Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has issued the following vote notice for May 28th, 2025

Texas House of Representatives

NONE

Texas Senate

Subject: House Bill 20 (HB 20) – Skilled trades high school certification

• Author: State Rep. Gary Gates (R-Richmond)
• Caption: Relating to establishing the Applied Sciences Pathway program.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 20 creates a career and technical education program for Texas high school juniors and seniors that lets them earn both their diploma and an industry-recognized certificate at the same time. It connects public schools with colleges so students can take hands-on courses in high-wage, high-demand fields like welding, cybersecurity, HVAC, and robotics. This bill gives students practical options besides just four-year degrees, helping them graduate ready to enter the workforce without debt. The bill encourages efficient use of taxpayer funds by aligning education with real labor market needs and reducing long-term reliance on public assistance. It also avoids growing government bureaucracy by using existing institutions and voluntary partnerships. Ultimately, HB 20 empowers students while keeping government spending targeted and results-driven.

Subject: House Bill 127 (HB 127) – Hostile Foreign Influence

• Author: State Rep.  Terry Wilson (R-Georgetown)
• Caption: Relating to measures to protect public institutions of higher education from foreign adversaries and to the prosecution of the criminal offense of theft of trade secrets; providing civil penalties; increasing a criminal penalty.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 127, as substituted in the Senate, seeks to protect Texas universities from foreign adversaries by creating a centralized oversight council and implementing strict rules for foreign gifts, contracts, and research partnerships. Institutions must now thoroughly vet foreign nationals involved in sensitive research and cannot enter into partnerships that compromise academic integrity or security. By requiring transparency in foreign funding and restricting foreign influence over student groups and travel, this bill aims to close backdoors that could lead to intellectual property theft or propaganda infiltration. This bill defends taxpayer-funded research from misuse by hostile nations and ensures that public resources aren’t diverted toward entities that could undermine state or national security. The bill is also a preventive measure that could save millions in stolen innovation and mitigate future national security costs.

Subject: House Bill 426 (HB 426) – Medicaid Expansion

• Author: State Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio)
• Caption: Relating to Medicaid and child health plan program coverage and reimbursement for childhood cranial remolding orthosis.
• TFR Position: OPPOSE
• Background: 
  • HB 426 mandates new Medicaid and CHIP coverage for custom helmets used to treat certain head shape conditions in infants, regardless of whether insurers or doctors deem them medically necessary or cosmetic. While well-intentioned, this bill imposes a costly expansion of government healthcare obligations, with more than $5 million in new annual spending by 2030. The legislation creates a precedent for adding condition-specific benefits that may not be essential or cost-effective, opening the floodgates for other narrowly tailored mandates. The bill increases state spending without structural reforms or demonstrated long-term savings. Medicaid is already one of the fastest-growing items in the Texas budget. Fiscally conservative policy should prioritize flexibility and restraint over rigid mandates that tie the state’s hands. With no meaningful cap on utilization or cost, HB 426 risks growing the Medicaid bureaucracy and creating inefficiencies.

Subject: House Bill 796 (HB 796) – State nullification of Federal Acts

• Author: State Rep. Cecil Bell Jr (R-Magnolia)
• Caption: Relating to the Texas Sovereignty Act.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 796 allows the Texas Legislature to formally reject federal mandates that violate the the constitution and to block state and local officials from enforcing those mandates. This bill reinforces the principle of state sovereignty by letting lawmakers guard against federal overreach without relying on federal courts alone. By requiring a two-thirds vote, it ensures broad legislative consensus. This measure protects Texas taxpayers from bearing the cost of enforcing federal policies that conflict with constitutional rights and limits. It also strengthens local control by insulating state employees from directives that may undermine Texas priorities. Overall, it represents a fiscally responsible effort to keep government accountable to state citizens rather than federal bureaucrats.

