Monday, June 2, 2025

EIGHTY-FIRST DAY --- MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2025

The house met at 11 a.m. and was called to order by the speaker.

The roll of the house was called and a quorum was announced present (Record 4166).

Present — Mr. Speaker(C); Alders; Anchía; Ashby; Barry; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bhojani; Bonnen; Bowers; Bryant; Buckley; Bucy; Bumgarner; Button; Cain; Canales; Capriglione; Cole; Collier; Cook; Cortez; Craddick; Cunningham; Curry; Darby; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dean; DeAyala; Dorazio; Dutton; Dyson; Fairly; Flores; Frank; Gámez; Garcia, J.; Garcia, L.; Garcia Hernandez; Gates; Gerdes; Geren; Gervin-Hawkins; González, J.; González, M.; Goodwin; Guerra; Guillen; Harless; Harris; Harris Davila; Harrison; Hayes; Hefner; Hernandez; Hickland; Hinojosa; Holt; Hopper; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Isaac; Johnson; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; Kerwin; King; Kitzman; LaHood; Lalani; Lambert; Landgraf; Leach; Leo Wilson; Little; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Louderback; Lowe; Lozano; Lujan; Luther; Manuel; 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; Reynolds; Richardson; Rodríguez Ramos; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Schatzline; Schofield; Schoolcraft; Shaheen; Shofner; Simmons; Slawson; Smithee; Spiller; Swanson; Talarico; Tepper; Thompson; Tinderholt; Toth; Troxclair; Turner; VanDeaver; Vasut; Villalobos; Virdell; Vo; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Wu; Zwiener.

Absent, Excused — Allen; Campos.

The invocation was offered by Scot Wall, state minister, Capitol Commission, Austin.

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

LEAVE OF ABSENCE GRANTED

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

Campos on motion of Howard.

CAPITOL PHYSICIAN

The chair presented Dr. Nancy Gegbe of Corinth as the "Doctor for the Day."

The house welcomed Dr. Gegbe and thanked them for their participation in the Physician of the Day Program sponsored by the Texas Academy of Family Physicians.

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE

A message from the senate was received at this time (see the addendum to the daily journal, Messages from the Senate, Message No. 1).

RESOLUTIONS REFERRED TO COMMITTEES

Resolutions were at this time laid before the house and referred to committees. (See the addendum to the daily journal, Referred to Committees, List No. 1.)

HCR 171 - ADOPTED
(by King)

The following privileged resolution was laid before the house:

HCR 171

WHEREAS, HB 46 has been adopted by the house of representatives and the senate and is being prepared for enrollment; and

WHEREAS, The bill contains a technical error that should be corrected; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas, That the enrolling clerk of the house of representatives be instructed to make the following corrections to the enrolled version of HB 46:

In SECTION 16 of the bill, in added Section 169.006(b), Occupations Code (page 11, lines 16-20), strike "Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, low-THC cannabis prescribed under Subsection (a) for pulmonary inhalation may exceed one percent by weight of tetrahydrocannabinols in each dosage unit of the substance to be aerosolized or vaporized.".

HCR 171 was adopted by (Record 4167): 138 Yeas, 0 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

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

Present, not voting — Mr. Speaker(C).

Absent, Excused — Allen; Campos.

Absent — Bernal; Canales; Flores; Garcia, L.; Gates; Harris; Martinez Fischer; Moody; Simmons.

STATEMENT OF VOTE

When Record No. 4167 was taken, I was in the house but away from my desk. I would have voted yes.

Flores

SCR 55 - ADOPTED
(Capriglione - House Sponsor)

The following privileged resolution was laid before the house:

SCR 55, Instructing the enrolling clerk of the senate to make corrections in SB 1964.

SCR 55 was adopted by (Record 4168): 126 Yeas, 12 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Yeas — Alders; Anchía; Ashby; Barry; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bhojani; Bonnen; Bowers; Bryant; Buckley; Bucy; Bumgarner; Button; Canales; Capriglione; Cole; Collier; Cook; Cortez; Craddick; Cunningham; Curry; Darby; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dean; DeAyala; Dorazio; Dutton; Dyson; Fairly; Flores; Frank; Gámez; Garcia, J.; Garcia, L.; Gates; Gerdes; Geren; Gervin-Hawkins; González, J.; González, M.; Goodwin; Guillen; Harless; Harris; Harris Davila; Hayes; Hefner; Hernandez; Hickland; Holt; Howard; Hunter; Isaac; Johnson; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; King; Kitzman; LaHood; Lalani; Lambert; Landgraf; Leach; Little; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Louderback; Lozano; Lujan; Luther; Martinez; McLaughlin; McQueeney; Metcalf; Meyer; Meza; Morales, C.; Morales, E.; Morales Shaw; Morgan; Muñoz; Noble; Oliverson; Ordaz; Orr; Paul; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Phelan; Pierson; Plesa; Raymond; Reynolds; Richardson; Rodríguez Ramos; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Schatzline; Schofield; Schoolcraft; Shofner; Simmons; Slawson; Smithee; Spiller; Swanson; Talarico; Tepper; Troxclair; Turner; VanDeaver; Vasut; Villalobos; Vo; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Wu; Zwiener.

Nays — Cain; Harrison; Hopper; Kerwin; Leo Wilson; Lowe; Money; Olcott; Patterson; Shaheen; Tinderholt; Toth.

Present, not voting — Mr. Speaker(C); Virdell.

Absent, Excused — Allen; Campos.

Absent — Garcia Hernandez; Guerra; Hinojosa; Hull; Manuel; Martinez Fischer; Moody; Thompson.

STATEMENTS OF VOTE

When Record No. 4168 was taken, I was in the house but away from my desk. I would have voted yes.

Garcia Hernandez

When Record No. 4168 was taken, I was in the house but away from my desk. I would have voted yes.

Manuel

BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS SIGNED BY THE SPEAKER

Notice was given at this time that the speaker had signed bills and resolutions in the presence of the house (see the addendum to the daily journal, Signed by the Speaker, House List No. 30 and Senate List No. 33).

