Maddy summarySB 469 expands Medicaid coverage for counseling services by allowing recipients to choose associate-level providers (licensed marriage and family therapist associates, licensed master social workers pursuing clinical licensure, and licensed professional counselor associates) who are working toward full licensure. The bill requires Medicaid to reimburse these providers at 50% of the rate paid to licensed psychiatrists or psychologists, with a cap of 3,000 hours or the required clinical practice hours for full licensure. This directly affects Medicaid recipients seeking counseling and associate-level providers who currently cannot be reimbursed under Medicaid. The policy change aims to increase access to mental health services while maintaining cost controls through specific reimbursement rates and hour limits.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial Senate resolution (not a bill), designating March 17, 2025, as "Profound Autism Awareness Day" in Texas. It directly recognizes people with profound autism - a subtype involving severe intellectual disability, communication challenges, and high support needs - and their caregivers. The resolution encourages Texans to learn more about profound autism, citing CDC data showing it affects 1 in 4 autistic children and highlighting barriers like exclusion from services and underrepresentation in research. It has no policy changes or funding mechanisms, serving solely as an awareness measure.
Maddy summarySB 1966 requires Texas school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to provide informational materials about centers for independent living to parents or legal guardians of children receiving special education services or covered under Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act. These materials, developed by the Health and Human Services Commission, must describe available health and support services at these centers and include their contact information. The bill directly affects parents of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities and school districts. It mandates schools to distribute these resources to help families access community-based support services. The bill is currently pending in the Health & Human Services committee.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows certain small Texas school districts eligible for state funding to reduce their board of trustees from seven to five members. It applies only if the district's board certifies that it failed to fill all trustee seats in two consecutive elections. The reduction takes effect at the next regular election after the resolution is passed, without shortening current trustees' terms. The resolution must also include a transition plan to align future elections with standard procedures under state law.
Maddy summarySB 2022 allows certain Texas counties (those bordering Mexico with a city over 500,000 population) to deny motor vehicle registration if owners owe past-due criminal fines, fees, or failed to appear in court for a pending case. The county must verify the owner's identity using driver's license details or partial SSN/vehicle numbers, and the denial applies only to information provided within the last two years. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) must block online registration for affected vehicles and notify the county of the outstanding obligation. This bill specifically targets registration procedures in border counties for criminal-related debts, not general traffic violations.
Maddy summarySB 2049 establishes the Quad-Agency Child Care Initiative and a commission to coordinate child care policies among four Texas state agencies: the Texas Workforce Commission, Health and Human Services Commission, Department of Family and Protective Services, and Texas Education Agency. The commission will review and streamline existing or proposed regulations to reduce duplication, lower insurance costs for child-care providers, improve safety, and enhance quality and accessibility of child care. It must hold at least three public meetings annually and make all review processes, public comments, and decisions available online for two years. This framework directly affects child-care providers and families by creating a structured process for regulatory improvements.
Maddy summarySB 3021, titled the HEAL Texans Act, clarifies and standardizes definitions related to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in Texas law. It amends the Occupations Code to define "advanced practice registered nurse" as including nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists, and clinical nurse specialists, and updates all references to align with this terminology. The bill directly affects APRNs by establishing consistent legal definitions for their scope of practice and impacts the Texas Board of Nursing, which regulates these professionals. This is a technical regulatory update with no new fees or practice restrictions described in the provided text.
Maddy summarySB 1753 requires Texas Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) to include in their contracts language permitting them to offer certain mental health, substance use, or food/nutrition assistance services as alternatives to standard Medicaid services. This applies to services approved by the state Medicaid advisory committee and listed in the contract, but recipients are not required to use these alternatives. The bill mandates an annual report tracking how often these alternative services are used and requires the state to consider actual costs of these services when setting MCO payment rates. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, for new or renewed contracts.
Maddy summarySenate Resolution 258 is a commemorative measure honoring the late U.S. Congressman Sylvester Turner of Houston, who died on March 5, 2025. The resolution recognizes his career as a Texas state legislator, mayor of Houston, and U.S. Congressman, highlighting his dedication to public service in Houston's Acres Homes neighborhood and his work on health care, education, and community resilience. It does not create new policies or affect specific groups, as it is a symbolic tribute to his legacy.
Maddy summarySB 436 creates a grant program to help Texas public school districts offset funding losses caused by using the state's standardized property valuation (instead of local district valuations) for school finance calculations. The grants cover the difference between what districts would have received under local property valuations and their actual funding under the state's Foundation School Program for the 2024-2025 tax years, specifically for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. Grants are capped at $175 million total per school year and prioritize districts with the largest funding reductions. The program expires on September 1, 2027, and does not apply to open-enrollment charter schools.