State
BY COLBY FARR, HANNAH JOHNSON & ALEX REECE
5 legislative updates from North Texas lawmakers
State lawmakers have finished filing all bills three months into the 2025 legislative session. Hundreds of bills have been assigned to committees—where lawmakers are reviewing legislation and hearing public testimony. The Texas Senate has passed bills that are headed to the Texas House for consideration. These legislative proposals could become law if passed by both chambers and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. 1 Bills aim to moderate DART’s sales tax revenue A pair of bills filed in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives aim to moderate sales tax collections by Dallas Area Rapid Transit. Senate Bill 1557, filed Feb. 21, was authored by Sens. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, Brent Hagenbuch, R-Denton, and Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound. It was referred to the Senate’s Transportation Committee on March 6. An identical bill, House Bill 3187, was filed by Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, on Feb. 21. If approved, the bills would mandate that 25% of DART’s sales tax revenue is made available to its member cities for general mobility improvements including sidewalk and streetlight maintenance. Member cities would provide a list of projects the funding would be used for. The bills would also cut DART’s sales tax collection rate by a quarter- cent and enable cities to call a withdrawal election every three years instead of six.
3 Frisco lawmaker’s social media bill still in committee House Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, filed House Bill 186 on Nov. 12. The bill would require age verification for all social media platforms and prevent anyone under the age of 18 from creating an account. Parents would also be able to request a social media company delete their child’s data and information. The bill was left pending in committee March 19, but it could be discussed at a future date.
5 Amended library advisory council bill passes the Texas Senate Senate Bill 13 was sent to the Texas House of Representatives after senators approved an amended version March 19. The bill would mandate the formation of a local school library advisory council to assist school district officials in managing the school library’s material catalogue. The council would be made up of local community members appointed by the school district’s board of trustees. 2 Bill requiring the Ten Command- ments in Texas classrooms passes in the Senate Senate Bill 10 is headed for the Texas House of Representatives after receiving Senate approval March 19. The bill would require all public elementary and secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom. It also mandates the display must be a poster or framed copy that is at least 20 inches tall and 16 inches wide and in a size “legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the classroom,” according to the bill. SB 10 was filed Feb. 10 and co-authored by Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, and multiple North Texas senators. “SB 10 will remind students all across Texas of the importance of a fundamental foundation of American and Texas law—the Ten Commandments,” King wrote in a bill analysis. SB 10 was received by the House of Representatives for consideration March 20. If signed into law, it would go into effect for the 2025-26 school year.
4 Filed bill would require grief instruction at public schools
Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, filed Senate Bill 2691 on March 13. If passed into the law, school districts would require students between grades 8-12 to complete instruction related to recognizing and coping with grief.
1 in 26 kids in Texas experienced the death of a parent or sibling between 2018-2022.
SOURCE: JUDI'S HOUSE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
“The purpose of this bill, clear and simple, is to protect our children from sexually explicit material.” SEN. ANGELA PAXTON, R-MCKINNEY
How much each DART member city contributes in sales tax collections
Dallas: $407.8M
Senators voted to amend the bill on the floor before the final vote. The bill was amended to specify the advisory council shall meet at least twice a year and any other times as necessary complete its duties.
Other cities: $265.3M Plano: $109.6M Richardson: $56.9M
SOURCE: DALLAS AREA RAPID TRANSIT/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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