(Tuesday, August 12, 2025)

The Senate met at 11:36 a.m. pursuant to adjournment and was called to order by President Pro Tempore Ad Interim Perry.

The roll was called and the following Senators were present:  Alvarado, Bettencourt, Birdwell, Blanco, Campbell, Cook, Creighton, Eckhardt, Flores, Gutierrez, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, Johnson, King, Kolkhorst, Menéndez, Middleton, Miles, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks, West, Zaffirini.

The President Pro Tempore announced that a quorum of the Senate was present.

Senator A. Hinojosa offered the invocation as follows:

Our heavenly Father, we come to You today with gratitude in our hearts, thankful for the opportunity to serve You through our work here on the Senate floor. And while we know we are all called here to do Your work, we know that and we understand that we serve millions of Texans throughout our great state, and we don't take that responsibility lightly, Father. So, we come to You today, asking for Your wisdom, for Your knowledge, for Your understanding. We ask that You grant each and every one of us a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong and to govern in accordance to Your will. Father, we ask that You surround this Capitol with Your legion of angels protecting us, blessing every person who walks through these doors. Also, please keep and protect our families and loved ones who await our safe arrival back home. And, Father, most of all, we thank You for the promise You have given us, the salvation that Your son, our lord and savior, Jesus Christ, and it is in His name that we pray these things to You today. Amen.

Senator Zaffirini moved that the reading of the Journal of the proceedings of the previous day be dispensed with and the Journal be approved as printed.

The motion prevailed without objection.

At the request of Senator Eckhardt, the Senate observed a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the shooting at Target in Austin yesterday.

The President Pro Tempore announced that the introduction of bills and resolutions on first reading would be postponed until the end of today's calendar.

There was no objection.

On motion of Senator Huffman and by unanimous consent, Senate Rule 7.12(a) was suspended and the committee report for SB 3 was ordered not printed.

The President Pro Tempore at 11:50 a.m. announced the conclusion of morning call.

Senator King moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration SB 4 at this time on its second reading:

SB 4, Relating to the composition of the districts for the election of members of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Texas.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 19, Nays 2.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Nays:  J. Hinojosa, Zaffirini.

Absent:  Alvarado, Blanco, Cook, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by the following vote:  Yeas 19, Nays 2. (Same as previous roll call)

Senator King moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 4 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 19, Nays 2.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Nays:  J. Hinojosa, Zaffirini.

Absent:  Alvarado, Blanco, Cook, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 19, Nays 2. (Same as previous roll call)

Senators Blanco and J. Hinojosa submitted the following reason for vote on SB 4:

Today, the Texas Senate passed S.B. 4, a mid-decade redistricting bill that departs from the long-standing practice of redrawing political boundaries only once per decade following the U.S. Census. This not only undermines a tradition designed to ensure fair and stable representation, but also threatens the core principle that voters should choose their representatives — not representatives choosing their voters.

The U.S. Constitution established the U.S. House of Representatives as the chamber in which every person's vote has equal weight. Unlike the U.S. Senate where tiny states have the same apportionment of two senators as large states, seats in the U.S. Congress are apportioned by population after each constitutionally required decennial Census. The founders of our nation, and of our state, expected majorities in stable congressional districts to pick every two years a person who most accurately represents them throughout the decade.

While they were not naive about the selfish ambitions of politicians (see Federalist 59), they never imagined those same politicians would be so craven as to redraw their districts any time they wanted throughout the decade, capturing their friendliest voters and discarding the dissenters, shielding themselves from policy opposition or the political consequences of an election.

The process we know as reapportionment is the shuffling of the deck at the beginning of the decade, necessary to keep up with the growth and changing demographics of states like ours. This is what our Constitution envisions—a transparent process on a regular timeline. What the writers of this bill have designed is something altogether different: stacking the deck mid-decade to achieve short-term gain. Stacking the deck mid-decade is cheating.

Our constituents are asking us to focus on urgent challenges — helping families recover from the devastating floods in Central Texas, and addressing the rising cost of groceries, housing, and insurance. That is where our attention should be.

BLANCO

J. HINOJOSA

Senators Eckhardt, Alvarado, Cook, Gutierrez, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, and Zaffirini submitted the following reason for vote on SB 4:

Texans should mark the passage of these maps as the beginning of the end of voters choosing their representatives. Politicians in power are cherry-picking their friendliest voters in time to rig the 2026 midterm elections, keeping control of the U.S. House of Representatives, so they can continue catering exclusively to their corporate donors over serving the people who elected them.

