88TH TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION

TLC RECORD TEXAS LEGISLATURE 2023

TLC IS ON RECORD “FOR” THE BILLS BELOW:
HB 4532 by Kacal and SB 2397 by Zaffirini SB 2540 by Blanco – NOT PASSED –
HB 4532 PASSED BY HOUSE. SENATE CHAIR PERRY WOULD NOT ALLOW A HEARING. Would require groundwater conservation districts to consider the maximum amount of groundwater that may be produced annually from an aquifer in perpetuity.
HB 376 by Rogers – NOT PASSED – Adds to the landowner’s bill of rights under eminent domain, that a report of the decreased value of a remaining portion of a condemned tract of land must be submitted to appraisal districts.
HJR 126 by Burns – PASSED – Constitutional amendment protecting the right to engage in agricultural land use.
HB 1750 by Burns Hearing – PASSED – Protects farms from unreasonable city ordinances that would prohibit farming within city limits.
SB 434 By Middleton – DID NOT PASS – Puts the burden on parties asserting private beach property to be subject to public access to prove the public has a right of access. WAS NOT ALLOWED A HEARING.
SB 175 – DID NOT PASS – Prohibits a political subdivision from spending public funds for lobbying. PASSED BY SENATE, KILLED BY HOUSE – NO HEARING IN HOUSE
SB 929 by Parker – PASSED – Provides that a landowner must be allowed to continue an existing land use where a zoning change would cause the use to be non-conforming, or compensate the owner for damages if not allowed to continue the use. 
HB 267 By Murr – DID NOT PASS – Creates a Joint interim committee to study, review, and report to the legislature on the methods and procedures of appraising agricultural land for ad valorem tax purposes. KILLED BY HOUSE COMMITTEE
TLC SUPPORTED BILLS BELOW BUT IS NOT ON RECORD:
HB 73 – By Murr – PASSED – Provides a landowner will not be liable for damages involving livestock due to an act of a firefighter, peace officer, or trespasser, such as damaging a fence.
SB 2 by Hughes, Bettencourt, Springer – DID NOT PASS – changes the penalty for election fraud from a misdemeanor to a state jail felony.
HB 2018 by Munoz – DID NOT PASS – Requires a land development application to be approved, or denied within 30 days.
TLC SUPPORTED THE BILLS BELOW, BUT HAD NO OPPORTUNITY TO GET ON RECORD BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT GIVEN A HEARING.
HB 39 by Murr, HB 222 by Slaton, HB 397 Goldman – DID NOT PASS – changes the penalty for election fraud from a misdemeanor to a state jail felony.
HB 2123 by Leo – Wilson – DID NOT PASS – enacts the penalty of state jail felony for a registrar who fails to require proof of citizen ship for an applicant registering to vote.
HB 3538 by Troxclair – DID NOT PASS – Prohibits a political subdivision from spending public funds for lobbying.
SB 201 by Eckhardt – DID NOT PASS – Requires damages from condemnation to be based on the value of the land without the conservation easement. Applying to land subject to a conservation easement.
HB 695 by Rogers – DID NOT PASS – Prohibits use of eminent domain for wind power.
HB 634 by Lozano – DID NOT PASS – Changes the number of years land must be devoted to agricultural use from five to two, to be “Qualified open-space land” under Section 23.51 tax code.
HJR 28 by Schofield – DID NOT PASS – Constitutional amendment to repeal additional tax on agricultural use land when use changes.
HB 449 by Schofield – DID NOT PASS – Repeals additional tax on agricultural use land when the use changes.
HB 145 by Vasut – DID NOT PASS – Limits increasing appraised value for property tax to 3.5%.