Abbott signs over 300 bills Friday as deadline nears
Senate Bill 1035 allows individuals or entities to sue if their local government violates Texas' Right to Farm laws, which gives protections to farm owners from neighbors if their farm has been in operation for at least one year.
SB 2231 designates the second week of October as Free College Application Week, requiring the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to waive all college application fees during that week. The waiver only applies to in-state and public universities.
SB 2570 allows correctional officers and peace officers to use less-lethal force weapons, like pepper spray, stun guns and batons once the law takes effect Sept. 1. The law is intended to prevent officers from 'frivolous litigation' for those officers.
House Bill 11 reduces barriers for new residents of Texas by moving to recognize out-of-state occupational licenses in Texas. The law is targeted at workers who need licenses to work, like cosmetologists, electricians and real estate agents, whose licenses would be recognized if their home state's certification met similar standards to Texas.
HB 12 orders the Sunset Advisory Commission, the state commission tasked with reviewing state agencies, to provide a 10-year report on agency performance targets. The law also strengthens transparency and public input requirements for the Commission. The bill is described as taking 'DOGE' measures to the Texas government.
HB 29 mandates that if a large municipal water utility files an audit report showing it lost water, it must submit an audit planning for future mitigation. The audit must be conducted by an independent group, not the utility or the Texas Water Development Board.
HB 33 is a school safety bill, also known as the Uvalde Strong Act. It strengthens emergency preparedness, requires updated law enforcement response systems and creates comprehensive training for active shooter situations at K-12 schools.
HB 229 creates legal definitions for male and female sexes, and reinforces that those are the only two sexes recognized in Texas.
HB 1393 creates a trigger law establishing permanent Daylight Savings Time across both time zones in Texas, if federal law establishes a law also.
HB 1481 mandates the creation of policies in public schools to ban cellphones, smart watches and other personal communication devices.
HB 2294 allows local workforce development boards to reimburse childcare providers for low-income students if their rating under the Texas Rising Star Program is sufficient, even if the private rate is lower.
HB 2306 takes away the opportunity for parole for those convicted of human trafficking if the victim was a child or disabled person.
HB 2674 prevents the Texas Education Agency and other state public education institutions from enacting regulations on homeschooling.
HB 5115 expands penalties on election fraud to include destroying or discarding completed ballots, counting invalid votes or refusing to count valid ones and altering vote counts to exclude or include votes improperly. It also heightens the offense of election fraud to a second-degree felony.
HB 5629 requires state agencies to expedite the process and waive fees for approval occupational licenses for veterans, active duty military members and their spouses.
The deadline to sign or veto remaining legislation is Sunday.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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