FIRST DAY --- MONDAY, JULY 21, 2025

In obedience of the proclamation of His Excellency, Greg Abbott, Governor of the State of Texas, convening the 89th Legislature, First Called Session, to meet in special session at Austin, Texas, the seat of government, on this the 21st day of July 2025, the members of the House of Representatives assembled in the hall of the House of Representatives, and at 12 p.m. the house was called to order by the Honorable Dustin Burrows, speaker.

The roll of the house was called and a quorum was announced present (Record 1).

Present — Mr. Speaker(C); Alders; Allen; Ashby; Barry; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bhojani; Bonnen; Bowers; Bryant; Buckley; Bucy; Bumgarner; Button; Cain; Campos; Canales; Capriglione; Cole; Collier; Cook; Cortez; Craddick; Cunningham; Curry; DeAyala; Dorazio; Dyson; Fairly; Flores; Frank; Gámez; Garcia, L.; Garcia Hernandez; Gates; Gerdes; Geren; Gervin-Hawkins; González, M.; Goodwin; Guerra; Guillen; Harless; Harris; Harris Davila; Harrison; Hayes; Hefner; Hernandez; Hickland; Hinojosa; Holt; Hopper; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Isaac; Johnson; Jones, J.; Kerwin; Kitzman; LaHood; Lalani; Lambert; Landgraf; Leach; Leo Wilson; Little; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Louderback; Lowe; Lozano; Lujan; Luther; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; McLaughlin; McQueeney; Metcalf; Meyer; Meza; Money; Moody; Morales, C.; Morales, E.; Morales Shaw; Morgan; Muñoz; Noble; Olcott; Oliverson; Ordaz; Orr; Patterson; Paul; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Phelan; Pierson; Plesa; Raymond; Richardson; Rodríguez Ramos; Rose; Rosenthal; Schatzline; Schofield; Schoolcraft; Shaheen; Shofner; Simmons; Slawson; Smithee; Spiller; Talarico; Tepper; Thompson; Tinderholt; Toth; Troxclair; Turner; VanDeaver; Vasut; Villalobos; Virdell; Vo; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Wu.

Absent, Excused — Anchía; Dean; Jones, V.; King; Swanson; Walle.

Absent — Darby; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dutton; Garcia, J.; González, J.; Manuel; Reynolds; Romero; Zwiener.

The invocation was offered by Ron Joy, Texas Department of Public Safety, Leander.

The chair recognized Representative McQueeney who led the house in the pledges of allegiance to the United States and Texas flags.

(Darby and Zwiener now present)

The following members were granted leaves of absence for today and the remainder of the week because of important business:

Anchía on motion of Turner.

V. Jones on motion of Morales Shaw.

The following members were granted leaves of absence for today because of important business:

A. Davis on motion of Rose.

Dean on motion of Harless.

King on motion of Geren.

Swanson on motion of Kerwin.

Walle on motion of Geren.

The following member was granted leave of absence for the remainder of today because of important business:

Bhojani on motion of Moody.

The chair laid before the house and had read the following proclamation by the governor:

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

I, GREG ABBOTT, Governor of the State of Texas, by the authority vested in me by Article III, Sections 5(a) and 40, and Article IV, Section 8(a), of the Texas Constitution, do hereby call a special session of the 89th Legislature, to convene in the City of Austin, commencing at 12 p.m. on Monday, July 21, 2025, to consider and act upon the following:

Legislation to improve early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.

Legislation to strengthen emergency communications and other response infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.

Legislation to provide relief funding for response to and recovery from the storms which began in early July 2025, including local match funding for jurisdictions eligible for FEMA public assistance.

Legislation to evaluate and streamline rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters.

Legislation to eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with effective tools to assess student progress and ensure school district accountability.

Legislation reducing the property tax burden on Texans and legislation imposing spending limits on entities authorized to impose property taxes.

Legislation making it a crime to provide hemp-derived products to children under 21 years of age.

Legislation to comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds, and establishing enforcement mechanisms, all without banning a lawful agricultural commodity.

Legislation further protecting unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion.

Legislation prohibiting taxpayer-funded lobbying, including the use of tax dollars to hire lobbyists and payment of tax dollars to associations that lobby the legislature.

Legislation, similar to Senate Bill 1278 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that protects victims of human trafficking from criminal liability for non-violent acts closely tied to their own victimization.

Legislation that protects law enforcement officers from public disclosure of unsubstantiated complaints in personnel files.

Legislation protecting women's privacy in sex-segregated spaces.

Legislation proposing a constitutional amendment allowing the attorney general to prosecute state election crimes.

Legislation that provides a revised congressional redistricting plan in light of constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Legislation, similar to Senate Bill 648 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that provides strengthened protections against title theft and deed fraud.

Legislation, similar to Senate Bill 1253 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that authorizes political subdivisions to reduce impact fees for builders who include water conservation and efficiency measures.

Legislation, similar to Senate Bill 2878 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, relating to the operation and administration of the Judicial Department of state government.

The Secretary of State will take notice of this action and will notify the members of the legislature of my action.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 9th day of July 2025.

/s/Greg Abbott

Governor

(SEAL)

Attested by:

/s/Adam Bitter

General Counsel

Secretary of State

(Manuel and Reynolds now present)

Representative Oliverson moved that the house adjourn until 10 a.m. Thursday, July 24 in memory of Lisa Wilson of Austin.

The motion prevailed.

The house accordingly, at 12:09 p.m., adjourned until 10 a.m. Thursday, July 24.

Pursuant to Rule 1, Section 16(b), Rules of the House of Representatives, I, Dustin Burrows, Speaker of the House of Representatives, hereby create the House Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding.

The committee shall have nine members, with jurisdiction over state policy for natural disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, including all matters pertaining to:

(1)  Evaluating and streamlining rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters;

(2)  Improving early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout the state;

(3)  Strengthening emergency communications and other response infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout the state; and

(4)  Providing relief funding for response to and recovery from the storms which began in early July 2025, including local match funding for jurisdictions eligible for FEMA public assistance.

The committee shall submit any subject matter reports requested by the Speaker or deemed necessary by the Committee in the same manner as an interim study committee under Rule 4, Section 61, Rules of the House of Representatives.

The committee shall have the same authority and duties conferred on standing committees under the Rules of the House of Representatives. To the extent practicable, the committee shall meet jointly with the Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Floording to conduct informational hearings. The committee expires on the date the 90th Legislature convenes.

The following members are hereby appointed to the House Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding:

Ken King, Chair

Armando Martinez, Vice-chair

Greg Bonnen

Drew Darby

Ann Johnson

AJ Louderback

Joe Moody

Wes Virdell

Terry Wilson

/s/Dustin Burrows

Speaker of the House of Representatives

Pursuant to Rule 1, Section 16(b), Rules of the House of Representatives, I, Dustin Burrows, Speaker of the House of Representatives, hereby create the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting.

The committee shall have 21 members, with jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to congressional districts. The committee shall have the same authority and duties conferred on standing committees under the Rules of the House of Representatives.

The following members are hereby appointed to the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting:

Cody Vasut, Chair

Jon Rosenthal, Vice-chair

Josey Garcia

Charlie Geren

Barbara Gervin-Hawkins

R.D. "Bobby" Guerra

Ryan Guillen

Cole Hefner

Hillary Hickland

Todd Hunter

Christian Manuel

John McQueeney

Will Metcalf

Joe Moody

Katrina Pierson

David Spiller

Carl Tepper

Senfronia Thompson

Chris Turner

Terry Wilson

Gene Wu

/s/Dustin Burrows

Speaker of the House of Representatives