MEMORIAL RECOGNITION

The chair recognized Representative Toth who addressed the house, speaking as follows:

Today, I rise with a heavy heart but also deep gratitude as we honor the life and legacy of Pastor Dave Welch. He was a devoted servant of God, family, and freedom who left an incredible mark on all of Texas and the Houston area—countless lives across the state and nation. Dave left us early yesterday morning. It was completely unexpected, and there are some of you, I apologize, that are just finding out about this for the very first time.

Dave was the founder and executive director of the Houston Area Pastor Council, the Texas Pastor Council, and the United States Pastor Council. For over four decades he held leadership positions in notable Christian organizations, including as the founding executive director of the Christian Coalition of Washington, the national field director of the Christian Coalition, and the executive director of Vision America. And through these roles, he became a tireless advocate for biblical principles—uniting communities and inspiring leaders at the city, state, and national levels. Under Dave's guidance, since 2003 the Houston Area Pastor Council grew to represent over 300 pastors from all backgrounds, becoming a model for grassroots development of interdenominational networks. These pastors united in their commitment to the ministry and community, and worked alongside members of government to promote values and strength to strengthen the fabric of our culture and our society. Dave's vision fostered meaningful interactions between the church and civic leaders, leaving a legacy of collaborative service. He was a patriot from a working-class family. Dave was ordained by Grace International and served as a licensed minister of the gospel. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Valerie, of 42 years; their six kids; and—get this guys—20 grandchildren, in a family enriched by his unwavering love and faith.

The chair recognized Representative Schofield who addressed the house, speaking as follows:

I was as shocked as anybody by the news. I've known Dave for at least a quarter century. And I could tell you've never seen a more determined person to try to herd the cats and get all the pastors to engage civically and be involved. Because he was so determined and so driven—on the outside he seemed very gruff, and he could be, he could sort of have that atmosphere—but when you talked to him, there's not a nicer person you're ever going to meet. And he always cared about what was happening with you. He was always there for me, and I hope I was always there for him. Dave, we're going to miss you, and thank you for everything you did during your time on this planet.

The chair recognized Representative Paul who addressed the house, speaking as follows:

It's a sad day to talk about my friend, Dave Welch. I knew Dave before he created this. He used to live out in my district back in the day, and I knew him as an activist working in the Republican Party while he was doing this work in another group. But he's always had heart—a servant's heart—to do God's will and work with God's will. I tried to support him all I could on the Pastor Council and tried to go to a lot of their events, and he was always a supporter of mine. In fact, the first time I ran for the SREC 20-something years ago, Dave was one of the guys that nominated me in a speech for that race. Dave, we are going to miss you, my friend. And thank you for all your work that you've done on behalf of our Lord. Thank you, sir.

The chair recognized Representative Oliverson who addressed the house, speaking as follows:

Dave was a good friend. I still hear his voice in my head. I just want to say that I think it is incredibly rare, in my time in public service—which hasn't been as long as some, and I didn't know Dave as long as some—but it's rare to meet somebody that takes an issue and an idea and transforms it into a movement. Dave was blessed to be able to do that. We're going to miss him terribly. I'm going to miss his leadership. I'll still hear his voice in my head. I will say that God gave him one final gift here on earth, which is that he passed peaceably yesterday in the house of the Lord, surrounded by friends and family, without pain and suffering. And members, I think that is a great way to go to meet the Lord. And so I am grateful that God gave him that final gift to pass in the way that he did. But we sure are going to miss him. Oour condolences to his family and his friends.

The chair recognized Representative Leo Wilson who addressed the house, speaking as follows:

Sorry, I'm just finding out the news. I love Dave. I've known him for 40 years. I never saw the hard side of him, I guess. I only saw him praying for me and encouraging me. He supported me in my very first race in 1996. At the same time, he was bringing forth to life—bringing pastors together from all different denominations, all different parties, he didn't care—he just loved people. And I'll never forget one of the honors of my lifetime was receiving the Faithful Servant Award from the U.S. Pastor Council. I remember when I was standing up there, I was thinking about his life and how I really wasn't such a woman of faith, I was just a woman of obedience. I just followed and walked where God told me to walk. And it just turned out how it turned out because I had good leaders like Dave Welch to follow. And it wasn't about my faith, it was about God being faithful to me. That's really what he taught me through his life. And I will not forget his friendship and his leadership more than anything.

The chair recognized Representative Toth who addressed the house, speaking as follows:

I found out yesterday morning about Dave's passing. And I just absorbed it—didn't have time. Yesterday was a pretty crazy day, right? And I called my pastor, who's Dave's pastor, at 10:30 last night. And I said, "Steve, what's to become of the ministry?" And he said, "I don't know." He said, "God raised up a prophet, and he'll raise up other prophets because he's faithful." Faithful is he who calls you, and he will do it, scripture says. God's going to complete his work, and Dave's on to his reward. And we just celebrate him and Valerie, their children, and grandchildren. So on behalf of the House of Representatives of the 89th Legislative Session, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the Welch family. We're grateful for his life, his service, and the enduring impact that his life and ministry has had on all of us. May his memory be a blessing, and may the example of his life continue to inspire all of us.

REMARKS ORDERED PRINTED

Representative Martinez Fischer moved to print remarks by Representatives Toth, Paul, and Leo Wilson.

The motion prevailed.

HR 1528 - ADOPTED
(by Louderback)

Representative Louderback moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1528.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1528, Congratulating the Ganado High School softball team on winning the 2025 UIL 2A Division 1 state championship.

HR 1528 was adopted.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE GRANTED

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

Dorazio on motion of J. Lopez.

(Geren in the chair)

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

Capriglione on motion of Frank.

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE

A message from the senate was received at this time (see the addendum to the daily journal, Messages from the Senate, Message No. 2).

HR 1511 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative LaHood moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1511.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1511, Commending Region VII of the Texas Department of Public Safety for its service to the Capitol Complex during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1511 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Turner, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1511 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative LaHood who introduced officers and staff of Region VII of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

(Vasut in the chair)

LEAVE OF ABSENCE GRANTED

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

Harris on motion of Buckley.

HR 1506 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Hickland moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1506.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1506, Commending the members of the House Committee Coordinator's Office for their work during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1506 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Garcia Hernandez, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1506 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Hickland who introduced the staff of the House Committee Coordinator's Office.

HR 1503 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Garcia Hernandez moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1503.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1503, Honoring Katherine Lindley for her service as Capitol nurse practitioner during the 89th Texas Legislature.