The U.S. Constitution established the U.S. House of Representatives as the chamber in which every person's vote has equal weight. Unlike the U.S. Senate where tiny states have the same apportionment of two senators as large states, seats in the U.S. Congress are apportioned by population after each constitutionally required decennial Census. The founders of our nation, and of our state, expected majorities in stable congressional districts to pick every two years a person who most accurately represents them throughout the decade.

While they were not naive about the selfish ambitions of politicians (see Federalist 59), they never imagined those same politicians would be so craven as to redraw their districts any time they wanted throughout the decade, capturing their friendliest voters and discarding the dissenters, shielding themselves from policy opposition or the political consequences of an election.

The process we know as reapportionment is the shuffling of the deck at the beginning of the decade, necessary to keep up with the growth and changing demographics of states like ours. This is what our Constitution envisions—a transparent process on a regular timeline. What the writers of this bill have designed is something altogether different: stacking the deck mid-decade to achieve short term gain. Stacking the deck mid-decade is cheating.

In placing this stacking of the deck mid-decade ahead of the immediate need of Texans recovering from a devastating flood, Governor Abbott has made clear his fealty is not to his constituents but rather to whoever the sitting president is of his own party. Power cannot be for power's sake; it must be about doing something greater. And the greater good the Governor is failing to address is meeting the call of Texans who say they need quality public education and access to healthcare. Texans need solutions to rising costs of groceries, housing and insurance. Rigging the midterm elections shields the Republican Party from the political consequences of their economically disastrous tariffs and the massive shifting of wealth to the already wealthy at the expense of every other American.

This special session and every session should be about expanding security and opportunity for all Texans through policies that reward personal responsibility, hard work and fair play. This special session has instead protected and even rewarded irresponsibility, greed and cheating.

Senators Zaffirini and J. Hinojosa submitted the following reason for vote on SB 4:

We voted against SB 4 because we strongly oppose this untimely and unfair mid-term redistricting.

Because the bill is unlikely to be passed by the House of Representatives during the first special session and likely will be considered anew during the second, we reserved our right to ask our extensive questions and to make our statements of opposition at that time.

ZAFFIRINI

J. HINOJOSA

Senator Hughes moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration SB 6 at this time on its second reading:

SB 6, Relating to abortion, including civil liability for the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs, exemptions from the Texas Citizens Participation Act and Religious Freedom Restoration Act, authorizing civil and qui tam actions, amendments to the fee-shifting statute governing abortion litigation, immunity defenses and limits on state-court jurisdiction and relief, the parens patriae standing of the attorney general, and the jurisdiction of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals; providing for severability.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 9, Present-not voting 1.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, J. Hinojosa, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West, Zaffirini.

Present-not voting:  Nichols.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 9, Present-not voting 1. (Same as previous roll call)

Senator Hughes moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 6 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

Strict enforcement was requested by Senator Kolkhorst.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 2, Present-not voting 1.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Nays:  J. Hinojosa, Zaffirini.

Present-not voting:  Nichols.

Absent:  Alvarado, Blanco, Cook, Eckhardt, Gutierrez, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 9, Present-not voting 1.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, J. Hinojosa, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West, Zaffirini.

Present-not voting:  Nichols.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Alvarado submitted the following reason for vote on SB 6:

Senate Bill 6 is a sweeping, aggressive and dangerous attempt to strip Texans of access to safe, trusted and necessary medical care—care that has been regulated and relied upon for decades.

This bill does not bring safety. It does not bring compassion. It brings fear, confusion and—yes, even in this state—unprecedented government intrusion into the most personal parts of our lives.

For over 20 years, mifepristone and misoprostol have been FDA-approved and proven to be among the safest medications available—safer than penicillin or Viagra. These drugs are critical not only for abortion care but also for treating miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, maternal hemorrhage, and serious medical conditions from endometriosis to cancer.

Yet S.B. 6 defines "abortion-inducing drugs" so broadly that it captures these medications in virtually all contexts. Under this bill, the label "abortion-inducing" hinges not on chemistry or FDA guidance but on the provider's "intent." That means doctors, pharmacists and nurses could face lawsuits for prescribing or dispensing these drugs—even when used for clearly non-abortion purposes.

Last session, the Legislature passed S.B. 31—the Life of the Mother Act—with overwhelming bipartisan support. It brought clarity to six chapters of the code, ensuring that in a medical emergency, providers could act quickly without fear of legal jeopardy.

