Table of Contents
Welcome to the latest edition of Texas Legislative News for the 89th Texas Legislature. In this regular feature, we provide information on disability-related issues and bills under consideration at the State Capitol. We also explain how lawmakers conduct business, and we share details on upcoming TCDD events.
Texas House to Vote on State Budget
On Thursday, April 10, the full Texas House will debate Senate Bill (SB) 1, the general appropriations bill that would fund the state government for fiscal years 2026-27. The House floor debate will likely continue through much of the day and into the night as members discuss amendments to the bill.
The Senate passed its version of the bill with unanimous support on March 25. Less than a week later, the House Appropriations Committee voted to send the bill to the House floor after swapping the Senate’s language with the committee’s own language.
The Legislative Budget Board has released a detailed summary of the House version of SB 1 (PDF, 67 pages, 5.4 MB). As passed out of the House Appropriations Committee, the bill would spend nearly $337 billion over the next two years. This would be an increase of about $4.4 billion from the state’s current two-year budget. The House version of the bill allocates about $1.3 billion more than the Senate version.
The House version includes notable items such as an increase of about $16 billion in state aid to school districts and charter schools through the Foundation School Program. The House bill also includes $51 billion in property tax relief, which maintains the same relief passed by lawmakers during the previous session in 2023 while adding over $6.5 billion in new relief from the state’s general revenue fund.
The House requires that members pre-file amendments to the bill before the floor debate takes place. In an example of how differently the House and Senate can operate, the Senate’s debate on SB 1 included discussion of just one floor amendment. But in the House, members pre-filed 393 amendments for consideration.
TCDD Testimony: Legal Services for Tenants with Disabilities
TCDD Public Policy Director Scott Daigle submitted written remarks April 1 to the House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs regarding House Bill (HB) 1063. The bill would let local governments create tenant legal service offices to help low-income and disabled tenants. Daigle shared information on the disadvantages that tenants — particularly those with disabilities — often face in legal proceedings. Daigle also noted the higher likelihood of housing discrimination faced by tenants with disabilities compared to tenants without disabilities. HB 1063 was featured as a TCDD Bill of the Week.
If you’d like to give testimony at a legislative hearing but aren’t sure how to craft your comments, we’ve created a My Testimony Blueprint (PDF) that can be used as a framework. For more tips, see our Legislative Advocacy Resources.
ACT LEND Capitol Day
On April 4, TCDD Senior Public Policy Analyst Lauren Gerken joined ACT LEND at the State Capitol to give a presentation titled “Making an Impact at the State Level.” ACT LEND — or the Autism Consortium of Texas Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities — trains graduate students, family members, and self-advocates in culturally informed diagnosis, support, and advocacy for children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities (DD) throughout Central Texas. The program is run by The University of Texas at Austin and Baylor University.
This was the fourth year TCDD has joined the ACT LEND Capitol Day. Gerken’s presentation included an overview of the legislative session, an explanation of key differences between educating and lobbying, and advice on giving testimony and making legislative visits. ACT LEND fellows put this information to use during visits to legislative offices, where they shared details on a variety of bills and issues.
Additional Capitol Day attendees included members of Help Me Grow El Paso, a project previously funded by TCDD; Laura Marquez, a past TCDD public policy fellow; and members of the Association of People Supporting Employment First.
TCDD Listens
What do Texans with DD need to achieve their future goals for independence, productivity, and community living? TCDD is developing its next strategic plan, and your ideas and experiences are vital to the process. We want input from people with DD, family members of people with DD, service providers, and anyone else involved in the disability community and interested in disability issues.
You can connect with TCDD in several ways to share your ideas, including through an online survey and by participating in a Community Conversation through Zoom. During Community Conversations, you can speak directly with TCDD staff and share your ideas for our future priorities. You’ll also get to connect with and hear from other disability advocates from across the state.
The first Community Conversation takes place tonight from 7-8 p.m. Central Time (CT). Please register online to attend tonight’s event.
Can’t join us tonight? There are other chances to participate in a Community Conversation this month, including one that will be held in Spanish:
- Wednesday, April 16 (English) — Noon to 1 p.m. CT (Register)
- Tuesday, April 22 (Spanish) — 7-8 p.m. CT (Register)
Five Hearings To Watch
The following section includes a sample of legislative hearings we’re monitoring this week. During these hearings, legislative committees may consider important disability-related issues. You can find live and archived broadcasts of committee hearings on the House and Senate websites. A full list of upcoming hearings can be found on the Capitol website.
The House Committee on Public Education held a hearing (PDF) on Tuesday morning, April 8. The committee discussed a variety of bills, including:
- HB 497 by Rep. Jared Patterson, relating to requiring parental consent for behavioral or mental health treatment given by school district personnel.
- HB 1188 by Rep. Christian Manuel, relating to the referral of certain students receiving special education services to a local intellectual and developmental disability authority for services or public benefits. This was a TCDD Bill of the Week.
- HB 2310 by Rep. Claudia Ordaz, relating to developing a strategic plan for the improvement and expansion of early learning and educational opportunities for young children with disabilities. We’ve created an informational one-pager on HB 2310 (PDF) that you can share with your representatives and personal network.
- HB 2849 by Rep. Alma Allen, relating to policies on recess periods in public schools.
The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence held a hearing (PDF) on Tuesday morning, April 8. The committee heard testimony on a variety of bills, including:
- HB 2777 by Rep. Toni Rose, relating to the use of the death penalty on people with severe mental health conditions who are convicted of capital offenses.
The House Committee on Corrections will hold a hearing (PDF) on Wednesday morning, April 9. The committee will hear testimony on a variety of bills, including:
- HB 3488 by Rep. Mano DeAyala, relating to legal representation for people defined as “indigent” under Texas law who are subject to civil commitment proceedings.
- HB 3834 by Rep. Joe Moody, relating to the provision of services by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to offenders with DD.
The House Committee on Trade, Workforce, and Economic Development will hold a hearing (PDF) on Wednesday morning, April 9. The committee will hear testimony on a variety of bills, including:
- HB 175 by Rep. Mary González, relating to establishing optional certifications for child care providers participating in the Texas Rising Star Program and reimbursement rates for those providers.
- HB 3191 by Rep. Angie Chen Button, relating to strategies to increase availability and access to child care. These strategies include the creation of an employer child care contribution partnership program, a child care innovation pilot program, and a franchise tax credit for taxable entities that make certain employer child care contributions.
The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services will hold a hearing (PDF) on Wednesday morning, April 9. The committee will hear testimony on a variety of bills, including:
- SB 2069 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini, relating to the establishment of a work group to study the feasibility of implementing an acute psychiatric bed registry.
Stay Informed
Throughout the 89th Texas legislative session, you can stay up to date on how lawmakers address disability issues by following us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn. You can also check out our Policy section to learn more about our legislative engagement and find resources to support your own advocacy.
