Below is a list of bills that passed both chambers during the Second-Called Special Session and will head to the Governor’s desk.
Flooding Response & Disaster Preparedness
- HB 1 (Darby) Works in conjunction with SB 1; creates a multidisciplinary team in DSHS to review and help draft safety plans, establishes procedures for camps to submit plans and notify DSHS of modifications to certain structures, and requires redundant internet connections via fiber optic cable and another broadband method.
- SB 1 (Perry) Works in conjunction with HB 1; requires emergency plans for youth camps, and that cabins be located 1000ft outside of a flood plain if not next to a still body of water; establishes new licensure requirements
- HB 20 (Darby) Creates a criminal offense for charitable donation fraud and scams; creates a local designation program to designate official charitable organizations during a declared disaster
- HR 177 (Geren) Creates a general investigating committee on disaster response
- SB 3 (Bettencourt) Outdoor warning sirens
- SB 5 (Huffman) Supplemental Appropriations for disaster relief
- SR 2 (Flores) Creates General Investigating Committee on July 2025 Flooding Events
Redistricting
- HB 4 (Hunter) Redrawing US Congressional districts
Abortion
- HB 7 (Leach) Prohibits the manufacture and delivery of abortion inducing drugs in Texas with enforcement through qui tam actions brought by individuals
Education
- HB 8 (Buckley) Development of and administrative requirements for new through-year testing assessment instrument
Water Projects
- SB 14 (Perry) Creates credits against impact fees to builders for certain water conservation and reuse projects
- SB 18 (Zaffirini) TCEQ Exemption for certain dams or reservoirs
Nonprofit Tax Exemptions
- HB 23 (Harless) Property tax exemption for nonprofits that promote agriculture, support youth, and provide educational support
Senate Committee Structure/Education, Homeland, Veterans Affairs, and Jurisprudence
- SR 5 (Hughes) Amending the committee structure of the Senate for Interim Session
Legislative Corner is published periodically throughout the 89th Texas legislative session. For more information about RISD’s legislative involvement and priorities, please visit the legislative page here. Other resources include Texas Legislature Online (TLO) – find legislation (bills), committee hearings, legislative member info, and more; The Quorum Report – sign-up for “Daily Buzz” or a listing of political news articles; Texas Tribune – online daily news, also a data dashboard for education.