S.B. 6 dismantles that progress. Where S.B. 31 placed the burden on the state to prove wrongdoing, S.B. 6 shifts the burden onto providers, forcing them to defend themselves in court. Where S.B. 31 protected medical teams acting together, S.B. 6 reopens the door to liability for every link in the chain—from doctor to pharmacist to hospital.

The result will be predictable: delayed care, denied care, and physicians second-guessing life-saving treatment for fear of lawsuits and criminal penalties—the very problem S.B. 31 was meant to solve.

S.B. 6 is not limited to our borders. Like S.B. 2880, it embraces the "bounty hunter" model first seen in S.B. 8—inviting anyone—anywhere—to sue for $100,000, even without a connection to the case.

Worse, these measures work hand-in-hand with efforts to revive Texas's 1925 abortion ban—a law that did not exclude pregnant women from prosecution and criminalized "furnishing the means" for an abortion. Together, these measures threaten to criminalize helping someone travel for legal care in another state, undermining the constitutional right to travel and giving abusers a new tool to control survivors.

S.B. 6 is riddled with over 50 "notwithstanding any other law" provisions—a recipe for conflicting statutes and years of litigation. In the meantime, the confusion will cause:

Manufacturers to halt shipments of critical medications to Texas.

Hospitals to pull life-saving drugs from crash carts.

Doctors to delay or deny care in emergencies.

Patients to be left without help in their most vulnerable moments.

Whether lawsuits succeed or not, the threat alone will isolate pregnant Texans, deter support, and erode public trust in our medical and legal systems.

Behind every provision is a human story:

A woman hemorrhaging after childbirth, waiting for a drug locked in legal limbo.

A survivor of sexual assault, forced to carry a pregnancy without options.

A family facing a fatal fetal diagnosis, told there is no safe care available in Texas.

S.B. 6 closes the door on them all. History has shown that banning safe abortion methods does not end abortion—it ends safe abortion and endangers lives.

S.B. 31 proved we can protect life while providing clarity in the law. S.B. 6 erases that clarity and replaces it with confusion, fear and overreach.

We must reject S.B. 6. Our duty is to safeguard health, not endanger it; to ensure compassion, not cruelty, defines our laws.

S.B. 6 does not protect life—it puts it at risk.

ALVARADO

Senator King moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 14 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 14, Relating to certain files maintained by a law enforcement agency regarding certain employees of the agency.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 19, Nays 9.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, J. Hinojosa, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West, Zaffirini.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read second time.

Senator J. Hinojosa offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 14 (senate committee report) in SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 1701.45351(c), Occupations Code (page 1, lines 35 through 38), by striking "any letter, memorandum, or document relating to the license holder not included in a personnel file maintained as required under a policy adopted under Section 1701.4535, including".

The amendment to CSSB 14 was read and failed of adoption by the following vote:  Yeas 9, Nays 19.

Yeas:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, J. Hinojosa, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

CSSB 14 was passed to engrossment by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 10.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Hall, J. Hinojosa, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West, Zaffirini.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

On motion of Senator Eckhardt and by unanimous consent, her remarks with Senator King regarding CSSB 14 were ordered reduced to writing and printed in the Senate Journal as follows:

President:  Senator Eckhardt, what purpose?

Senator Eckhardt:  To ask questions of the author.

President:  Do you yield?

Senator King:  Certainly.

Senator Eckhardt:  Thank you so much, Senator. And I believe that you have covered this, but I just want to make crystal clear, the provision on the very first page, lines 1, page 1, line 53 and 54, A department file maintained under this section is subject to disclosure only as required by law. And you laid that out really nicely, I deeply appreciate that. I want to be very specific with regard to meet and confer. Is it your intention that disclosure required under an existing meet and confer agreement is protected by that language in your bill?

Senator King:  Yes.

Senator Eckhardt:  That's awesome. And also, under the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 143, meet and confer agreements may modify that chapter. And so, is it also, is that also an example of law that might be required, that might require disclosure of the departmental personnel file for a meet and confer agreement that comes after this bill's passage?

Senator King:  So, and Austin is a 143 city, and 143 does state that the meet and confer agreements entered into supersede certain areas of the law, and it would also supersede this.

Senator Eckhardt:  So, just to be clear—

Senator King:  So, if they, if their current agreement, whatever it says today, would be the law in place. In other words, it would be the directive. What they might negotiate in a future meet and confer agreement could change that, but if it did, it would still fall under 143, and it would still fall completely under the Model Act. So, yes, for today it's not going to change. I'm sorry, I'm kind of thinking out loud. But for today, it's not going to change anything that's in Austin's current meet and confer agreement between the city and the police officers' association.