Subject: House Bill 2963 (HB 2963) – Right-to-repair consumer electronics

• Author: State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake)
• Caption: Relating to diagnosis, maintenance, and repair of certain digital electronic equipment.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 2963 empowers consumers and independent repair businesses by requiring manufacturers of certain digital devices to provide repair tools, parts, and documentation. This reduces reliance on costly, limited-authorized service providers, helping consumers save money and supporting small repair businesses across Texas. The bill encourages product longevity and waste reduction by making repairs more accessible and affordable, aligning with both economic and environmental responsibility. It helps to reduce barriers created by monopolistic practices and empowers the free market to meet demand. Manufacturers retain trade secret protections and are not liable for misuse of repair materials. Overall, the bill promotes competition, reduces costs for Texans, and limits centralized control without expanding bureaucracy.

Subject: House Bill 3483 (HB 3483) – Weakens oversight of public debt

• Author: State Rep. Erin Gamez (D-Brownsville)
• Caption:  Relating to the authority of a special utility district to issue a public security.
• TFR Position: OPPOSE
• Background: 
  • HB 3483 expands the ability of special utility districts to take on debt by easing restrictions on their issuance of bonds. While the bill is intended to help finance infrastructure projects, it risks increasing taxpayer exposure to debt by reducing oversight and simplifying approval requirements. Granting these districts easier access to public borrowing tools could lead to irresponsible debt accumulation without sufficient public scrutiny. This opens the door to government overreach and financial mismanagement, as borrowing costs can be quietly passed on to ratepayers or taxpayers. It also sets a precedent for further exemptions to responsible checks and balances in local government finance.

Subject: House Bill 4099 (HB 4099) – Expands physical therapy access

• Author: State Rep. Caroline Harris (R-Round Rock)
• Caption: Relating to the treatment of a patient by a physical therapist without a referral.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 4099 expands patient access to physical therapy by removing bureaucratic hurdles that delay care. By allowing qualified physical therapists to treat patients for up to 30 days without needing a referral, HB 4099 helps reduce unnecessary doctor visits, lowers healthcare costs, and frees up physicians to focus on more critical needs. It also aligns Texas with the majority of other states that already allow longer direct access. This reform supports preventative care, enabling faster recovery and minimizing more expensive interventions down the line. It imposes no new cost to taxpayers and relies on already-licensed professionals meeting existing standards.

Subject: House Bill 4359 (HB 4359) – Audit School District Spending

• Author: State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-Southlake)
• Caption: Relating to the review of school districts by the Sunset Advisory Commission.
• TFR Position: SUPPORT
• Background: 
  • HB 4359 introduces routine forensic audits of public school districts to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used wisely. The bill empowers the Sunset Advisory Commission to investigate two districts per cycle—one that spends the least and one that spends the most on instruction per student. This balanced approach helps identify both poor financial practices and models of efficiency. Reports from these audits will shine a light on where money is being wasted, especially in bloated administrative budgets, and offer guidance on improving operations. Though the bill requires modest state costs to staff the reviews, these audits have the potential to uncover far greater inefficiencies and redirect funds toward actual classroom needs. This measure equips lawmakers, taxpayers, and local officials with data-driven insights to curb waste, fraud and abuse.

Subject: House Bill 4580 (HB 4580) – Tax carve-out for Houston Rodeo

• Author: State Rep. Sam Harless (R-Spring)
• Caption: Relating to the exemption from ad valorem taxation of property owned by certain nonprofit corporations and used to promote agriculture, support youth, and provide educational support in the community.
• TFR Position: OPPOSE
• Background: 
  • HB 4580 gives a special property tax exemption to nonprofit organizations in the Houston area that claim to promote agriculture, youth programs, and education—most notably benefiting the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This bill effectively codifies a permanent property tax break for one powerful nonprofit. From a fiscally conservative viewpoint, this sets a troubling precedent of carving out tax exemptions for politically connected entities, distorting the tax base, and shifting the burden to homeowners and small businesses. Texas should focus on broad-based tax relief and fairness, not privileging select groups. Codifying special exemptions undermines a uniform and limited government tax structure.

Reminder: Vote Notices are provided to both Texas state lawmakers and the general public, sharing Texans for Fiscal Responsibility’s position on issues eligible to be rated as a part of the Fiscal Responsibility Index. Notices are provided prior to votes being taken in each legislative chamber.

Disclaimer: We reserve the right to consider amendments to legislation that may be introduced without notice as a part of issues to be rated on the Fiscal Responsibility Index. We will make every effort to provide notice on amendments that are pre-filed.