Legislative Blog
J.B. Williams, J.D.
Supplemental Appropriations Part 1
A Blog about 89th Legislative Session
A Bit of Background
The following backgrounds help summarize the author's views on both the general topic: Texas and more specifically 89th Legislative Session 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 89th Legislative Session
This subtopic contains a list of some of the "new" laws reviews. Total laws signed/voted into effect = 1,192. This will begin with an appropriations bill, and then go through a few that went into effect immediately. The following dates were when different laws took, or will take, effect: 7/1/25; 9/1/25; 9/5/25; 9/17/25; 10/1/25; 12/5/25; 1/1/26; 6/1/26; 8/1/26; 9/1/26; 1/1/27; 4/1/27; 9/1/27; 1/1/28
Blog Summary
HB 500 - supplemental appropriations
Supplemental Appropriations Part 1
Published: 2026-05-23
HB 500 - 114 pages
Totaling (including debt reduction): $2,886,239,868 ($2.866 BILLION plus)
Crime victims account is appropriated $40,454,048 ($40.4 Million plus).
Any funds unexpended or unobligated in the Bob Bullock History Museum are moved to the Texas state buildings preservation endowment fund for a 2 year period that began August 31, 2025. This was over $104 Million.
The Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research trust fund was appropriated $300,000,000 ($300 Million).
The Texas Historical Commission fund received $100,000,000 ($100 Million) for 2 years.
The Texas Facilities Commission is appropriated $121,000,000 ($121 Million) to remove and replace the State Insurance Building. Any proceeds from sale is also added to this amount. It is there for a 2 year period only. This apparently houses the Texas Insurance agency to oversee insurance and workers compensation.
The State Preservation Board is appropriated $75,000,000 ($75 Million) for a 2 year period so that improvements can be made to the senate facilities.
The comptroller of public account is granted $429,106 for a 2 year period so that the audit office in Tulsa can be relocated, and the audit offices ni San Antonio, McAllen, and Los Angeles can be upgraded. For lease space to ensure in office work space, there is appropriated $1,649,724 ($1.6 Million plus) for a 2 year period. They are also appropriated $285,400 to relocate warehouse and distribution center facility.
$10,000,000 ($10 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to be used for regional security operations centers.
$4,000,000 ($4 Million) is appropriated to relocate tenants in the Sam Houston Building.
If several other bills fail, then there is appropriated $250,000,000 for the Texas moving image industry incentive program. I certainly hope that encouraging movies and tv shows to film here brings more in than we spend.
$5,000,000 ($5 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period for law enforcement training facility at the University of North Texas at Dallas.
$13,900,000 ($13.9 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period for the Governor's office to be used for costs associated with leasing temporary facilities, relocating staff, and other related costs.
$50,900,000 ($50.9 Million) is appropriated for renovation of the James E. Rudder State Office Building.
$94,000,000 ($94 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to design and construct 2 sensitive compartmentalized information facilities (SCIF). One will be in Lubbock area and one will be in San Antonio area.
$4,500,000 ($4.5 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to be used to digitize the secretary of state's paper and microfiche records.
$17,000,000 ($17 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period for the purchase of land and construction of flexible multi-purpose building for permanent and temporary office space.
$250,000 is appropriated for a 2 year period for building maintenance to be used by the State Preservation Board.
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas may use $11,609,609 for grant management. While I agree that cancer prevention and research is important, I do not believe that any government agency should be funding it. The people who believe in the research should be funding, and honestly would fund it. I always flash back to the Alzheimer's association which I know I donated to for a long time. Then they fought and managed to get Federal funding. Their donors decided if they were taking their money at 'gun point' then they didn't need to continue their individual donations. All of a sudden the organization had less income than they once had. And they now fight to get funding rather than depending on those that had the most interest in supporting their work. Then there are all the 'food banks' that receive federal funding. When there was the issue recently, they were all scrambling and fearing their doors were going to close. My local community food pantry never missed a beat. They receive donations from individuals and local businesses, and do not take any government funding. While others were ranting about how dare the federal government penalize organizations helping the needy, our food pantry had more people in line to donate than they had to pick-up. If all those ranting had donated, then their food banks would have been fine. Ours is run very efficiently and has a lot of volunteers, but most think these issues are something a bureaucracy should handle. By the way - it is NOT compassion to have the government do something. It is compassion to step up and help. I understand perhaps having funding to ensure a building is always available but not beyond for food banks. Honestly ours does not even had that - it is 100% donations. The closer it is to individual support, the more compassion can be shown and the less fraud involved. Bonus, if you personally help people, it feels good to help those who actually just need a little help to get back on their feet.