Senator Eckhardt:  And just to be clear, it, this provision, would not affect meet and confer that currently exists or meet and concur negotiated under 143 after this bill passes?

Senator King:  Yes, that's absolutely correct.

Senator Eckhardt:  Thank you so much for clarifying that. And I would request that my exchange, that our exchange, be reduced to writing.

On motion of Senator Perry and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 1 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 1, Relating to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery; requiring a license; authorizing fees.

The bill was read second time.

Senator Perry offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 1 (senate committee report) as follows:

(1)  Strike SECTION 1 from the bill, amending Article 49.04, Code of Criminal Procedure (page 1, lines 24 through 39).

(2)  Strike SECTION 3 from the bill, amending Article 49A.053, Code of Criminal Procedure, as added by H.B. 1610, Acts of the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025, and effective April 1, 2027 (page 1, line 56, through page 2, line 12).

(3)  In SECTION 9 of the bill, in added Section 418.1015(g), Government Code (page 4, line 40), strike "may" and substitute "shall".

(4)  In the recital to SECTION 10 of the bill, amending Section 418.106, Government Code (page 4, line 43), strike "and (f)" and substitute ", (f), and (g)".

(5)  In SECTION 10 of the bill, in added Section 418.106(f), Government Code (page 4, line 49), strike "Each" and substitute "Except as provided by Subsection (g), each".

(6)  In SECTION 10 of the bill, immediately after added Section 418.106(f), Government Code (page 4, between lines 52 and 53), insert the following:

(7)  In SECTION 12 of the bill, strike added Section 418.484, Government Code (page 7, lines 9 through 22), and substitute the following:

(8)  In SECTION 12 of the bill, in added Section 418.485(a), Government Code (page 7, line 24) strike "(a)".

(9)  In SECTION 12 of the bill, in added Section 418.485, Government Code, strike Subsection (b) of that section (page 7, lines 28 through 30).

(10)  In SECTION 12 of the bill, immediately after added Section 418.489, Government Code (page 7, between lines 53 and 54), insert the following:

(11)  In SECTION 25 of the bill, in added Section 762.001, Health and Safety Code, strike Subdivision (3) of that section (page 10, lines 63 through 68), and substitute the following:

(12)  In SECTION 28 of the bill, creating a statewide meteorological data monitoring work group, strike Subsections (b)(5), (6), and (7) (page 12, lines 7 through 11), and substitute the following:

(5)  the Center for Water and the Environment at The University of Texas at Austin;

(6)  the Water Engineering Research Center at The University of Texas at Arlington;

(7)  the office of the state climatologist; and

(8)  the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center at Rice University.

(13)  Renumber the SECTIONS of the bill accordingly.

The amendment to CSSB 1 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 1 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Blanco offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 1 (senate committee report) in SECTION 8 of the bill, in amended Section 418.005, Government Code, by striking Subsections (a) and (b) (page 3, line 56, through page 4, line 11) and substituting the following:

(a)  This section applies only to:

(1)  an elected law enforcement officer [or county judge,] or an appointed public officer of the state or of a political subdivision, who has management or supervisory responsibilities and:

(A)  whose position description, job duties, or assignment includes emergency management responsibilities; or

(B)  who plays a role in emergency preparedness, response, or recovery; [and]

(2)  an emergency management coordinator designated under Section 418.1015(c);

(5)  a mayor of a municipality that is not covered by a county's hazard mitigation plan [by the emergency management director of a county with a population of 500,000 or more].

(b)  Each person described by Subsection (a) shall complete a course of training provided or approved by the division of not less than 16 [three] hours regarding the responsibilities of state and local governments under this chapter every two years. The initial course of training must be completed not later than the 180th day after the date the person:

(1)  takes the oath of office, if the person is required to take an oath of office to assume the person's duties as a public officer;

(2)  otherwise assumes responsibilities as a public officer, if the person is not required to take an oath of office to assume the person's duties; or

(3)  is designated as an emergency management coordinator under Section 418.1015(c).