HR 1503 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Zwiener, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1503 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Garcia Hernandez who introduced Katherine Lindley and Anne Milam.

FAREWELL REMARKS

The chair recognized Representative Tinderholt who addressed the house, speaking as follows:

The 89th Legislative Session marks my sixth session in this chamber representing House District 94. There have been ups, there's been downs, amendments, points of order, disagreements, and achievements. It's been one of the highlights of my life. Oftentimes, people forget the sacrifice of serving in the legislature. It's been a job that has to be done by somebody, and I'm honored to have done it. I've dedicated 32 years of my life to public service: Eleven in the Air Force taking part in counter drug missions throughout South and Central America; and then after 9/11, I served for 10 years in the Army as a platoon leader, executive officer, detachment commander, and recruiting commander; and then I kept volunteering to deploy to combat zones. Arguably, my 12 years here have been one of the more difficult combat zones I've had the pleasure of serving in.

Two years ago, I decided I'd run again for a sixth term, hoping I was going to be coming back with friends. I'm proud to say my hopes came true, and I was joined by the most conservative group of freshmen legislators this body has ever seen. I returned to this chamber with one goal: accomplishing as much conservative policy as possible while humbly evaluating if it was time to go home and let others continue this vital fight for the conservative movement. We've accomplished a lot in six sessions, but there's still more work to be done. While more Texas GOP priorities passed this session than previously have, there were still missed opportunities and so much left to do—just like both sides have said every session.

To my democratic colleagues, I hope you know that I've always tried to treat you with the respect that you deserve as members of this body who are chosen by your districts to fight for the values you hold. To the republican colleagues, I—I say sometimes—oftentimes disagreed with, please know that my absence next session will not remove in any way the pressure to deliver real conservative results for the people of Texas. And though we've disagreed at times, I've been truly honored to serve alongside each of you. To the conservative freshmen that worked so hard to be here: You're equipped, eager, and dedicated to ensuring the passage of the Texas GOP legislative priorities for future sessions to come. Texas is in good hands with each of you, and it's time for me to step aside.

This is the hard part. To my wonderful wife, Bethany, and my children Tyler and Brenan, I'm coming home. I get to be a dad. I don't have to miss practices and dances. I'm going to be able to do prayer at dinner time with you instead of on FaceTime—bedtime books. And so this was the hardest paragraph for me because this is why I'm leaving. I have one more paragraph, but I would tell my peers: I want to come here and be the tough guy, but we're all human. We all have family. And I encourage you guys to think about the sacrifices that you make here, because God wants me to be a husband and a dad right now. And I'm going to miss this place so much. But it makes it easier knowing that I'm going to do the things that I think God wants me to do, that my wife needs me to do, and that my children need. So while I'm sad to go and I'm very emotional about it, I want to share with my peers that if you're ever thinking about this, and you're having a hard time with it, I would tell you: Pick family first because someone else is going to come do this, and they're going to do it well.

Members, as my role in this chamber is coming to an end, I do intend to finish this entire term. I have another 19 months. If we have a special session, we'll be here again. I hope you recognize that each of the decisions you make will affect me and my family when I'm gone. My prayer is that this chamber recognizes all that Texas needs from you and that you never take for granted the immense honor and responsibility that comes with serving in the Texas House. Thank you to my family, thank you to the members, and thanks to the speaker.

REPRESENTATIVE TOTH: Tony, I just want to extend my gratitude to you for the leader that you've been and the group of leaders that you've raised up. I'll draw from you and Schaefer—combat—that there is no more difficult place to maintain your character, integrity, and courage than this house. And someone once said, "You don't really know the flavor of tea until you drop it in hot water." And this is the most scalding hot water you'll ever be dropped in. Is that true? But you've always done it with kindness and with a great spirit. You've never discontinued to fight. You fought hard through this entire session—a session where we really should have yielded more for our constituents. But what we did yield we did because of your leadership. And the new group of freshmen that we have coming in after you are going to serve Texas well. God bless you, buddy. Godspeed.

REPRESENTATIVE SCHATZLINE: Tony, the first vote I ever took in this chamber was to vote for you to be speaker. And we were only 73 votes away. We were so close. I am so immensely proud to be your friend. I think for the body to hear, what you see is Tony fighting every day for conservative values, and it's honorable. You're a champion. You're a champion for the State of Texas. But what you don't know is the first questions that Tony asked me were: Have you called your wife today, and have you called and FaceTimed your kids today? And the last question you asked me yesterday was: Have you called your wife, and have you reached out to your kids? It's the most important thing in your life. I'm so proud—so proud—to be your friend. You're a fighter for Texas, but more importantly, you're an amazing husband and father. And I love you, my friend.

REPRESENTATIVE J. GARCIA: Representative Tinderholt, I just wanted to use this opportunity as a message for our body, as well. I remember when I first came in here as a freshman last session, as a woman veteran—and there aren't many of us that are here that are veterans—and just trying to figure out how to navigate a partisan world. Because as military we don't understand the separation when it comes to protecting, serving, and defending our Constitution and our people. When I came here, you know, some things are synonymous with military. Those things could be Operation Just Cause, Al Qaeda, ISIS—you name it. We can name those things off of the tip of our tongues because we're true Americans who believe in our mission. And one of those names that came off the tip of the tongue here in the legislature was a Tinderholt.

Now, when I got here I had no idea what a Tinderholt was. But folks warned me about the Tinderholt. They said, "Josey, you are an activist. You are a protester. The Tinderholt, he will not like you." And I believed it because my first week here, there was the Tinderholt. And he was running for speaker, and he was calling these points of order that I hadn't heard much about. But I was intrigued because he looked so stoic. That face that screams fear into the hearts of many legislators on this floor spoke military to me. When I saw his face, I saw a soldier. So I walked up to him one day—right over here, I remember—and I just went up to him, and I said, "Hi, sir. I'm Josey." And he said, "Oh, hello," and he smiled. I was like, okay, there's step one: He can smile. Step two was I said, "I'm also military. My husband's a Purple Heart veteran, and I'm also a combat veteran." From that day, I take every opportunity that I can when people ask me, "Who is your favorite republican?" I tell people it is Tony Tinderholt. And the shock that is on people's faces, in their hearts, and in their minds.

