotiated discounted rates through the Health and Human Services Commission. Participants would still pay for claims through their existing health coverage agreements, as the pool does not replace individual coverage responsibility. The bill establishes rules for enrollment, eligibility, and funding but does not change how health benefits are administered.
Maddy summarySB 898 limits the amount of low-income housing tax credits Texas can allocate per application. It caps total credits at $6 million per application round and $2 million per individual development. These rules apply only to applications submitted under the 2026 qualified allocation plan or later cycles, while older applications follow previous laws. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly affects developers seeking tax credits for affordable housing projects through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
Maddy summarySB 1232 proposes new rules for "facility fees" charged by healthcare providers, which are separate from fees for medical services. It defines these fees broadly to include administrative costs like membership or subscription fees charged by hospitals, clinics, and physician groups (including those owned by private equity or corporations), but excludes direct primary care fees. The bill establishes administrative penalties for providers who violate these rules. It directly affects healthcare facilities and their billing practices by creating new regulatory requirements under Texas Health and Safety Code.
Maddy summarySB 1377 creates a grant program to provide financial assistance to rural counties in Texas with populations of 68,750 or less. Qualified ambulance service providers in these counties can receive grants up to $500,000 (for counties under 10,000 people) or $350,000 (for counties between 10,000 and 68,750 people) to purchase ambulances. Counties must use the funds exclusively for ambulance purchases within five years and cannot reduce ambulance service budgets with this money. The comptroller administers the program, prioritizing counties farther from trauma centers and those with limited ability to fund ambulance services independently.
Maddy summaryTexas Senate Bill 2721 establishes new licensing and regulatory requirements for entities handling human bodies or anatomical specimens for educational or research purposes. It creates definitions for "human body acquisition services," "non-transplant anatomical donation organizations," and "willed body programs," requiring these entities to obtain licenses, maintain secure electronic records with unique identifiers for body parts, and update a commission database tracking each specimen’s location. The bill directly affects institutions of higher education operating body donation programs, research facilities, and organizations that collect, process, or distribute bodies or body parts for medical training. Violations of the law are classified as state jail felonies, with the Texas Funeral Service Commission authorized to enforce these rules and revoke licenses for noncompliance.
Maddy summaryHB 2081 establishes the Building Better Futures Program to provide educational and occupational skills training for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Texas public and private colleges. The program requires participating institutions to have U.S. Department of Education approval for transition programs, implement selective admissions, and award certificates upon completion. It exempts participating programs from certain existing education code requirements (Sections 61.0512 and 61.822) and creates a competitive funding process administered by the Texas Education Agency. The bill directly affects students with disabilities seeking inclusive higher education opportunities and the institutions offering these specialized programs, effective immediately after the Governor signed it on May 26, 2025.
Maddy summaryHB 2756 (the Jovian Motley Act) requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to provide annual training on de-escalation, crisis intervention, and behavioral health to correctional officers and their direct supervisors. The bill mandates specific training components, including communication techniques, alternatives to physical restraints, safety during cell extractions, and awareness of behavioral health concerns like suicide risk and substance use disorders. This training must be included in new officers' initial (preservice) training and completed annually by eligible employees. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, with TDCJ required to make the training available by December 1, 2025.
Maddy summaryHB 334 establishes a program allowing county employees to voluntarily contribute unused sick or vacation leave to a shared family leave pool. Employees can access the pool after exhausting their own leave for qualifying events like childbirth, adoption, foster placement, or serious illness in an immediate family member. The county judge or an appointed administrator manages the pool, and contributions reduce the donor’s leave balance. Counties must create the program through a commissioners court order, making it available to all county employees.
Maddy summarySB 2603 requires employers participating in county or municipal economic development programs to contact their local workforce development board before filling job openings. The law mandates they check if qualified participants from career development centers in the area are available and consider those candidates. Employers must also give extra consideration to applicants receiving public assistance, including unemployment benefits or aid under Chapter 31 of the Human Resources Code. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly affects businesses in Texas economic development programs.