Bill Analysis

BILL NAME SESSION ANALYSIS
HB 1626 85(R) - 2017 Under current law, any taxing unit other than a school district may enter into a tax abatement agreement with an owner of property located in a reinvestment zone. Agreements must be approved by a board of directors of a reinvestment zone and the governing body of a taxing unit.   HB 1626 amends Tax Code relating to the approval of tax abatement agreements with special property tax provisions in the tax increment financing...Read More
HB 6 85(R) - 2017 HB 6 bill would make numerous substantive changes to convert the foster care system to a community based system. The provisions of this bill would improve the quality of care for children under the conservatorship of the state and lead to better outcomes for those children in the long run. Read More
HB 409 85(R) - 2017 HB 409 amends current Transportation Code by adding a section the designates a portion of Farm-to-Market Road 1810 in Jack County as the Luther G. Prunty Memorial Highway.Read More
HB 1612 85(R) - 2017 HB 1612 would amend the Alcoholic Beverage Code to suspend a permit or license rather than giving the option of paying a civil penalty for an offense relating to controlled substances or drugs.  Read More
SB 2140 85(R) - 2017 SB 2140 would authorize the financial assistance the Texas Water Development Board currently allocates to supply and sewer services in economically distressed areas to also apply to residential drainage services in those areas. In addition, this bill would require the board to maximize the effectiveness of issued bonds by using additional (including nonpublic) supplementary bonds and to support viable public-private partnerships that will...Read More
SB 2103 85(R) - 2017 SB 2103 would allow the governing body of a municipality to lower the prima facie speed limit on certain streets to 20 miles per hour, a reduction from the current authority to lower the speed limit to 25 miles per hour. The purpose is to allow residential neighborhoods to reduce the speed limit to 20 miles per hour where a higher speed limit would be unsafe. Read More
SB 4 85(R) - 2017 SB 4 would prevent local entities from passing laws that interfere with the enforcement of federal immigration laws. It specifically prohibits local entities from passing policies that discourage or prohibit local officials from inquiring into the immigration status of a person who is lawfully detained or under arrest. Local entities would be specifically prohibited from discouraging or prohibiting information sharing with state and federal...Read More
SB 7 85(R) - 2017 Current law already prohibits improper relationships between students and employees of a primary or secondary school. SB 7 seeks to clarify the applicability of the current law, add new reporting requirements, and hold school administrators accountable. This bill would require principals to notify their superintendent, and superintendents to the State Board of Education, if they knew or should have known about an employee’s past criminal...Read More
SB 2095 85(R) - 2017 This bill would authorize the University Interscholastic League (UIL) to adopt rules regarding the use of steroids by students participating in an athletic competition sponsored or sanctioned by UIL, including rules providing for sanctions and loss of eligibility for violation of UIL rules. These rules would not apply to a student that is prescribed steroids, only those who abuse the drug.Read More
SB 1981 85(R) - 2017 This bill would require the University Interscholastic League (UIL), for each extracurricular activity for which UIL sponsors or sanctions a statewide annual competition, to periodically issue a statewide request for proposals from institutions of higher education and other appropriate entities seeking to host the statewide competition during the year or years specified in the request for proposals. Additionally, this bill requires a...Read More
SB 1793 85(R) - 2017 This bill would modify the process for filing complaints against law enforcement officers and firefighters. Under current law, if a person wants to file a complaint they must file the complaint in writing and sign the document. If this bill passes, complaints would have to filed with the head of the law enforcement agency, or the head of the fire department, or with an independent entity responsible for receiving complaints. This bill specifies...Read More
SB 1794 85(R) - 2017 Current law requires certain public high schools to "enter into an agreement with the public institution of higher education in this state in closest geographic proximity to the district to develop a plan to increase the percentage of the district's graduating seniors who enroll in an institution of higher education for the academic year following graduation" This essentially requires school districts affected by this statute to do recruiting...Read More
HB 4047 85(R) - 2017 This is a local bill. HB 4047 would remove the authorization for a municipality to annex Travis County Municipal Utility Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, or Travis County Water Control and Improvement District No. 19. Instead, the governing body of the municipality that intends to annex all or part of any of these districts would be required to adopt a resolution of intention and transmit it to the districts. On receipt of the resolution,...Read More
SB 1785 85(R) - 2017 This bill would prohibit any student evaluation of a teacher from being used to evaluate the performance of school teachers.Read More
SB 1681 85(R) - 2017 This bill would establish the Communicable Disease and Public Health Center to deal with healthcare issues on the international border of Texas and Mexico, including incidents of communicable disease in the county, public health challenges, and any other public health or communicable disease issue. Read More
SB 1659 85(R) - 2017 SB 1659 would establish a new grant program for school districts in order for them to implement high quality educational programs and would establish a method by which the commissioner of TEA can ensure compliance by grant recipients with conditions of grants.Read More
SB 1314 85(R) - 2017 If this bill passes, multi-county juvenile boards would be tasked with setting minimum standards for the operation of substance abuse facilities or substance abuse programs for juvenile probation departments. This bill also specifies that the standards for the substance abuse facility established by this bill do not require licensing or other approval from any state or local agency. In addition, this bill would exempt certain juvenile justice...Read More
SB 635 85(R) - 2017 SB 635 would allow an individual who challenged a local entity’s policy, on the grounds of preemption by the state government, to be compensated for their court costs and attorney’s fees if they prevail in their action. It would also apply to officers of local entities who fail to perform an act, as required either by the state constitution or state statute. If an individual prevails, and the court finds that an officer did not fulfill...Read More
SB 1294 85(R) - 2017 SB 1294 would stipulate that a procedure for the election of professional staff representatives to a campus-level or district-level committee must provide for appropriate and inclusive representation of the district’s professional staff; and may not limit eligibility for election to members of a single professional association or organization.Read More
HB 2113 85(R) - 2017 Under current law, there are many provisions of code that deal with companies that provide for-profit legal service contracts. HB 2113 would repeal several subchapters of code that require company registration, financial security, and enforce disciplinary action. This bill would also decrease regulations on legal service contracts, limit the involvement of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and make violations of remaining...Read More