But you all, I want you to know this because we're Texans. Tony Tinderholt is a man who was a part of Operation Just Cause, a story that I read about in the Encyclopedia Britannica. And for those of you who are younger, the Encyclopedia Britannica is the websites in book form. This man has worked in almost every counterterrorism operation in the modern century. Now, when I tell you that we are losing a real American hero here today, I mean that. I'm so sad to see you go, but thank you for your service, Major Tinderholt.

REPRESENTATIVE J. JONES: So as a democrat who is overwhelmed—there's 88 republicans, and there are 62 democrats. And this is a very tough place. But the beautiful thing about America is we're entitled to our beliefs, and we have to respect that. And all of us here were elected by our constituents. Last session, Tony and I officed across from each other and almost—we never really spoke to each other that much, except that I know his wife's favorite color is pink, and it's my favorite color too. But this session, I got the opportunity to meet Tony. And I learned very quickly as a democrat that I better find some republican friends, otherwise none of my stuff was going to get passed. I also found out that Tony has a group of republicans who follow him religiously. So if I wanted to try to get the votes I needed to get to pass any of my bills—presuming all 62 democrats voted for it, which isn't always the case—that I'd better go talk to Tony.

So on HB 413, Tony was—I was talking to the republicans I knew, like, "Hey, where are you guys on this?" And they're like, "Well, Tony's against it, and whatever he says, I'm doing,"—and I won't tell who that person is—"so you better go talk to Tony." And what I learned about Tony that I think a lot of us can learn from is that he can be in a position, but if you talk to him and you give him facts and figures he literally will. He's not going to answer you quickly, so you can't bully him. He'll tell you he's going to think about it and to come back to him, and that's what you better do. You better not try to harass him because that is never going to work. And then you come back when he tells you to come back. And if he is for you, he will be for you. He will change his position, which is exactly what he did. And I know the people that follow him listen to him immediately. He's got a system set up that somebody needs to duplicate because imitation is the highest form of flattery. Because when he decided that he was going to switch his position on HB 413—which is the you've-already-served-your-time bill—he literally sent out a bat wave or something, and by the time I walked back to my desk, the people who believe in him and who follow him are like, "Okay, Tony changed his mind. We're with you." And not only did he do that—because sometimes it's hard in this place, especially if you're—it's my understanding that with republicans, a scorecard is really important. You might not even vote for good bills if you think it's going to lower your scorecard score. But Tony is courageous; he doesn't care. And he says, "You know what I'm going to do? A lot of people don't understand your bill. I'm going to go to the back mic." And so I know that people thought hell froze over when Tinderholt—and he was paying attention. I didn't have to go tell him. He charged to the back like soldiers do. And he was like I'm going to cut to the chase, and I'm going to save you some time. And he explained HB 413, which is now sitting on the governor's desk.

So I just want to thank Tony because that is actually criminal justice reform. Senator Huffman carried it on the other side. And so I respect the kind of republican that Tony is. We don't agree on everything. In fact, most times we don't agree with each other. But in this place, we've got to figure out a way to find common ground, whatever that common ground is. It may not be a lot, but that's what's going to be best for Texas. So I will miss you, Tony. And now I've just got to figure out who's got influence like you do moving forward—I mean, if I stay here. So anyway, thank you. I'm really glad to know you.

REPRESENTATIVE MORALES SHAW: Tony, you've made a hard decision today, but I know that it's one that you've thought out—that you feel good, and it sits in your heart right. I know that because five years ago, when I was a new member, I went down my hall to meet my hall neighbors. And I was fortunate that you were there with your children and your wife, and we had a good conversation. I'm glad we had that conversation that day because ever since then I've known that if Tony got up to the mic—front or back—he has researched, he has thought out, and he has come to a good conclusion about what he's talking about. Therefore, I could always rely on the words that came out of his mouth to be worth considering strongly. You have brought integrity, responsibility, and just thoughtful consideration to this body, and you have been—thank you for making it easy to work with you. You have made the Texas House a better place because of your presence. And I just want to thank you, and thank you for being a friend.

REPRESENTATIVE HARRISON: I just want to say, thank you, Tony Tinderholt. Right here. Give Mrs. Tinderholt a round of applause, please. Let me get right to the point. The State of Texas and the Texas House is better because Tony Tinderholt served in this chamber. And Tony, in front of all these people, I want to say thank you for your contribution to the State of Texas. I've been proud to serve for people alongside you, and I regret that we will not be able to do so in the same capacity moving forward. Thank you, my friend.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTTON: I just want all the members to know that all of us come from different backgrounds, and so it's not a matter of where we are when we come, it's a matter of whether or not we grow. And I will tell you that I watched Tony Tinderholt when he came to this legislature, and now that he's leaving, I think there's a message for all of us. And that is: We should continue to grow. Grow in our jobs and grow in our perspectives. I've watched you do that, Tony. And I just wanted to say thank you on behalf of all the legislators here, because I'm number three in seniority. I've never seen a legislator grow as much as Tony Tinderholt. So with that, let me congratulate you. Let me thank you for setting the pace for all of us here so that we can somehow or another manage to do better for Texas. And I think you've done that, and my hat's off to you. Congratulations to you and your family. And I'll look forward to the next Tony Tinderholt.

TINDERHOLT: Before you leave—I told them I'd keep it short—but I was going to mention you in my speech, and we were trying to keep it shorter. I want to share something really brief. This session I wanted to teach these freshmen to not make some of the same mistakes I maybe made early. You may not remember this. You were going to be in this speech. In my first point of order I ever did, you sat right next to me across the aisle. And you saw me digging for the point of order, and you told me it was Chapter 4, and you eventually even told me what page. And I leaned over to you, and I said, "Why are you doing this for me when you're actually—this is a point of order against stuff that you're supporting?" And you told me, "We're colleagues, and I want you to look smart when you go up there and I beat you." But there's a lesson in that, right? The lesson is—you saw democrats come up; you saw republicans, and the lesson is we are colleagues. We are family. And we're going to fight, and we're going to argue, and then we're going to go in the members' lounge, and we're going to make up. And we're going to come out and maybe argue or be together. But that was one of the very first lessons I learned from you. You taught me how to fight against you. It was a bill that you were going to be up front for that I was calling a point of order. And you taught me and showed me, and you made me look on the right page, and you didn't want me to look silly. So thank you.

