Legislative Blog
J.B. Williams, J.D.
7 additional bills that modify the Government Code
A Blog about 88th Legislature Laws
A Bit of Background
The following backgrounds help summarize the author's views on both the general topic: Texas and more specifically 88th Legislature Laws as it relates to that topic.
Brief Summary of Texas
Texas is truly a Republic. There are a multitude of items that to modify the state constitution must be modified. So there are times when Constitutional amendments are on the voting ballots. While I sometimes abhor the wording, the concept that all of those legally able to vote in Texas must vote on the change is a good one. And bills in Texas are generally short, making it easier for everyone to understand.
Summary of 88th Legislature Laws
The blogs here will discuss the laws passed by Congress and signed into law, as well as those, passed by Congress and approved by the voters to become law. There are a multitude of laws and each time I post blogs I will notate here the current effective date if it is different from prior blogs. I am currently posting bills that took effect immediately - those bills total 336. I am currently posting regarding larger bills, so each blog covers a single bill.
Blog Summary
HB 1457 - Informed care or cultural competency training for entities providing mental health care to veterans and their families
HB 1472 - Eligibility requirements under owner-builder loan program
HB 1486 - Adoption of mental health leave policy for telecommunicators
HB 1488 - Sickle cell disease health care improvement
HB 1515 - Continuation and functions of programs subject to rules of the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office
HB 1550 - Continuation and functions of the Office of State-Federal Relations
HB 1575 - Improving health outcomes for pregnant women on Medicaid
7 additional bills that modify the Government Code
Published: 2025-07-07
HB 1457
Informed care or cultural competency training for entities providing mental health care to veterans and their families
State grants cannot be awarded to entities to provide mental health services to military veterans unless they have previously received and been successful with a state grant or they provide training on military informed care or military competency. The training needs to be provided by the commission, the Health and Human Services Commission, the Military Veteran Peer Network, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the United State Department of Defense, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, or a nonprofit organization with experience in training or technical assistance to entities for mental health service to veterans.
HB 1472
Eligibility requirements under owner-builder loan program
To be eligible the owner-builder may not have annual income that exceeds 80 percent of the greater of state or local median family income. It was previously 60 percent.
HB 1486
Adoption of mental health leave policy for telecommunicators
This section use to apply for peace officers, and now telecommunicators are being added.
HB 1488
Sickle cell disease health care improvement
The commission must support initiatives to assist managed care plants in promoting timely, evidence-informed health care services to enrollees diagnosed with sickle cell disease. They must address sickle cell disease education for Medicaid providers to promote existing and new continuing education courses to improve diagnosis, treatment and management of sickle cell disease. They need to review data to improve health outcomes by reducing hospital admissions and readmissions, as well as connecting recipients to a sickle cell disease health home or expert.
They are establishing a task force to improve sickle cell disease education and care. This task force will expire August 31, 2035.
HB 1515
Continuation and functions of programs subject to rules of the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office
The aerospace and aviation office no longer has to make specific recommendations to the legislature and governor to promote the industry. They may establish advisory committees to make recommendations regarding the programs, rules and policies. There are specifics regarding an advisory committee. They must develop a plant to engage stakeholders to gather input and solicit feedback on the development of the rules.
The tourism office must make an annual report to the legislature listing the following information:
- number of grants, loans, and designations awarded in the prior year;
- total number of grants, loans and designations awarded;
- the amount in dollars of all;
- the number of applications received in the prior year;
- the number of outstanding loans and designations;
- summary of each loan and designation;
- balance of each program's fund and any reserve;
- any challenges in administering the programs
The Texas product development fund is in the state treasury. The funds is composed of proceeds from bonds issued, financing application fees, loan repayments, guarantee fees, royalty receipts, dividend income, money appropriated by the legislature, amounts received from state from loans, loan guarantees, and equity investments.
The bank must manage and wind up the product development and small business incubator program investment portfolio. They must provide, to the extent feasible, the maximum return on the state's investment. Upon completion of the winding up, the bank shall deposit any remaining investment earnings to the credit of the Texas economic development bank fund.
I'm not convince our state is not establishing the multiple funds shell game that our federal government runs so well - at least as far as those benefiting are concerned. I mean the taxpayer gets regularly screwed over by the federal government with the fund shell game. Now it seems our state is establishing more and more funds. If they were established and meant to exist based upon what they received initially from the legislature, and then no further tax dollars were placed there, then it would be completely different. The ongoing give more money is what is concerning. The claim of reports makes it seem they are being overseen and ensure no waste of funds, but some how I think this eventually gets out of control 'fraud'. Initially small amounts of 'lost' funds are overlooked as mere accounting issues because everyone claims you cannot budget and track to the penny. I, however, whole-heartedly disagree. The not budgeting and tracking to the penny is how fraud begins and how debt grows uncontrollably. Larger and larger sums are written off as accounting issues, and costs to taxpayers grows uncontrollably over time. By that's my opinion.
HB 1550
Continuation and functions of the Office of State-Federal Relations
The Office of State-Federal Relations is abolished September 1, 2035.
Any reports must be posted to the office's publicly accessible Internet website .
HB 1575
Improving health outcomes for pregnant women on Medicaid
The commission shall establish standard screening for identifying, and aggregating data, regarding nonmedical health related needs of pregnant women on Medicaid and public assistance programs. The screening may only be used if the woman is informed of what data will be collected, what the data will be used for, and the women provides informed consent.
The information will be provided to the legislature in even-numbered years, once it is de-identified.
Case management training must include instruction on social services provided by state and local government in Texas; community assistance programs, including nutrition and housing assistance, counseling and parenting, substance use disorder treatment and domestic violence assistance and shelter; domestic violence and coercive control dynamics; methods for explaining informed consent; procedures for declining services or withdrawing consent for services; and ensuring recipients are not subject to retaliatory action for declining or discontinuing services.
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