Subscribe to receive our Floor Reports covering all the action on the Texas House and Senate floor!
The bill would permit the commissioners court of a county may dissolve an authority created by the commissioners court if the commissioners court and the authority provide for the sale or transfer of the authority’s assets and liabilities to the county.
This bill would stipulate that a court that grants a petition for expunction of a criminal record or gives an order of non-disclosure of a criminal record may order that any fee, or portion of a fee, required be returned to the individual. Certain local judicial requirements would also be updated.
The bill stipulates that if a new law is proposed that establishes or adds territory to a special purpose district a notice would be required to be given to property owners in the area. The Comptroller would be required to create a public special purpose district information database. A political subdivision would be permitted to enter a contract to spend money to influence the outcome of any legislation only if the contract, purpose of the contract, recipient of the contract, and amount of the contract expenditure are authorized by a majority vote of the governing body of the political subdivision or entity in an open meeting of the governing body.
This is a summary of major provisions and not an exhaustive list of every provision.
We were originally neutral on the bill to create the health care provider participation programs. However, numerous provisions were added which we supported elsewhere this session as standalone bills. Overall this bill would be a net positive for limited government and individual liberty. We specifically support the database of special purpose districts, updates to procedures for refunding fees after an order of expunction, and notice requirement for proposed new laws adding or expanding special purpose districts. We support HB 4180.