SD 11 SREC: District 129 Session Newsletter

With just three days until Sine Die, Members are making final touches on all remaining eligible House and Senate bills.

Below are the details of my House bills, as well as the Senate bills I sponsored, that have reached final passage.

The final Texas budget has been published and is scheduled for a vote on Saturday, May 31st. Additional information about the 2026–2027 State Budget, or Senate Bill 1, can be found below.

The Legislature has also officially passed the historic school finance bill, House Bill 2. Details on this landmark legislation are included below.

Next week, I will release a newsletter highlighting additional priority legislation passed this session that addresses some of Texas’ most pressing issues.

For more information about this legislative session, please continue reading or contact my staff with any questions.

It is an honor to serve you in the Texas House of Representatives.

My Authored and Sponsored Bills

HB 1089 – Gulf Coast Protection Account

This bill establishes the Gulf Coast Protection Account, managed by the General Land Office, to fund the construction of the Coastal Barrier Project (also known as the Ike Dike) across Galveston Bay. This proactive investment in coastal protection could save Texas billions in the years to come.

HB 2067- Insurance Declinations

House Bill 2067 will equip Texans with the reason why their applicant for a policy was denied, their coverage was canceled, and/or why their policy was non-renewed. The bill ensures that consumers receive clear, timely information to better address their insurance situations.

HB 2970 – Two-Way Traffic

This bill ensures safe, two-way navigation on the Houston ship channel during construction or maintenance projects.

HB 3041 – Homeschool Admittance for Higher Education

This bill will provide equal opportunity for home school students looking to apply for Texas universities, Texas grants, and dual credit courses. It will permit students from non-traditional backgrounds to utilize the '10% automatic admissions' process.

HB 3388 – Group Insurance Policies

This bill relates to group property and casualty insurance policies. It will permit churches, homeowners associations, and other organizations to access group insurance coverage, helping these groups reduce overall insurance costs.

HB 4413 – Mass Balance Attribution

This bill relates to mass balance attribution of renewable biomass feedstocks used to produce renewable chemicals.

SB 681 – Engineering and Land Surveyors Licensure

This bill will extend the renewal period for professional engineers, and land surveyors, from one year to two years.

SB 995 – Heavy Haul Surety Bonds

This bill makes it so that the Texas Department of Transportation, instead of the Comptroller and the Attorney General, is now the agency that approves bonds for contracts that let oversized or overweight vehicles use Texas roads or highways.

SB 1330 – Durable Medical Equipment

This bill will set rules for how much nonparticipating suppliers can charge Medicare enrollees for medical equipment, devices, and supplies. SB 1330 ensures that suppliers do not overcharge Medicare patients and sets penalties for those who violate the rules.

SB 1504 – GCA Meetings

This bill will permit the Gulf Coast Authority board to hold their meetings via telephone conference calls, videoconference, or other similar telecommunication method.

SB 2039 – Sidewalk Protections

This bill will protect Texans using devices like scooters or skateboards on sidewalks by requiring drivers to yield to them in crosswalks, just as they would for pedestrians. It requires these small vehicle users to follow pedestrian signals and traffic signs, helping ensure safer and more consistent use of sidewalks and crosswalks.

Senate Bill 1: Texas' Budget for the 2026–2027 Biennium

2026-2027 Texas State Budget Overview

Total Budget: $338 billion

This includes $157.3B from general revenue, while staying well below all state spending limits.

Spending Below Limits:

$15 billion below General Revenue spending limit
$3.9 billion below the state borrowing limit
and, $10 billion below constitutional spending limit

Property Tax Relief: %15 of the budget's allocated funding

Dedicates $51 billion for property tax relief, $11 billion (or 28%) more than the previous cycle.
Funds $140,000 homestead exemption ($200,000 for seniors and disabled), and $125,000 business exemption.
Pending voter approval.
Adds 6.8¢ in rate compression to buy down property taxes.

Public Education:

$75B total for public education:
$8.5B for education reforms and $2B in recapture reduction
$4B for teacher/staff raises
$1B for education savings accounts (ESA's)
$430M for school safety
$369M to lower teacher health insurance costs

Public Safety:

$3B for border security
$421M to hire 467+ state troopers and to improve license services
$411M for correctional facilities
$330M for local law enforcement and rural prosecutors
$378M for corrections and probation officer pay
$174M for judicial pay raises

Health and Human Services:

$215M+ for rural healthcare and ambulances
$1B in personal care attendant wage increases
$340M for mental health beds
$54M for youth crisis outreach
$252M for women’s health
$177M for victims of rape, trafficking, and child abuse
$116.5M to keep foster children close to home

Infrastructure:

$30B for statewide road projects
$5B for the Texas Energy Fund
$2.5B for water/flood infrastructure
$350M to advance Texas' nuclear energy
$1B for high-risk cybersecurity projects
$135M to establish the Texas Cyber Command
$493M for wildfire response improvements and readiness
$91M for state and local parks

Economic Development & Workforce:

$5.5B for workforce programs
$100M for childcare access
$100M for farmer/rancher loans/grants
$300M for space industry
$300M for film/media production
$250M for semiconductor/microchip manufacturing

Higher Education:

$2.5B for universities and research
$2.3B to improve affordability via aid and health insurance
$71M to expand first-year med school residency slots
$850M for Texas State Technical College endowment

Headed to the Governor: House Bill 2 (School Funding)

House Bill 2 represents an $8.5 billion increase in public education funding — the largest investment in public schools in Texas history!

Key Highlights from House Bill 2:

Public Education Funding

Raises the annual investment to $17,000 per student.
$1.2 billion for the new Allotment for Basic Costs - funding that will be felt in the classroom!
Ties funding formulas to inflation and enrollment, ensuring each school and student receives appropriate and updated funding.
Allocates $318 million for small and mid-sized schools.
$200 million for charter school facilities, sealing the gaps to ensure dollars stay in the classroom.

Teacher Pay Raises, Retention, and Preparation

Ensures every eligible teacher receives a pay raise to support retention.
Permanent pay raises for teachers with 3+ years of experience.
Up to $8,000 for teachers with 5+ years experience.
Expands the Techer Incentive Allotment, to support additional raises for high performing teachers.
Provides free pre-K for kids of Texas teachers!
Allocates $187 million to support teacher preparation programs, strengthening the pipeline of qualified educators across Texas.

School Safety

Provides $430 million to improve school safety, helping districts upgrade security infrastructure and enhance emergency preparedness.

Special Education

Invests in the Foundations to Futures initiatives, which focus on strengthening early literacy programs, expanding career and technical education pathways, and increasing access to college readiness resources—ensuring students are prepared for success from the classroom to the workforce.
Specifies over $830 million to reform special education.
Dedicates $200 million for instructional materials, ensuring teachers and students have access to updated, high-quality resources.
$153 million for Career and Technical Education.
Dedicates $1,000 for student evaluations, per student.
And, fully funds pre-k!

How to Track Legislation

Ever wonder how the laws that impact your everyday life originate? While this graphic provides you with a simplified overview, You can walk through the entire legislative process by reading this blog post from the Texas House Republican Caucus on how a bill becomes a law in Texas. From a bill being introduced to it becoming law or vetoed, there are many steps ahead for the many bills that have been filed.