Bill Analysis

BILL NAME SESSION ANALYSIS
HB 2680 87(R) - 2021 HB 2680 would place duties upon the court and the Department of Family and Protective Services during a suit that will affect the parent-child relationship. The court now has to inform a parent who is not represented by an attorney they have a right to an attorney, or if they are indigent, they have a right to an ad-litem attorney before an order requiring participation in services can be given. HB 2680 would automatically terminate...Read More
HB 2490 87(R) - 2021 HB 2490 would allow a minor, a person younger than 18 years of age, who is eligible for a home visiting program to consent to enrollment in and to receive services from a home visiting program.Read More
HB 2670 87(R) - 2021 HB 2670 would make social workers eligible for the Homes for Texas Heroes home loan program.Read More
HB 2683 87(R) - 2021 HB 2683 would require that any official open meeting of a governmental body at which at least a majority of the members of the body participate by a method other than by appearing in person be made available to the public by telephone access or via videoconference and include information for public contribution to the open meeting available on the government website. Other additional information is also included, such as the subjects of...Read More
HB 3648 87(R) - 2021 HB 3648 require the Public Utilities Commission and the Railroad Commission to work together to designate certain gas entities and facilities as critical during an energy emergency. The purpose of critical infrastructure designations is to identify key infrastructure that needs to be prioritized for power during an energy emergency.Read More
HB 1755 87(R) - 2021 Under current law, a person may order a bottle of wine at a restaurant and have an unfinished bottle recorked to take with them when they leave. HB 1755 would allow a consumer who ordered wine with food to remove from the wine container from the premises regardless of whether or not the container is open. This would effectively allow a person to who has purchased a bottle of wine with food but left the bottle unopened to take the bottle...Read More
HB 14 87(R) - 2021 HB 14 would establish the Texas Electricity Supply Chain and Mapping Committee as a committee to map the state’s electricity and natural gas supply chain; identify critical infrastructure sources along the electricity and natural gas supply chain; establish best practices to prepare facilities that provide electric and natural gas service to maintain service in an extreme weather event and recommend oversight and compliance...Read More
SB 1809 87(R) - 2021 SB 1809 would modify existing law to ensure that the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) has the tools it needs to enforce Insurance Code relating to unauthorized insurance. This would include authorizing the department to administer fees to violators of existing law and issuing cease and desist orders to unauthorized insurance businesses.Read More
SB 1704 87(R) - 2021 SB 1704 would designate a portion of United States Highway 54 in El Paso County between its intersection with State Highway Loop 375 and the New Mexico State border as the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway.Read More
SB 1019 87(R) - 2021 SB 1019 would require the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to include in its annual report on financial aid in this state a breakdown of student loan data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, sex, degree type, and enrollment status, including whether the student has graduated.Read More
HB 3619 87(R) - 2021 HB 3619 would require groundwater conservation districts to consider, before granting or denying a permit, whether a proposed use of water unreasonably affects wells that are exempt from the requirement to obtain a permit under this chapter or district rules.Read More
HB 3801 87(R) - 2021 HB 3801 would require the Texas Water Development board's management plan include the most recently approved desired future conditions and modeled available groundwater.HB 3801 would require if a petition challenging the reasonableness of a desired future condition is filed, the executive administrator shall consider the management plan administratively complete if the district includes, desired future conditions have been adopted,...Read More
SB 726 87(R) - 2021 SB 726 would define what "actual progress" is for the purposes of improvements made on land that was acquired by eminent domain, being three specific actions. Current law allows a property owner to repurchase the property from the condemning entity if actual progress has not been made within 10 years from the date the land was acquired through eminent domain. In addition to clarifying "actual progress," SB 729 would allow a navigation district...Read More
SB 723 87(R) - 2021 SB 723 would update disclosure requirements for certain condemning entities attempting to acquire real property through eminent domain and wishing to survey or examine the property for that purpose. Required disclosures would include notifying the property owner of the condemner's responsibility for any damages arising from such an examination or survey, the owner's right to refuse to grant permission to enter or survey the property, and...Read More
HB 1380 87(R) - 2021 HB 1380 would enable the Department of Information Resources to expand their cooperative contract offerings and bulk purchases to products and services in demand from two or more agencies, or other eligible customers. The bill would make eligible customers to now include political subdivisions of this state; hospitals, public safety entities, volunteer fire departments, private or independent institutions of higher education, private...Read More
SB 721 87(R) - 2021 SB 721 would mandate that an entity seeking to acquire real property through the use of eminent domain disclose to the property owner, no later than the third business day before the special commissioner's hearing, all current and existing appraisal reports produced or acquired by the entity relating to the owner's property that was used in determining the entity's opinion of the value of the property. This would only be required if an appraisal...Read More
SB 615 87(R) - 2021 SB 615 would make a number of changes to probate and guardianship laws. It would require initial pleadings in a probate or guardianship proceeding to include the last three digits of the party’s driver’s license and Social Security numbers, if applicable. Courts transferring a probate or guardianship case to another county would be permitted to send the case file in either electronic or paper form. Citations or notices issued by...Read More
SCR 11 87(R) - 2021 SCR 11 would resolve that the 87th Legislature designate Fort Davis as the official Highest Town in Texas; and further resolve that the designation remain in effect until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally passed. Read More
SCR 1 87(R) - 2021 SCR 1 would declare the Legislature’s opposition to the federal law encouraging each state to automatically suspend the driver’s licenses of those convicted of drug offenses. Such a declaration, along with a written statement of the Governor’s opposition and a corresponding bill, would permit Texas to opt out of the federal law.Read More
HB 1658 87(R) - 2021 HB 1658 would allow the comptroller to send notices of deficiency determination and jeopardy determination electronically by sending an email to the email address as it appears in the comptroller's records. Service by electronic means would be  complete when the comptroller transmits the notice to the person’s e-mail address. HB 1658 would also further clarify delivery by mail by stating, "Service by mail is complete when the...Read More