Bill Analysis

BILL NAME SESSION ANALYSIS
SB 966 87(R) - 2021 SB 966 would establish a legislative public health oversight board. This board would provide oversight for declarations of public health disasters or public health emergencies. This board would consist of the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house who will serve as joint chairs, the chair of the senate and house committees with primary jurisdiction over public health, a member of the senate appointed by the lieutenant governor,...Read More
SB 1336 87(R) - 2021 SB 1336 would prohibit the rate of growth for consolidated general revenue appropriations - meaning appropriations from the general revenue fund, a dedicated account in the general revenue fund in the state treasury, or a general revenue-related fund as identified by existing law - from exceeding the estimated average rate of state population growth during the state fiscal biennium for which appropriations are made...Read More
SB 2233 87(R) - 2021 SB 2233 would add new requirements for registration as a lobbyist in this state. Under the provisions of SB 2233, each person required to register as a lobbyist must attend a sexual harassment prevention training course and an ethics training course every two years, and submit a certificate for each of these required trainings as evidence of completion. Read More
SB 14 87(R) - 2021 SB 14 would prohibit counties and municipalities from adopting or enforcing an ordinance, order, rule, regulation, or policy requiring any terms of employment that exceed or conflict with federal or state law relating to any form of employment leave, hiring practices, employment benefits, scheduling practices, or other terms of employment.SB 14 would not apply to the minimum wage, the authority of a political...Read More
SB 2051 87(R) - 2021 SB 2051 would prohibit a health benefit plan that provides coverage for a serious mental illness from requiring that an enrollee fail to successfully respond to a different drug or prove a history of failure of a different drug before the health benefit plan provides coverage of a prescription drug.SB 2051 would allow a health benefit plan issuer to require an enrollee to try a generic or pharmaceutical equivalent of the prescribed...Read More
SB 768 87(R) - 2021 SB 768 would remove fentanyl and derivatives of fentanyl from Penalty Group 1 under the Controlled Substances Act and place them into a newly created Penalty Group 1-B. The penalties for the manufacture or delivery of fentanyl would increase, scaled for volume; penalties for possession would remain the same. If enacted, a defendant would not be eligible for community supervision if they are found to have manufactured or delivered more than...Read More
SB 1145 87(R) - 2021 SB 1145 would subject analogue products, defined as plant products, insects, or fungus designed to imitate meat, and cell-cultured products, defined as food products derived by engineering animal cells, to existing regulations on misbranding. Analogue products would be required to display in prominent type certain terms indicating it is not actually meat, such as "analogue", "meatless", or "plant-based." Cell-cultured products would be required...Read More
SB 1418 87(R) - 2021 SB 1418 would permit the presiding judge of an early voting ballot board to be compensated at a higher rate than the other members of the board at the discretion of the appropriate authority.Read More
SB 1495 87(R) - 2021 SB 1495 would create two sentencing enhancements for the criminal offense of obstructing a highway. If it is shown on trial that the offender was operating a motor vehicle as part of a burnout exhibition, the offense would increase from a Class B misdemeanor to Class A misdemeanor. If it is shown on trial that the offender was doing so and has been previously convicted of the Class A misdemeanor charge, was driving while intoxicated, or...Read More
SB 36 87(R) - 2021 SB 36 would make small changes to the offense of hazing. It would remove the requirement that a person who has firsthand knowledge of a hazing incident reports it in writing, requiring them instead to simply report it. Such a person would be permitted to report their knowledge to a peace officer or law enforcement agency instead of their educational institution. Individuals would also be immune from prosecution if they report a hazing incident...Read More
SB 576 87(R) - 2021 SB 576 would remove the requirement that a person must be seeking a monetary benefit to have committed the criminal offense of smuggling of persons. Instead, seeking a monetary benefit while committing the offense would become grounds for an enhancement from a third-degree felony to a second-degree felony. The possession of a firearm by the actor or any other parties to the offense and evasion of law enforcement would also become grounds...Read More
SB 2026 87(R) - 2021 SB 2026 would require public school educators to cultivate in students an informed American patriotism and lead students in a close study of the founding documents of the United States and Texas. This would include instruction on the fundamental moral, political, and intellectual foundations of the American experiment in self-government, as well as the history, qualities, traditions, and features of civics in the United States, the...Read More
SB 225 87(R) - 2021 SB 225 would make numerous changes to the Health and Human Services Commission searchable online database of childcare providers that have previously had a license, registration, or listing involuntarily suspended or revoked. The bill would require the Health and Human Services commission to permanently maintain the searchable online database. Other provisions of the bill would:Require the database to include the name of the facility;...Read More
SB 185 87(R) - 2021 SB 185 would require the court in parent-child termination cases to render a final verdict no later than 90 days after the date the trial commences. This time frame would not include any recesses during the trial and the court would be able to grant one extension via a written order that specifies the grounds of the extension and the length of the extension. If a court does not abide by the new rule, a party would be able to file a mandamus...Read More
SB 1059 87(R) - 2021 SB 1059 would require the Health and Human Services Commission, in consultation with the Department of Family and protective Services, to design and implement a streamlined process for determining a former foster care youth's eligibility for Medicaid. This process would have to:provide for the automatic enrollment and recertification of former foster care youth in appropriate Medicaid programs; be designed to prevent any unnecessary...Read More
SB 526 87(R) - 2021 SB 526 would require Water Control Improvement Districts, Fresh Water Supply Districts, Municipal Utility Districts, or Water Improvement Districts that have a population over 500, and ad valorem tax and gross receipts over $250,000 to make the following information available on a website:the name of the special purpose districtthe name and term of office of each member, along with offical contact informationcontact information for the...Read More
SB 2050 87(R) - 2021 SB 2050 would revise requirements for a public school district policy on bullying, including cyberbullying. The bill changes from a discretionary feature to a mandatory feature that the policy prevents and mediates bullying incidents between students that interfere with a student's educational opportunities or substantially disrupt the orderly operation of a classroom, school, or school-sponsored or school-related activity and requires...Read More
SB 2081 87(R) - 2021 SB 2081 would limit a prekindergarten classroom provided by or on behalf of a public school to no more than 22 students. Read More
SB 1716 87(R) - 2021 SB 1716 would require The Texas Education Agency to establish and administer a supplemental special education services and instructional materials program for students who meet the eligibility requirements for participation in the program. The agency would provide each eligible student a credit of not more than $1,500 to purchase supplemental special education services and supplemental special education instructional materials.Read More
SB 969 87(R) - 2021 SB 969 would charge the Department of State Health Services to collaborate with local health authorities to standardize information-sharing methods. Hospital trauma information during a public health disaster would become public and be reported to the department and not contain any personally identifiable information. Hospitals would be required to report to the department and the appropriate trauma service area regional advisory council...Read More