DUTTON: Thank you for that, Tony. I just wanted you to grow to be the Tony Tinderholt you are.

TINDERHOLT: Well, thank you. I appreciate you.

DUTTON: Thank you, Tony. Thank you for your service.

TINDERHOLT: Love and respect, everybody. Thank you so much.

REMARKS ORDERED PRINTED

Representative Money moved to print remarks by Representatives Tinderholt, Toth, Schatzline, J. Garcia, J. Jones, Morales Shaw, Harrison, and Dutton.

The motion prevailed.

(Speaker in the chair)

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Wu who introduced Kristy Oliver-Pullings and Yvonne Garcia.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

The chair recognized Representative Wu who addressed the house, speaking as follows:

Members, I know we're going to just slow things down for just a second and do a special recognition. I'm just going to read this to make it a lot easier.

Whereas, Kermit Oliver has greatly distinguished himself through his accomplishments as an artist; and

Whereas, Mr. Oliver was born in 1943 in Refugio, Texas, where his father worked as a cowboy on a cattle ranch. Immersed in nature as a young child, he drew inspiration from his environment to sketch cattle, horses, and South Texas flora and fauna. His talent soon became evident as he grew up. His exposure to fables, Bible stories, mythology, and oral histories further influenced his work; and

Whereas, in 1960, Mr. Oliver enrolled at Texas Southern University, where he became a student of the artist, Dr. John T. Biggers. During that time, he received a Jesse H. Jones and Mary Gibbs Jones Endowed Presidential Scholarship and his work was included in a show at Houston's Courtney Gallery. He married fellow art student Katie Washington in 1962; and

Whereas, after graduating from TSU in 1967 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and an art education degree, Mr. Oliver taught there and at Art League Houston for a time. He went on to become an integral part of the local art scene, with solo exhibitions hosted at the Courtney Gallery and the Dubose Gallery. He was the first African American artist in Houston to be represented by a major commercial gallery. Along the way, he supported himself and his family by working as a mail sorter at the U.S. Post Office—first in Houston, then in Waco, where he moved in 1984. In 2013, after more than three decades with the USPS, he retired and devoted himself full-time to his art; and

Whereas, Mr. Oliver's creations, which he described as painted collages, often portray lush worlds populated by people, animals, and plants that are realistically illustrated but placed in surreal juxtaposition. His work reflected his Texas heritage as well as his interest in mythology, religion, and history. He often combines contemporary and classical elements that result in a style that has been described as symbolic realism. Through the decades, his work has been shown in several solo and group shows and is part of the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. In 2005, he was the subject of a retrospective at the MFAH, and in 2016, his work was showcased at the inaugural exhibit of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.; and

Whereas, among his many accolades, Mr. Oliver was named the 2017 State Two-Dimensional Artist by the Texas Commission on the Arts, and in 2013, he was honored with the first lifetime achievement award from the Art League of Houston. In addition, he was commissioned to create scarves for Hermès, the French fashion house, and he is currently the only American artist to design for that company; and

Whereas, Kermit Oliver has greatly contributed to the vibrant cultural life of the Lone Star State, and Texas is indeed fortunate to be home to this talented individual, now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that the Texas House of Representatives of the 89th Legislature hereby honor Kermit Oliver and extend to him best wishes for his future.

And members, we asked the great artist Kermit Oliver to commission an art piece for us, and for the people of the State of Texas. And we asked him to commission something because as many of us have walked around these hallways, we notice that some of the history that's been made here is missing—that people and events weren't always recorded. We thought that some of that missing history should be corrected. And so with that, on the dais we have Kristy Oliver-Pullings, Mr. Oliver's daughter—and he was going to try to be here today, but he is quite old and could not make it—and Yvonne Garcia of the Hooks-Epstein Galleries of Houston, who helped us coordinate all this. And without further ado, we'll show you—

REPRESENTATIVE GEREN: Members, I've obviously not been here as long as Ms. T, but I will tell you the first time she went to the back mic when I was laying out a bill: I sweated through my suit. And she stayed back there, and stayed back there. But she has taken me under her wing for the entire 25 years that I've been here. And I've learned more from Ms. T than I have anybody. And any of us—all of us—if you will pattern your legislative career after Ms. T, you're going to be a damn fine legislator. Ms. T, it's an honor to be here and to serve with you. And this does not mean you can retire. You cannot. Ms. T, we love you. And we're going to find a very appropriate place, on the house end of the building, to hang this portrait.

REPRESENTATIVE THOMPSON: I'd like to thank each of you for a delightful surprise. Mr. Speaker, thank you. All of my colleagues, thank you so much. I'm really humbled, and I'm honored.

REMARKS ORDERED PRINTED

Representative Simmons moved to print remarks by Representatives Wu, Geren, Thompson, and Speaker Burrows.

The motion prevailed.

BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS SIGNED BY THE SPEAKER

Notice was given at this time that the speaker had signed bills and resolutions in the presence of the house (see the addendum to the daily journal, Signed by the Speaker, House List No. 31).

HCR 172 - ADOPTED
(by Lalani)

The following privileged resolution was laid before the house:

HCR 172

WHEREAS, SB 441 has been adopted by the senate and the house of representatives and is being prepared for enrollment; and

WHEREAS, The bill contains a technical error that should be corrected; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas, That the enrolling clerk of the senate be instructed to make the following correction to the enrolled version of SB 441:

In SECTION 6 of the bill, in added Section 98B.0022(d)(2), Civil Practice and Remedies Code (page 8, line 17), strike "and how to track the status of the request".

