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HB 762
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Requires employment contracts with political subdivisions to limit severance pay provisions to 20 weeks of pay, excluding paid time off or accrued vacation leave and prohibit paying severance pay when the employee is terminated for misconduct
- Requires political subdivisions to post severance agreements in a prominent place on the website
- Defines severance pay as income paid on termination of an employee that is in addition to the employee's usual earnings from the employer at the time of termination
- Applies requirements to contracts entered into after the effective date
HB 1522
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Requires notice of public meetings to be posted for at least three business days before the scheduled date of the meeting
- Requires notices for public meetings at which the budget will be discussed or adopted to include a physical copy of the proposed budget, unless the proposed budget is accessible on the homepage of the website, and a comparison of the property tax bill for the average homestead in the current fiscal year to the same for the upcoming fiscal year
HB 3112
Became law
Effective immediately
- Allows governmental bodies to deliberate a cybersecurity measure, policy, or contract solely intended to protect a communication infrastructure system, cybersecurity system, or other critical infrastructure facility in closed session
- Makes information related to cybersecurity confidential and exempt from disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act, including information related to:
- cybersecurity measures, policies, or contracts to protect critical infrastructure
- coverage limits and deductible amounts for insurance to protect IT systems, critical infrastructure, operational technology, or data
- cybersecurity incident information reported under state law
- network schematics, hardware and software configurations or encryption information or information that identifies the detection, investigation, or response practices for suspected or confirmed cybersecurity incidents if disclosure would facilitate unauthorized access to data or information technology resources
HB 3546
Became law
Effective immediately
- Allows all school districts to change the board election date from May to November
- Allows school boards to change the length of the terms of its trustees to accommodate the change in election date, until December 31, 2030
HB 3629
Became law
Effective immediately
- Makes individuals who are required to register as a sex offender ineligible to serve as a school board trustee beginning with terms that begin on or after the effective date or to fill a vacancy that occurs on or after the effective date
- Requires applications for a place on the ballot to include a statement that the person is aware that the person is not eligible to serve if the person is required to register as a sex offender
HB 3711
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Requires law enforcement agencies that submit a report stating there is probable cause to believe an identified person has committed a criminal offense under the Texas Open Meetings Act to simultaneously submit that report to the Attorney General
- Requires law enforcement agencies and local prosecuting attorneys to provide all requested information related to such an investigation to the AG's office upon request
- Allows local prosecuting attorneys to request assistance from the AG in investigating possible criminal violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act
- Requires local prosecuting attorneys who decide not to prosecute or to terminate an investigation of possible criminal violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act to publish that decision and their reasoning on their website
HB 4214
Became law
Effective immediately
- Requires governmental bodies to notify the attorney general of the current mailing address and email address designated by the governmental body for receiving written requests for public information by October 1 of each year
- Requires the attorney general to create and maintain an online database of addresses and email addresses provided by governmental bodies
HB 4219
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Clarifies that a governmental body is required to notify the requestor of public information in writing no later than the 10th business day after receiving the request if the governmental body has no responsive information
- Requires governmental bodies that determine the requested information is subject to a previous determination that permits or requires the governmental body to withhold the requested information to notify the requestor, within 10 business days of receiving the request, in writing that the information is being withheld and identify the previous determination on which the governmental body is relying
- Requires governmental bodies to state specific exceptions it believes apply to the requested information when requesting an AG opinion
- Allows requestors to file a complaint with the AG if a governmental body fails to respond
- If the AG determines the governmental body did not comply with requirements for responding:
- the AG must require the governmental body's public information officer or designee to complete open records training within 6 months
- the governmental body may not charge for producing the requested information
- if the governmental body seeks to withhold information, they must submit the request within 5 business days of receiving notification of the AG's determination and release the requested information unless there is a compelling reason to withhold the information
HB 4310
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Creates a special right of access to public information for a governmental body for members of the governing board of that governmental body
- Requires public information to be provided to the member of the governing board promptly and without charge
- If the member requests confidential information, the governmental body may request that the member sign a confidentiality agreement that requires the information to be kept confidential and securely, with all copies being controlled and destroyed or returned to the governmental body
- If a governmental body has requested the member to sign a confidentiality agreement, the member may request a decision from the AG about whether the information is confidential by law