The amendment to CSSB 1 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 2 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Flores offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 1 (senate committee report) in SECTION 25 of the bill, in added Chapter 762, Health and Safety Code, as follows:

(1)  Strike Section 762.001(1) (page 10, lines 55 through 59), and substitute the following:

(2)  Immediately following Section 762.001(3) (page 10, between lines 68 and 69), insert the following:

(3)  Immediately following Section 762.002 (page 11, between lines 26 and 27), insert the following:

The amendment to CSSB 1 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 1 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Kolkhorst offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend CSSB 1 (senate committee report) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS to the bill and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  Chapter 141, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Section 141.0091 to read as follows:

Sec. 141.0091.  EMERGENCY EVACUATION PLAN. (a) The executive commissioner by rule may require a youth camp operator in the emergency evacuation plan the operator develops for a youth camp as required under Section 762.002 to:

(2)  establish procedures to identify and account for each camper affected by the emergency; and

(3)  establish procedures to notify and communicate with:

(A)  local emergency management services, including the emergency management director or emergency management coordinator designated under Section 418.1015, Government Code, by the political subdivision within which the camp is located;

(B)  camp administrative and medical services staff; and

SECTION ____.  Not later than May 1, 2026, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission shall adopt the rules necessary to implement Section 141.0091, Health and Safety Code, as added by this Act.

The amendment to CSSB 1 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 4 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

CSSB 1 as amended was passed to engrossment without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Perry moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 1 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

Senator Eckhardt submitted the following reason for vote on CSSB 1:

FEMA's National Incident Management System teaches that emergency management is a continuous cycle of 1. Prevention, 2. Mitigation, 3. Preparation, 4. Response and 5. Recovery. SB 1 is a good start addressing the last 3 phases. It substantively incorporates portions of SB 35 (Zaffirini) and SB 60 (Kolkhorst) regarding flash food PREPARATION at camps, SB 75 (Menéndez & Eckhardt) regarding chain of command for RESPONSE when a county judge is unavailable to order an evacuation, and SB 26 (Alvarado) regarding small business RECOVERY. And the bill raises the bar for Preparation, Response and Recovery by local officials.

Given that Texas leads the nation in flood deaths, I am concerned that the bill does not contain PREVENTION and MITIGATION. The bill addresses deficiencies specific to the location and facts of this tragedy, but avoids state legislative responsibility to address the far broader risk to Texas lives and livelihoods from more frequent and more deadly extreme weather that may strike anywhere in the state.

Timely recommendations for PREVENTION and MITIGATION were provided to the Legislature before the Regular Session in December of 2024 in Texas' first ever State Flood Plan (the Plan) but have so far been largely ignored in the regular and this first special session. 

According to the Plan, nearly 21% of Texas land is located in the 1% floodplain; approximately 2.4M Texans live or work within the 1% floodplain; and approximately 878,100 buildings (including children's camps and homes) are located within the 1% floodplain. Astoundingly, more than 6,000 hospitals, emergency medical services, fire stations, police stations and schools are located within the 1% or 2% floodplain. Due to climate change, the amount of property and lives at risk from flooding will increase and the next tragedy may strike a school or a hospital unless the Legislature moves decisively.

After 5 years of robust analysis and collaboration among state and local officials and practitioners, the Plan made timely legislative recommendations including:

Full statewide participation in the Flood Insurance Program, meeting or exceeding minimum management standards within all FEMA-identified floodplains and future flood threatened areas

Higher infrastructure standards (e.g. building codes) in the current floodplain and future flood threatened areas 

Providing local governments with more regulatory authority over private development in the floodplain (e.g. building codes, zoning, drainage fees);

Statewide monitoring, modeling and warning systems and statewide radio interoperability for first responders; and

Broad education and outreach to the general public on preparation for and response to floods

I look forward to taking up all of these recommendations for PREVENTION and MITIGATION at the earliest opportunity, perhaps in the second special session, to reduce the massive loss of property and life that we risk in future more frequent and more devastating floods, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, wherever they strike.

ECKHARDT

Senator King moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 14 be placed on its third reading and final passage:

CSSB 14, Relating to certain files maintained by a law enforcement agency regarding certain employees of the agency.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 23, Nays 5.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Eckhardt, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Alvarado, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 18, Nays 10.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, A. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks.

Nays:  Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, Hall, J. Hinojosa, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West, Zaffirini.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

On motion of Senator Bettencourt and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 2 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 2, Relating to outdoor warning sirens in flood-prone areas.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Bettencourt moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

Senator Eckhardt submitted the following reason for vote on CSSB 2:

Texas needs comprehensive forecasting, monitoring, and modeling of storms, warning systems that are well-understood by the general public and integrated emergency response to guide the public out of harm's way. This bill requires only sirens and only in the counties that have experienced the last tragedy.