HCR 172 was adopted by (Record 4169): 132 Yeas, 0 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

Yeas — Alders; Anchía; Ashby; Barry; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bonnen; Bowers; Bryant; Buckley; Bucy; Button; Cain; Canales; Cole; Collier; Cook; Craddick; Cunningham; Curry; Darby; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dean; Dutton; Dyson; Flores; Frank; Gámez; Garcia, J.; Garcia, L.; Garcia Hernandez; Gates; Gerdes; Geren; Gervin-Hawkins; González, J.; González, M.; Goodwin; Guerra; Guillen; Harless; Harris Davila; Harrison; Hefner; Hernandez; Hickland; Hinojosa; Holt; Hopper; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Isaac; Johnson; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; Kerwin; Kitzman; LaHood; Lalani; Lambert; Landgraf; Leo Wilson; Little; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Louderback; Lowe; Lozano; Lujan; Luther; Manuel; Martinez Fischer; McLaughlin; McQueeney; Metcalf; Meyer; Meza; Money; Morales, C.; Morales, E.; Morales Shaw; Morgan; Muñoz; Noble; Olcott; Oliverson; Ordaz; Orr; Patterson; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Phelan; Pierson; Plesa; Raymond; Reynolds; Richardson; Rodríguez Ramos; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Schofield; Schoolcraft; Shaheen; Shofner; Simmons; Slawson; Smithee; Spiller; Swanson; Talarico; Tepper; Thompson; Tinderholt; Toth; Troxclair; Turner; VanDeaver; Vasut; Villalobos; Virdell; Vo; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Wu; Zwiener.

Present, not voting — Mr. Speaker(C).

Absent, Excused — Allen; Campos; Capriglione; Dorazio; Harris.

Absent — Bhojani; Bumgarner; Cortez; DeAyala; Fairly; Hayes; King; Leach; Martinez; Moody; Paul; Schatzline.

STATEMENT OF VOTE

When Record No. 4169 was taken, my vote failed to register. I would have voted yes.

Fairly

LEAVE OF ABSENCE GRANTED

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

Paul on motion of Frank.

HR 1462 - INTRODUCTION OF GUEST

The chair recognized Representative Tepper who introduced Nadine Craddick.

HR 1502 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Shofner moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1502.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1502, Commending the staff of the Texas Legislative Council for its work during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1502 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Guillen, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1502 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Shofner who introduced the staff of the Texas Legislative Council.

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE

A message from the senate was received at this time (see the addendum to the daily journal, Messages from the Senate, Message No. 3).

HR 1536 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Barry moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1536.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1536, Commending the staff of the Legislative Reference Library for their work during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1536 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Moody, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1536 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Barry who introduced the staff of the Legislative Reference Library.

HR 1510 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Money moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1510.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1510, Commending the employees of the House Business Office for their work during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1510 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Moody, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1510 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Money who introduced the staff of the House Business Office.

HR 1522 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Wharton moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1522.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1522, Commending the staff of the State Preservation Board for their service during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1522 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Moody, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1522 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Wharton who introduced the staff of the State Preservation Board.

HR 1512 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Curry moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1512.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1512, Commending the Legislative Budget Board for its work during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1512 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Moody, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1512 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Curry who introduced the staff of the Legislative Budget Board.

HR 1505 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative McLaughlin moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1505.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1505, Commending Jennifer Teigen Doran and the staff of the House Journal Clerk's Office for their service during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1505 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Moody, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1505 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative McLaughlin who introduced the staff of the House Journal Clerk's Office.

HR 1508 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Villalobos moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1508.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1508, Commending Kara Coffee and the staff of the Office of the House Sergeant-at-Arms for their work during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1508 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Moody, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1508 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Villalobos who introduced the staff of the House Sergeants-at-Arms' Office.

HR 1507 - ADOPTED
(by Geren)

Representative Richardson moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider at this time HR 1507.

The motion prevailed.

The following resolution was laid before the house:

HR 1507, Commending Stephen Brown and the staff of the Chief Clerk's Office for their service during the 89th Legislative Session.

HR 1507 was adopted.

On motion of Representative Moody, the names of all the members of the house were added to HR 1507 as signers thereof.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS

The chair recognized Representative Richardson who introduced the staff of the House Chief Clerk's Office.

MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE

A message from the senate was received at this time (see the addendum to the daily journal, Messages from the Senate, Message No. 4).

SB 293 - RULES SUSPENDED

Representative Leach moved to suspend all necessary rules to take up and consider the conference committee report on SB 293.

The motion prevailed by (Record 4170): 127 Yeas, 15 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

Yeas — Alders; Ashby; Barry; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bhojani; Bowers; Bryant; Bucy; Button; Cain; Canales; Cole; Collier; Cook; Cortez; Craddick; Cunningham; Curry; Darby; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dean; DeAyala; Dutton; Dyson; Fairly; Flores; Frank; Gámez; Garcia, J.; Garcia, L.; Garcia Hernandez; Gates; Geren; Gervin-Hawkins; González, J.; González, M.; Goodwin; Guerra; Guillen; Harless; Harris Davila; Harrison; Hayes; Hefner; Hernandez; Hinojosa; Holt; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Johnson; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; King; Kitzman; LaHood; Lalani; Lambert; Landgraf; Leach; Leo Wilson; Little; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Louderback; Lozano; Lujan; Luther; Manuel; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; McLaughlin; Metcalf; Meyer; Meza; Money; Moody; Morales, C.; Morales, E.; Morales Shaw; Morgan; Muñoz; Noble; Oliverson; Ordaz; Orr; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Phelan; Pierson; Plesa; Raymond; Reynolds; Richardson; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Schatzline; Schofield; Schoolcraft; Shaheen; Shofner; Simmons; Slawson; Smithee; Spiller; Swanson; Talarico; Tepper; Thompson; Tinderholt; Toth; Turner; VanDeaver; Vasut; Villalobos; Virdell; Vo; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Wu; Zwiener.

Nays — Anchía; Bonnen; Buckley; Bumgarner; Gerdes; Hickland; Hopper; Isaac; Kerwin; Lowe; McQueeney; Olcott; Patterson; Rodríguez Ramos; Troxclair.

Present, not voting — Mr. Speaker(C).

Absent, Excused — Allen; Campos; Capriglione; Dorazio; Harris; Paul.

Absent — Lopez, R.

STATEMENT OF VOTE

When Record No. 4170 was taken, I was shown voting yes. I intended to vote no.

Toth

SB 293 - CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT ADOPTED

Representative Leach submitted the conference committee report on SB 293.

Representative Leach moved to adopt the conference committee report on SB 293.

The motion to adopt the conference committee report on SB 293 prevailed by (Record 4171): 114 Yeas, 26 Nays, 4 Present, not voting.