$7,491,000 ($7.4 Million plus) is appropriated for Education Fiscal Programs for a 2 year period. This is to establish an education savings account program.
$20,000,000 ($20 Million) for a 2 year period for the State Preservation Board.
$47,163,000 ($47.1 Million plus) for a 2 year period to prepare for construction of facilities for a warehouse, space for Department of Information Resources servers, document storage, and flexible office space for legislative agency employees.
$915,960,000 ($915 Million plus) from the general fund and $104,000,000 ($104 Million) from the state highway fund to the Employees Retirement System for a 2 year period. This is meant to be used for legacy payment and reduce the unfunded actuarial liabilities. Why are we funding retirement systems. I thought the state had set up separate retirement systems such that the employees were paying into them to fund them. And that no additional pay increases could be made unless they re-configured the amounts paid into the funds. But now, over $1 BILLION is going to shore up the fund! Makes little sense to create separate funds that you say will fund retirement systems if you are going to move money out of the general fund and the highway fund to cover it anyway. Like we don't need the highway funds for the actual highways! And it's not a loan to bridge them to receipt of the funds, it's a gift.
$10,000,000 ($10 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to the Trusteed Programs for defense economic adjustment assistance grants.
$20,000,000 ($20 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to the Trusteed Programs for university research initiative account.
$177,200,000 ($177.2 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to the Trusteed Programs to address the federal victims of crime funding shortfall. So the federal Crime Victims Fund claims to be funded by criminal fines, forfeited bonds, and penalties. But apparently in Texas it came up $177.2 Million short of compensating victims. Apparently the fund has dropped 5-70% in recent years. Since the federal government is shifting to deferred prosecution, they need to be implementing fines within that system. Otherwise states will not be able to continue funding these. And I don't think the solution should be taking more taxpayer funds.
$64,007,981 ($64 Million plus) is appropriated for a 2 year period to the Trusteed Program for potential disaster needs and existing invoices relating to disasters.
$9,500,000 ($9.5 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to the Trusteed Program to pay outside counsel for representation in trusteed program litigation of the M.D. et al v Abbott, et al matter. This is an ongoing case involving foster children and findings of the system being unconstitutional. Apparently it is being overseen by the court at this time. It was initially filed in 2011 when Governor Perry was in office. Since there are 60 remedial measures that need to be met for foster placements, adequate caseloads, child abuse investigations and medical oversight. Having worked within the system I can attest to the lack of foster placement oversight. However, the guidelines were there from the state. These guidelines were not strictly followed by the courts or the caseworkers, including guardian ad litems representing the children. The system seemed to spend a great deal of time investigating those with lower incomes than those with higher incomes. If someone could afford to hire an attorney, they were more likely to walk away without doing a complete investigation. However, even for small matters, they stayed habitually involved in cases where people did not hire counsel. And often it took people finding the funds to hire counsel to get them to move forward when there was nothing left to investigate and the court had already reviewed the matter outside of their system. But again, the rules/laws where there; however the courts and the caseworkers did not follow them.
$95,000,000 ($95 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to the Trusteed Programs to make grants to local government for preparations in advance of major events.
$250,000,000 ($250 Million) is appropriated to the Texas semiconductor innovation account. This is contingent on other legislation relating to operation of cement kiln and production of aggregates near semiconductor wafer manufacturing facilities. And $250,000,000 ($250 Million) is appropriated to the Trusteed Program for the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium.
The remaining general revenue fund is to be used for bond debt service payments, reducing them by $10,000,000 ($10 Million).
The Texas Facilities lease payments are reduced by $55,025,396 ($55 Million plus).
$5,940,000 ($5.94 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to the comptroller for use in administration of jobs, energy, technology, and innovation.
$149,000,000 ($149 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to the Trusteed Programs consistent with Homeland Security to Texas Tech. This includes $114,000,000 ($114 Million) for electromagnetic pulse site and $35,000,000 ($35 Million) for associated critical cybersecurity infrastructure.
$5,000,000 ($5 Million) is appropriated for a 2 year period to establish a grant program to equip peace officer motor vehicles with bullet-resistant components.
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