News Article | March 14, 2025
Inside TAC's Weekly Legislative Breakfast Briefing
The 89th Legislature reaches a key milestone today in its 140-day regular session: the bill-filing deadline. More than 8,400 bills have been introduced. The Texas Association of Counties is tracking all bills affecting county government. Find them here.
Several county officials attended this week’s Tuesday Morning Breakfast in person, including Bell County Judge David Blackburn and Commissioners Rick Bailey of Johnson County, Chuck Statler of Taylor County and Kelly Traylor of Cherokee County. Blackburn and Traylor also testified before the House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs. Check out this week’s Week in Review for video links to the latest committee testimony by county officials.
Rick Thompson, program director of the County Judges and Commissoners Association of Texas, highlighted three bills of interest:
- House Bill 23 by Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) would allow applicants to use third-party reviews and inspections of development documents.
- HB 363 by Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney) would require that commissioners courts receive certified mail notice before a petition is filed to create a municipal utility district in certain counties.
- HB 447, also by Bell, would require traffic impact studies before municipal utility districts can issue bonds for road projects.
In addition, the Senate State Affairs Committee has advanced Senate Bill 19 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) to the full Senate. SB 19 would prohibit counties and other political subdivisions from using public funds to hire lobbyists or pay associations that employ lobbyists.
Upcoming: Indigent Defense Discussion
Next week’s Tuesday Morning Breakfast will coincide with the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright ruling. County officials will gather in Austin to meet with legislators to discuss indigent defense issues and funding. Tuesday’s breakfast briefing will feature a short presentation on Gideon.
Stay informed on the Capitol’s ever-evolving legislative landscape with TAC’s Tuesday Morning Breakfasts. Please join us in person or virtually from 7 to 8 a.m. every Tuesday through May 27.