Yeas — Alders; Anchía; Barry; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Bernal; Bhojani; Bowers; Bryant; Bucy; Button; Cain; Canales; Cole; Collier; Cook; Cortez; Craddick; Cunningham; Darby; Davis, A.; Davis, Y.; Dean; DeAyala; Dutton; Dyson; Fairly; Flores; Frank; Gámez; Garcia, J.; Garcia, L.; Garcia Hernandez; Geren; Gervin-Hawkins; González, J.; González, M.; Goodwin; Guerra; Harless; Harris Davila; Hayes; Hernandez; Hinojosa; Holt; Howard; Hull; Hunter; Johnson; Jones, J.; Jones, V.; King; Kitzman; LaHood; Lalani; Lambert; Landgraf; Leach; Little; Longoria; Lopez, J.; Lopez, R.; Louderback; Lozano; Lujan; Manuel; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; McLaughlin; Meyer; Meza; Money; Moody; Morales, C.; Morales, E.; Morales Shaw; Muñoz; Noble; Oliverson; Ordaz; Orr; Perez, M.; Perez, V.; Phelan; Plesa; Reynolds; Richardson; Rodríguez Ramos; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Schatzline; Schoolcraft; Shaheen; Shofner; Simmons; Smithee; Spiller; Swanson; Talarico; Tepper; Thompson; Tinderholt; Turner; VanDeaver; Villalobos; Virdell; Vo; Walle; Ward Johnson; Wharton; Wilson; Wu; Zwiener.

Nays — Ashby; Bonnen; Buckley; Bumgarner; Curry; Gates; Gerdes; Guillen; Harrison; Hefner; Hickland; Hopper; Isaac; Kerwin; Leo Wilson; Lowe; Luther; McQueeney; Metcalf; Olcott; Patterson; Raymond; Schofield; Slawson; Toth; Troxclair.

Present, not voting — Mr. Speaker(C); Morgan; Pierson; Vasut.

Absent, Excused — Allen; Campos; Capriglione; Dorazio; Harris; Paul.

The conference committee report on SB 293 was returned to the senate for further action.

STATEMENT OF VOTE

When Record No. 4171 was taken, I was shown voting yes. I intended to vote no.

Tinderholt

REASONS FOR VOTE

Representative Buckley submitted the following reason for vote to be printed in the journal:

I voted against the conference committee report on SB 293, the proposed judicial pay raise. Under the current system, such a raise will directly increase my own pension. While I respect the importance of fair compensation for members of the judiciary, I believe it is inappropriate to support any measure that results in a personal financial benefit. Public service demands that we prioritize transparency, integrity, and the public interest above all. For that reason, I could not in good conscience support this legislation.

Representative Cook submitted the following reason for vote to be printed in the journal:

Judicial pay and retirement annuities are matters of critical importance to the integrity of our state's judicial system. The legislature has not raised the base pay for district judges since 2013 (total inflation since 2013–34.5 percent), a failure we must urgently address. This long-standing inaction undermines the strength of our judiciary.

I submit this statement into the House Journal to affirm my unequivocal support for increasing judicial pay and to voice my firm opposition to any corresponding increase in legislative pensions as a result of the passage of SB 293.

As Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock noted in his 2025 State of the Judiciary Address, Texas ranks 48 out of 50 states in compensation for district judges. This dismal ranking threatens our ability to attract and retain highly-qualified judicial officers to not only administer justice, but ensure public safety, in our co-equal branch of government.

While I voted aye on SB 293, to increase the starting salary of district judges to $175,000 (this increase in compensation only takes our judges from 48 of 50 states, to the mid 30s out of 50 states), the bill passed with legislator pensions still coupled to the compensation of district judges until 2030. While I am encouraged that the two will ultimately be decoupled, I urge my colleagues to continue this discussion related to legislative pensions with the Texas Ethics Commission through the interim and into the 90th Legislative Session.

In the meantime, I hereby commit to working with the Employees Retirement System (ERS) of Texas to ensure that my pension is NOT indexed to the new $175,000 annual base salary for district judges established by the bill, instead that it continues to be indexed under current law. In the event it is not possible for ERS to keep my retirement benefit under current law, my wife Tonya Cook and I hereby commit to donate any increase that results from the passage of SB 293 to Mission Arlington and/or Mansfield Mission Center.

Representative Hickland submitted the following reason for vote to be printed in the journal:

While I understand the urgent need to increase judicial pay to attract and retain qualified judges, I voted no because I do not believe the legislative pensions should be tied to judicial salaries. Any discussion about pensions for lawmakers should be a separate conversation, addressed on its own merits and at a more appropriate time. I could not, in good conscience, support a measure that would result in increasing legislative pensions.

Representatives Hopper and Olcott submitted the following reason for vote to be printed in the journal:

Whereas I fully support a pay increase for our judges and have voted twice for such an increase in the house version of SB 293, I cannot support the conference committee report that includes an increase in my own pension. Additionally, while I support decoupling the legislative pension from judicial compensation, I oppose a wholesale transfer of our legislative authority on this matter to the bureaucracy of the Texas Ethics Commission.

Representative Pierson submitted the following reason for vote to be printed in the journal:

When SB 293 came to the house, I supported Representative Leach's amendment to decouple legislative pensions from judicial pay increases—and I voted for the bill with that safeguard in place. Unfortunately, the senate has since removed that provision. While I fully support raising judicial salaries, I cannot in good conscience vote for a measure that would increase my own pension. I came here to serve, not to enrich myself.

Representative Vasut submitted the following reason for vote to be printed in the journal:

I believe every vote on the conference committee report for SB 293 is equally defensible. I personally decided to vote PNV. I strongly believe our judges need a pay raise—the major thrust of the bill, which is why I did not vote nay. I oppose keeping the 25 percent increase in judicial pay in the conference committee report for SB 293 linked to legislator pensions this year, which is the only reason I did not vote aye. The only way I believed I could effectively communicate this position on the voting board was to vote present, not voting.

(Patterson in the chair)

SUSPENSION
CONGRATULATORY AND MEMORIAL CALENDAR

The following congratulatory resolutions were laid before the house:

HR 1478 (by Smithee), Commemorating the centennial of Route 66.

HR 1479 (by Villalobos), Congratulating Isaac Cancio of Corpus Christi on his participation in the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

HR 1480 (by Noble), Congratulating Matt Russell on his retirement as principal of Allen High School.

