Bill Analysis

BILL NAME SESSION ANALYSIS
SB 443 86(R) - 2019 SB 443 would extend the homestead exemption on a homestead rendered unlivable or usable due to disaster to five years, rather than the current two years, as long as the owner starts construction on a new homestead on the same property and does not list another homestead as their primary place of residence.Read More
SB 549 86(R) - 2019 SB 549 would tighten a variety of laws regarding the driving of motor scooters. The bill would make it illegal to operate a motor scooter if under the age of 16 and without a valid driver's license, and would further restrict scooters to lanes specifically dedicated to pedestrians, bicycles or scooters. This bill would prohibit the use of scooters on sidewalks. Scooter drivers would only be allowed to drive on a roadway if the road has speed...Read More
SB 944 86(R) - 2019 SB 944 would amend several provisions of the Public Information Act (PIA), including: (1) allowing governmental bodies to obtain public information stored on their employees' private devices; (2) creating a new exception to disclosure for sensitive healthcare information; (3) allowing governmental bodies to designate a single email address and a single mailing address to receive PIA requests; and (4) directing the Office of the Attorney...Read More
HB 18 86(R) - 2019 HB 18 would amend multiple sections of the Education Code concerning the mental health of public school students and corresponding training, services, and programs. Major provisions of the bill include the following: redefining mental health terms, the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program, continuing educational requirements for educators, teaching training toward certain students, adding...Read More
HB 4614 86(R) - 2019 HB 4614 would make a host of statutory changes to the sale of cigarettes and the collection of applicable cigarette taxes. Many of the changes this bill would make are administrative or clarifying changes, such as defining various terms. Current law exempts Texans who transport 200 or fewer cigarettes into this state from another state for personal use from paying the cigarette tax. This bill would extend that exemption to people who...Read More
HB 1735 86(R) - 2019 HB 1735 would require all public and private post-secondary educational institutions to adopt a policy on sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking applicable to all students and employees of the institutions. Policies would be required to include definitions of prohibited behavior, sanctions for violations, the protocol for reporting and responding to reports, measures to protect victims, and a statement regarding...Read More
HB 10 86(R) - 2019 HB 10 would establish the Texas Behavioral Health Research Institute to address child and adolescent behavioral health needs. This institution would be comprised of health-related institutions of higher education (HRIs), the Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, nonprofit organizations, and any other necessary entity. The institution would be tasked with leveraging the expertise...Read More
HB 4690 86(R) - 2019 HB 4690 would expand the territory of the Gulf Coast Water Authority to include Brazoria and Fort Bend Counties. The bill would also authorize bonds, establish various duties, and grant rulemaking authority to the new territory. The purpose of this expansion would be for the construction of new water infrastructure in Brazoria and Fort Bend Counties. The bill would make various updates to the...Read More
HB 2340 86(R) - 2019 HB 2340 would create a study group to study the "appropriate use of unmanned aircraft in responding to and recovering from a disaster." The study group would submit a report on its findings no later than November 1, 2020. This bill would also require the division of emergency management to create a information sharing work group to develop recommendations for improving the manner in which electronic information is stored by and...Read More
HB 2402 86(R) - 2019 HB 2402 would add eligibility to receive funding from the Major Events Reimbursement Program to the Nation Reined Cow Horse Association Championship Series and the World Wrestling Entertainment Event. These programs assist Texas communities with paying costs related to preparing for or conducting an event by depositing projected gains in various local and state taxes generated from the event in a dedicated event-specific trust fund...Read More
HB 906 86(R) - 2019 HB 906 would create The Collaborative Task Force on Public School Mental Health Services to study and evaluate: (1) mental health services that are funded by the state and provided at a school district or open-enrollment charter school; (2) training provided to an educator employed by those schools; and (3) the impact of these mental health services. Members of the task force would not receive compensation or reimbursement for...Read More
HB 861 86(R) - 2019 This bill relates to the way penalties and interest are applied following a property owner's appeal of the appraised value of their home for property tax calculation purposes. HB 861 would stipulate that a person who files a protest of an appraisal and pays a portion of the tax due (but less than the total amount based on the contested appraisal), and who does not prevail in their appeal, is only required to pay penalties and interest on...Read More
HB 2586 86(R) - 2019 HB 2586 would update various statutes affected by the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2010. This bill would redefine the term "political committee" as two or more persons acting in concert with a principal purpose of accepting political contributions or making political expenditures. It would clarify that a campaign expenditure does not constitute a contribution if...Read More
HB 1824 86(R) - 2019 Currently, the Parks and Wildlife Code requires compensation for loss of public natural resources through payment of royalties on the sale of certain materials. HB 1824 would allow the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to use royalties collected from the excavation of sand, gravel, marl, shell, and mudshell from public waters to support enhancement, preservation, and restoration of fish habitats in rivers and streams. This adds to the...Read More
HB 25 86(R) - 2019 HB 25 would require the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force to establish a pilot program in at least one health care service region that allows for a managed transportation organization (MTO) that participates in the pilot program to provide medical transportation services to a woman who is enrolled in the STAR Medicaid managed care program during pregnancy and after she delivers,...Read More
HB 1070 86(R) - 2019 HB 1070 would make an update to an existing reporting system within The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for the purposes of recording changes in certain mental health programs, including any significant financial changes. The bill would expand the existing reporting requirements for certain employees and contractors of school districts and higher education by adding an administrative process in order...Read More
HB 2846 86(R) - 2019 HB 2846 would require the City of Houston to enter in a contract with Brazos River Authority in order to transfer the ownership of the Allen’s Creek Reservoir Project. This contract would include water permits, federal guidelines, the ability to construct the project, and the transfer of funds to not exceed $5 million dollarsRead More
HJR 151 86(R) - 2019 HJR 151 would amend the Texas Constitution to raise the cap on the amount of revenue derived from Public School Fund lands or properties during that year which the General Land Office or State Board of Education may distribute to the Available School Fund from $300 million to $600 million.Read More
HCR 137 86(R) - 2019 HCR 137 would designate September as Suicide Prevention Month.Read More
HB 1734 86(R) - 2019 HB 1734 addresses issues related to school districts which bring suits for recovery of damages for defective design, construction, renovation, or improvement of a school district facility financed by public bonds. The first significant thing this bill would do is replace the term "instructional facility" with the term "district facility." This would have the effect of broadening the scope of the statute to cover all district facilities rather...Read More