Sen. Kelly Hancock

Maddy summaryHB 6 amends Texas Education Code Section 12.111 to update requirements for charter schools. The bill specifically adds new criteria allowing charter schools to exclude students who were expelled under Section 37.007, placed in disciplinary alternative education programs under Section 37.006, or have documented criminal histories or discipline problems. While the bill title mentions telehealth mental health services in public schools, the provided text does not detail provisions for telehealth access. The legislation primarily affects charter schools by modifying their student admission policies and discipline management standards. HB 6 was signed into law by the governor on June 20, 2025, and is now effective.

Maddy summarySB 1233, the Perinatal Palliative Care Act, requires healthcare providers to inform pregnant women diagnosed with a life-threatening or life-limiting fetal condition about available perinatal palliative care. This applies to approximately 2% of pregnancies where the unborn child has a severe medical condition. The law mandates providers to explain comprehensive supportive care options - including medical, social, and mental health services - to reduce suffering for the mother, unborn child, and family during the perinatal period. It creates administrative penalties for noncompliance and defines perinatal palliative care to exclude actions intended to hasten death. The bill became effective September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor.

Maddy summaryHB 300 increases the maximum Texas Armed Services Scholarship to $30,000 per academic year (up from $15,000), capping at the average cost of attendance at Texas colleges. It expands appointment authority, allowing the governor and lieutenant governor to each appoint two students annually, and each state senator or representative to appoint one student, with deadlines set for September 30. The bill directly affects Texas students enrolled in ROTC or similar military commissioning programs at Texas colleges, requiring proof of program enrollment or acceptance into the Texas State Guard. These changes are effective immediately after the bill was signed by the governor on June 20, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 1589 requires contracts between single-source continuum contractors and Texas' Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to include specific provisions for community-based care services. The bill mandates contractors to establish timelines for implementing case management and family reunification services, create standardized training for alternative caregivers, maintain diverse foster care provider networks, and engage local stakeholders. It also allows DFPS to conduct performance reviews after 18 months, imposing financial penalties for unmet goals or offering incentives for exceeding them. This law directly affects contractors providing child welfare services, DFPS, and the children/families in their catchment areas, effective September 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 261 prohibits the sale and offering for sale of cell-cultured protein (food made by growing animal cells in a lab) for human consumption in Texas. It defines "cell-cultured protein" and adds it to existing prohibitions under the Health and Safety Code, making it unlawful to manufacture, distribute, or sell such products. The bill directly affects food producers, retailers, and restaurants selling cell-cultured meat or dairy alternatives within Texas. Violations carry civil and criminal penalties, though specific penalty amounts are not detailed in the provided text. This is a substantive policy change banning a new food category without exceptions for commercial sale.

Maddy summaryHB 4783 requires Texas state agencies and institutions of higher education distributing opioid overdose reversal medications (like naloxone) to prepare a biennial report every even-numbered year by October 1. The report must assess current distribution needs, establish statewide goals for medication availability, detail funding sources, outline distribution strategies, and recommend improvements for high-risk groups including rural communities, pregnant individuals, and children. It mandates coordination with all relevant agencies and requires submission of the report to the governor, lieutenant governor, and House speaker. The bill, now law after being signed by the governor on June 20, 2025, does not change current policies but creates a structured reporting requirement to inform future opioid overdose prevention efforts.

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 summaryThis bill amends Texas law to clarify how state veterans cemeteries funded by federal grants may be managed and funded. It requires the Texas Veterans Commission to establish guidelines for cemetery locations, size, and burial eligibility, and to select up to seven locations statewide for these cemeteries. The bill limits annual spending to $7 million from specific veterans funds (veterans' land fund and housing assistance funds) for planning, operating, maintaining, or improving these cemeteries, while prohibiting the use of those funds to acquire land for new cemeteries. The changes apply to state-run veterans cemeteries receiving federal grants and take effect September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 4413 defines "renewable biomass" as waste materials from farms, forests, and processing (like crop residue, animal waste, or invasive species removal) and "renewable chemicals" as products made from these materials. It requires companies producing renewable chemicals to track and account for the renewable biomass used in their production through a "mass balance" system. This policy directly affects renewable chemical manufacturers in Texas, mandating they document their feedstock sources to meet state requirements. The bill amends the Health and Safety Code to establish these definitions and a certification process, effective September 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill, SB 1818, allows military service members, veterans, and military spouses to receive a provisional license while their full occupational license application is processed in Texas. State agencies must issue these provisional licenses immediately upon application submission, valid for up to 180 days or until the final license decision is made. The law requires agencies to adopt implementing rules by December 1, 2025, and takes effect September 1, 2025. It directly affects military-connected individuals seeking to work in licensed professions across Texas.