- Allows the member to appeal an AG decision to a Travis County district court
- Allows a member of a governmental body that fails or refuses to comply with a request under the special right of access to request a writ of mandamus in a district court to compel the governmental body to comply
HB 4623
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Makes public schools that are grossly negligent or reckless, or engage in intentional misconduct, in the hiring, supervising, or employing of a professional school employee liable for the sexual misconduct of that employee committed against a student enrolled in the school or for the failure of the employee to report suspected child abuse or neglect of a student enrolled in the school
- Requires the professional school employee to be a named defendant in any action under this provision against a school
- Limits damages paid by public schools to $500,000 of actual damages per claimant
SB 10
Became law
Effective for the 2025-2026 school year
- Requires public schools to display a durable poster or framed copy of the Ten Commandments in each classroom, if posters or framed copies that comply with the requirements are donated
- Requires schools to accept donations of posters or framed copies that meet the requirements if the school does not have a copy posted in every classroom
- Specifies the exact text of the posters, excerpting from the King James Version of the Bible
- Allows, but does not require, districts to use district funds to purchase such posters or framed copies
SB 11
Became law
Effective for the 2025-2026 school year
- Requires school boards to take a "record vote" on a resolution adopting a policy requiring every campus to provide a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text by March 1, 2026
- The policy, if adopted:
- must prohibit a student or employee from participating unless the employee or parent of the student provide signed consent on a form that includes:
- acknowledgement that the student/employee has a choice of whether to participate
- a statement that the person has no objection to participation
- a waiver of the person's right to bring a claim under state or federal law related to the adoption of the policy
- must prohibit the prayer or reading from occurring over a PA system
- must specify that the prayer or reading may not be a substitute for instructional time
- must include provisions ensuring a prayer or reading is not in the presence or hearing of anyone who has not signed a consent or has revoked the consent
- may require that the prayer or reading occur before normal school hours or only in areas where every employee or student has submitted a consent form
- must prohibit a student or employee from participating unless the employee or parent of the student provide signed consent on a form that includes:
- Allows an employee or parent to revoke consent they provided and no longer participate
- Requires the AG, at the request of a district, to provide advice on best methods for a district to comply with these provisions, a model consent form, and defend the district in a cause of action arising out of the adoption of such a policy
SB 13
Became law
Effective for the 2025-2026 school year
- Clarifies that a parent has a right to access records related to library materials their student checks out
- Prohibits school library materials from containing content that portrays sexual or excretory organs in a way that is patently offensive, includes grossly offensive language that is considered a public nuisance, or links to a website with any of the prohibited content
- Clarifies that school districts may adopt standards beyond those required by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission
- Requires school districts to provide access for parents to a catalog of available library materials at each library and to allow parents to submit a list of materials their student cannot check out
- Allows a district to use instructional materials allotment funds to comply with the catalog requirement
- Requires school districts that use a learning management system or online learning portal to include in the system or portal a record of each time the student checks out a library material, including the title, author, genre, and return date
- Allows schools to establish a local school library advisory council to make recommendations regarding policies and procedures for acquisition of library materials, grade appropriateness of proposed library materials, joint use agreements with local public libraries, removal of library materials in accordance with the standards, policies and procedures for processing challenges, and the action taken in response to challenges
- Requires their establishment if requested by the lesser of parents of 10% of the district's students, or 50 parents
- Requires the councils to be comprised of at least five members with each board trustee appointing an equal number of members and all members appointed by the board
- Requires a majority of the voting members to be non-employee parents and for one of those members to serve as chair, but imposes no requirements on who may be appointed for the remainder of the voting members
- In addition to the voting members, the board may appoint as many non-voting members as it desires who are teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, business community members, or clergy
- Requires the council to meet at least twice per year and as necessary to fulfill the duties of the council
- Requires meetings of the council to be posted publicly at least 72 hours prior to the meeting
- Requires minutes of each meeting, vote, order, decision, or other action of the council
- Requires a video or audio recording of each meeting
- Requires the district to publicly post online the minutes and recording as soon as practicable after receipt of the minutes and recording which must be provided within 10 days of the meeting
- Requires school boards to consider the recommendation of the local school library advisory council before adding material to a library catalog, removing library materials, or changing policies or guidelines related to library catalogs
- Requires the board to approve all library materials donated or purchased by the district after the list has been accessible for review by the public for at least 30 days, except for replacing damaged copies or ordering additional copies of previously approved books
