Bill Analysis

BILL NAME SESSION ANALYSIS
HB 362 87(R) - 2021 HB 362 would give the commissioners court of a county the ability to require submission of bids or proposals for competitive bids through electronic transmission in certain circumstances. Read More
HB 1428 87(R) - 2021 HB 1428 would update and expand the application of contingent fee contract requirements for political subdivisions. Read More
SB 1997 87(R) - 2021 SB 1997 would would update the disease known as "hog cholera" to "classical swine fever" in statute. Current law stipulates that for certain cooperative disease eradication programs, the Texas Animal Health Commission may not promulgate rules exceeding the rules relating to minimum standards for cooperative programs adopted by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. SB 1997...Read More
SB 1922 87(R) - 2021 SB 1922 would limit the ability of a municipality to regulate an activity or structure in an extraterritorial jurisdiction area in which the residents are ineligible or have only limited eligibility to vote in municipal elections.Read More
SB 1860 87(R) - 2021 SB 1860 would delay implementation of the electronic application system for state student financial assistance to begin with applications for assistance for the 2023-2024 school year.Read More
SB 1589 87(R) - 2021 SB 1589 would provide an avenue for the Secretary of State (SOS) to immediately address election violations as they are occurring by allowing the SOS to appoint a state election marshal, who in turn would be allowed to appoint regional election marshals, who can address reports of election violations quickly. Current law only allows the SOS to inform the attorney general of election violations and attempt to stop, but not investigate,...Read More
SB 1509 87(R) - 2021 SB 1509 would require a voter applying for a mail-in ballot to include in their application an unexpired or recently expired driver's license number or the last 4 digits of their social security number, and to sign the application in ink, a photocopied signature would not be valid.  A voter who is 70 or older would be allowed to use an expired driver's license number so long as the driver's license is otherwise valid.Intentionally accepting a ballot for voting or causing a ballot to be accepted for voting that a person knows does not meet these...Read More
SB 1428 87(R) - 2021 SB 1428 would stipulate that a taxing entity is prohibited from using a epidemic related disaster as a basis for exceeding the voter-approved tax rate without holding an election to get a new approved rate. Read More
SB 1373 87(R) - 2021 Under current law, certain court fees may be designated uncollectable if the person they were imposed on is deceased or serving a life sentence. This bill would stipulate that court ordered fines and reimbursements may also be designated uncollectable for the same reasons. The bill would also require a court's inquiry as to whether a defendant has the ability to pay fines and costs imposed after a plea for certain offenses to be on the record. Read More
SB 1264 87(R) - 2021 SB 1264 would update the Texas Fair Housing act to be in compliance with provisions of the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) with respect to certain exemptions to anti-discrimination regulations for qualified owners of various rental properties. The bill specifically applies to the "single family home" exemption and the "Mrs. Murphy" exemption from liability under the FHA. Read More
SB 1263 87(R) - 2021 SB 1263 would require that parts of the fees collected by applicants for a vehicle title be transferred to the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) fund and a record of such transfers be kept by the comptroller. This bill would also require the Texas Department of Transportation to offset any funds lost by the Texas Mobility Fund due to this transfer. The Texas Department of Transportation would be required to submit an annual report to...Read More
SB 1259 87(R) - 2021 SB 1259 would, under certain circumstances in which a title is disputed, prohibit a person from whom an oil and gas producer is withholding payments under the Natural Resources Code from having a civil cause of action for breach of contract unless their contract with the producer expressly grants them one. This would only apply to a legal action filed on or after the effective date of this bill. Read More
SB 1178 87(R) - 2021 SB 1178 would create a presumption in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship that a parent is a fit parent who acts in the best interest of their child. The bill would stipulate that the fundamental right of a parent to raise their child includes the right to direct and make decisions for the child's care, custody, control, education, upbringing, moral and religious training, and medical care. In a suit between a parent and nonparent,...Read More
SB 1105 87(R) - 2021 SB 1105 would modify municipal employee retirement law to allow municipal retirees to be re-employed by the municipality after a one year retirement period without having to forfeit retirement benefit payments during the subsequent employment period. For example, the bill would require municipalities to discontinue and suspend the retirement benefits of a municipal employee who is reemployed by the same municipality at any time within...Read More
SB 508 87(R) - 2021 SB 508 is a procedural bill related to confidentiality of discovery related to certain criminal cases in which there has been witness intimidation necessitating the placement of a material witness in the witness protection program. In order for certain information to be released, the court would have to conduct an in camera review to determine that the production of a protected witness or related information is required by the...Read More
SB 483 87(R) - 2021 SB 483 would require both the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and the Employees Retirement System of Texas to provide a biennial report to governor, lieutenant governor and the legislature that compares the assumed rate of return to the actual rate of return achieved by the system for the most recent 1, 5, 10, and 20 years.Read More
SB 397 87(R) - 2021 SB 397 would require the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles to issue specialty license plates for recipients of the Borinqueneers Congressional Gold Medal. These license plates that are not personalized, must also include the letter "B" as a prefix or suffix to the numerals on each plate. Read More
SB 390 87(R) - 2021 SB 390 would extend the existence of the Save Historic Muny District for two years. Read More
SB 286 87(R) - 2021 SB 286 would make certain changes to child support. It would require a person ordered to pay alimony and child support to send the alimony to the state disbursement unit. A court, when considering the intentional unemployment or underemployment of a child support obligor, would have to consider various background circumstances such as their assets, residence, job skills, education, record of seeking work, and whether there are employers...Read More
SB 280 87(R) - 2021 SB 280 would expand the authority of the Capital and Forensic Writs Committee, requiring them to both set policy and develop a budget for the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs. The size of the Committee would expand from five to seven members. Rather than all being appointed by the State Bar, three members would be chosen by the Texas Indigent Defense Committee, two would be chosen by the State Bar, and the remaining two would be chosen...Read More