HR 1482 (by Anchía), Commending Kate Tucker for her service as a legislative aide in the office of State Representative Rafael Anchía.

HR 1483 (by Anchía), Commending Nia Nickens for her service as a PowerHouse Texas energy policy fellow in the office of State Representative Rafael Anchía.

HR 1484 (by Anchía), Commending Hrishi Marakani for her service as a Texas Legislative Internship Program fellow in the office of State Representative Rafael Anchía.

HR 1485 (by Anchía), Commending Ginny Mendez for her service as a Mexican American Legislative Leadership Fellow in the office of State Representative Rafael Anchía.

HR 1486 (by Anchía), Commending Jake Broyles for his service as a communications aide in the office of State Representative Rafael Anchía.

HR 1487 (by Anchía), Commending Kendall Meachum on her service as a legislative aide in the office of State Representative Rafael Anchía.

HR 1488 (by Allen), Congratulating The University of Texas rugby club on winning the 2025 Lonestar Conference 7s state championship.

HR 1489 (by Garcia Hernandez), Commending Maria Froemming for her service as district director in the office of State Representative Cassandra Garcia Hernandez.

HR 1490 (by Bucy), Congratulating Penfold Theatre Company in Round Rock on its inaugural season in its new performing arts venue.

HR 1493 (by C. Bell), Commending the staff of State Representative Cecil Bell Jr. for their exemplary service.

HR 1497 (by Morgan), Commending MeLissa Nemecek for her 30 years of service to the Texas House of Representatives.

HR 1516 (by Noble), Commending the Honorable Henry Lessner for his service as mayor of Fairview.

HR 1517 (by Dyson), Congratulating the Dixie Chicken in College Station on receiving a Texas Treasure Business Award from the Texas Historical Commission.

HR 1518 (by Dyson), Commemorating the 100th anniversary of Martin's Place in Bryan.

HR 1520 (by Darby), Commemorating the 20th anniversary of the West Texas Legislative Summit and commending the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce for hosting the event.

HR 1521 (by Patterson), Congratulating Jack Baxley on his retirement as vice president of governmental affairs for TEXO, The Construction Association.

HR 1524 (by Geren), Congratulating Gary Calfee on his retirement as an attorney.

HR 1525 (by Dutton), Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the community of Barrett.

HR 1529 (by Cortez), Congratulating State Representative Ryan Guillen and State Representative Richard Peña Raymond on becoming the longest-serving desk mates in the history of the Texas House.

HR 1530 (by Canales), Commemorating the 2025 Harvest Christian Academy BBQ Cook Off in Edinburg.

HR 1531 (by Dyson), Honoring former state representative Kyle Kacal for his service to the Texas House of Representatives.

HR 1532 (by K. Bell), Congratulating the Trinity Valley Community College cheer team on winning the Advanced Small Coed Junior College Division championship at the 2025 NCA & NDA College Nationals.

HR 1533 (by Rodríguez Ramos), Congratulating Diego Narro on his graduation from the University of North Texas.

HR 1535 (by Toth), Commending Ben Cooper for his service as a policy analyst in the office of State Representative Steve Toth.

HR 1537 (by Villalobos), Congratulating the Calallen High School softball team on winning the 2025 UIL 4A Division 1 state championship.

HR 1538 (by Ashby), Honoring Crockett city attorney Donna Gordon Kaspar for her professional accomplishments.

HR 1539 (by Curry), Commending Abby Wells for her service as chief of staff in the office of State Representative Tom Craddick.

HR 1540 (by Curry), Commending Jenna Harlan for her service as legislative director in the office of State Representative Pat Curry.

HR 1541 (by Curry), Commending Ethan Surdy for his service as a legislative aide in the office of State Representative Pat Curry.

HR 1542 (by Curry), Commending Ashley Walter for her service as chief of staff in the office of State Representative Pat Curry.

HR 1544 (by V. Perez), Commending Mark Chavez for his service as a policy analyst in the office of State Representative Vincent Perez.

The resolutions were adopted.

The following memorial resolutions were laid before the house:

HR 1481 (by Toth), In memory of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.

HR 1492 (by Flores), In memory of Antonio Gonzales of Austin.

HR 1494 (by C. Bell), In memory of Joshua Daniel King of Weatherford.

HR 1498 (by Villalobos), In memory of Godfrey Vela of Corpus Christi.

HR 1500 (by Bucy), In memory of the Reverend Henry Lee Pendergrass of Midland.

HR 1526 (by Dutton), In memory of José Griñán, former broadcast journalist for FOX 26 Houston.

HR 1527 (by Dutton), In memory of the Reverend Dr. Byrd Lacey Jr. of Houston.

HR 1534 (by Isaac), In memory of Terrin Allan Solbrig of New Braunfels.

HR 1543 (by Toth), In memory of Dave Welch.

The resolutions were unanimously adopted by a rising vote.

(Speaker in the chair)

PROVIDING FOR ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE

At 3:52 p.m., Representative Moody moved that, at the conclusion of the receipt of messages from the senate, the signing of bills and resolutions, and the completion of administrative tasks, the house stand adjourned sine die.

The motion prevailed.

BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS SIGNED BY THE SPEAKER

Notice was given at this time that the speaker had signed bills and resolutions in the presence of the house (see the addendum to the daily journal, Signed by the Speaker, House List No. 32).

HOUSE AT EASE

At 3:53 p.m., the chair announced that the house would stand at ease.

The chair called the house to order at 5:11 p.m.

BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS SIGNED BY THE SPEAKER

Notice was given at this time that the speaker had signed bills and resolutions in the presence of the house (see the addendum to the daily journal, Signed by the Speaker, Senate List Nos. 34 and 37).

ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE

In accordance with a previous motion, Speaker Burrows, at 5:12 p.m., pronounced the House of Representatives of the Regular Session of the Eighty-Ninth Legislature adjourned sine die.

ADDENDUM

REFERRED TO COMMITTEES

The following bills and joint resolutions were today laid before the house, read first time, and referred to committees, and the following resolutions were today laid before the house and referred to committees. If indicated, the chair today corrected the referral of the following measures:

List No. 1

HR 1531 (By Dyson), Honoring former state representative Kyle Kacal for his service to the Texas House of Representatives.