- The local school library advisory council may meet to consider its recommendation during the 30 day review period
- Allows parents, employees, or district residents to file written challenges to library materials in a school catalog
- Requires school districts to provide a copy of a challenge to the local school library advisory council within five days of receiving the challenge and requires the local school library advisory council to make a recommendation within 90 days after receipt from the district
- Allows school districts, if recommended by the local school library advisory council and approved by the board, to establish library material review committees separate from the local school library advisory council to review challenged materials as long as each committee contains at least five members appointed by the board, a majority of whom are non-employee parents, and allows the local school library advisory council to base its recommendation on the recommendation of such committees
- Makes the library material review committees subject to the same posting, minutes, and recording requirements as local school library advisory councils
- Requires the school board to take action on a challenge at the first open meeting of the board held after the 90th day after the date on which the challenge was received or at the first board meeting held after the local school library advisory council makes a recommendation
- Requires TEA to adopt and post a form for making a written challenge, which must require the person submitting the form to identify how the challenged material violates the standards, and requires districts to use the form
- Requires districts to prohibit students from accessing a material while the challenge is pending
- Requires the board to notify each teacher of any removals and direct them to remove the title from classroom libraries
- If a title is not removed in response to a challenge, the district and board are not required to take action on any future challenges to that title for a period of two years after the determination to maintain the title
- Requires the policy updates for acquisition of library materials to be complete before the first day of the 2025-2026 school year
SB 204
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Requires the State Board of Education to develop a training on the rights of a parent regarding education of the parent's child by April 1, 2026 and requires school board trustees who are sworn in prior to January 1, 2026 to complete the training by September 1, 2026
- Requires the TEA to create and maintain a handbook that explains parents rights by January 1, 2026
- The handbook must be updated annually and made available in a searchable format online
SB 401
Became law
Effective for the 2025-2026 school year
- Requires school districts to allow non-enrolled students who otherwise meet UIL eligibility criteria to have the same opportunity to participate in UIL activities as an enrolled student, unless the school board adopts a policy declining to grant non-enrolled students the opportunity to participate
- If the school district in which a non-enrolled student resides adopts a policy not to grant such students the opportunity to participate in UIL activities, the student may participate in UIL activities in the closest district that does grant the opportunity to participate to non-enrolled students
SB 413
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Requires board meeting minutes approved by school boards to reflect each member's vote on any item that is voted on
- Requires the district to post minutes and any resolutions adopted by the board on the website within 7 days after the date of the meeting
- Requires school boards to record every meeting of the board
SB 1062
Became law
Effective immediately
- Allows certain governmental entities to publish notices in a digital newspaper that:
- has an audited paid-subscriber base
- has been in business for at least three years
- employs staff in the jurisdiction of the governmental entity
- reports on local events and governmental activities in the jurisdiction of the governmental entity
- provides news of general interest to people in the jurisdiction of the governmental entity
- updates its news at least once each week
- Applies the digital newspaper option to governmental entities located in a county that does not have a newspaper that:
- devotes at least 25% of its total column lineage to general interest items
- is published at least once a week
- is entered as second-class postal matter in the county
- has been published regularly and continuously for at least a year prior to the entity publishing notice
SB 1494
Became law
Effective immediately
- Allows governing bodies of political subdivisions, including school districts, that hold their general elections in May to change the date to the November uniform election date in odd-numbered years by December 31, 2025
SB 2237
Became law
Effective 9/1/2025
- Requires employment contracts with executive employees of political subdivisions, including superintendents of school districts, to limit severance pay provisions to 20 weeks of pay, excluding paid time off or accrued vacation leave and prohibit paying severance pay when the employee is terminated for misconduct
- Requires political subdivisions to post severance agreements in a prominent place on the website
- Defines severance pay as income paid on termination of an employee that is in addition to the employee's usual earnings from the employer at the time of termination
- Applies requirements to contracts entered into after the effective date
HB 2520
Vetoed
- Clarifies the Boards of Managers appointed by the Commissioner are subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act
- Codifies current case-law requirements that:
- the notice of a public meeting must include an agenda that is sufficiently specific to inform the public of each subject to be considered in the open portion of the meeting
- describes any subject to be considered in the closed portion of the meeting
- Clarifies the exception to open meetings for deliberation, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee only applies to discussions related to specific individuals and does not apply to operational issues that generally impact a class or group of employees, including changes in the duties or compensation of a class or group of employees
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