Texas leads the nation in flood-related property damage and fatalities. According to the Texas Flood Plan released December 2024, nearly 21% of Texas land is located in the 1% floodplain; approximately 2.4M Texans live or work within the 1% floodplain; and approximately 878,100 buildings (including children's camps and homes) are located within the 1% floodplain. Astoundingly, more than 6,000 hospitals, emergency medical services, fire stations, police stations and schools are located within flood prone areas. More than 9,000 low water crossings are within the 1% floodplain. Nearly half of all flood fatalities involve vehicles driving into floodwaters.   

Sirens may be part of the solution in certain areas. This is a policy with very narrow application where proactive and broadly effective policy is desperately needed. I look forward to receiving bills from the House, filed in the regular session and refiled in this special session, pursuing broader solutions for monitoring, modeling, and warning increasingly frequent and deadly weather in our state. 

ECKHARDT

On motion of Senator Huffman and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business and all necessary rules were suspended to take up for consideration SB 3 at this time on its second reading:

SB 3, Relating to making supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and giving direction and adjustment authority regarding those appropriations.

The bill was read second time.

Senator Huffman offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend SB 3 (senate committee report) in SECTION 6(a) of the bill, providing an effective date, by striking "immediately" and substituting "September 1, 2025".

The amendment to SB 3 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 1 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Huffman offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend SB 3 (senate committee report) in SECTION 2 of the bill, appropriating money to the Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor for the purpose of making local grants, between "Gillespie," and "Hamilton,", by inserting "Guadalupe,".

The amendment to SB 3 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 2 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

SB 3 as amended was passed to engrossment without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Huffman moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 3 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

Senator Eckhardt submitted the following reason for vote on SB 3:

A 2-year investment of $294M is an appreciated dedication to flood response. The need is great and the effective, efficient and fair distribution of funds is paramount.

The Texas Flood Plan released December 2024 puts the current need for flood-related investments at $54 billion. Since 2019, the state has assisted 140 flood infrastructure projects with $669 million through the Water Development Board's Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF). While the FIF investments and these additional trustee dollars placed in the Governor's Office are welcome, at that pace, it will take Texas more than 50 years to meet the current flood-related needs.

And the funds are placed in the Governor's Office rather than being distributed by agencies with the expertise to objectively evaluate competing projects (like the TWDB) and triage funding in emergencies (like TDEM). Adequate oversight and speedy distribution are less likely for funds lodged with the highest and least checked executive in the state. Consider the insufficiency of oversight in the Governor's distribution of $11B in Operation Lone Star funds or the $5M in assistance to small businesses affected by natural disasters dating back to Hurricane Harvey that the Governor already has but has not yet spent.

In answer to questions on the floor, Author Huffman and Senator Perry stated an intention that at least the $24M allocation in Section 3 of the bill has statewide application. But all other allocations ($270M) are limited to just the counties affected by this one flood or just to one emergency service district in Harris/Fort Bend when extreme weather events can happen anywhere across Texas.

I look forward to passing proactive and deep investment to address the desperate need in a state that has the highest number of weather-related deaths in the United States.

ECKHARDT

On motion of Senator Zaffirini and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration SB 43 at this time on its second reading:

SB 43, Relating to an exemption from the requirement to obtain a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for certain dams or reservoirs operated and maintained for the purposes of erosion, floodwater, and sediment control.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Zaffirini moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 43 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

On motion of Senator Perry and by unanimous consent, the regular order of business was suspended to take up for consideration CSSB 13 at this time on its second reading:

CSSB 13, Relating to the provision by a political subdivision of credits against impact fees to builders and developers for certain water conservation and reuse projects.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Perry moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 13 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

On motion of Senator Parker and by unanimous consent, Senate Rule 7.12 and the regular order of business were suspended to take up for consideration SB 10 at this time on its second reading:

SB 10, Relating to an affirmative defense to prosecution for certain victims of trafficking of persons or compelling prostitution.

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Parker moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 10 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

On motion of Senator Hughes and by unanimous consent, Senate Rule 7.12 and the regular order of business were suspended to take up for consideration SB 16 at this time on its second reading:

SB 16, Relating to the operation and administration of and practices and procedures related to proceedings in the judicial branch of state government, including court security, court documents and arrest warrants, document delivery, juvenile boards, constitutional amendment election challenges, record retention, youth diversion, court-ordered mental health services, the powers of the Texas Supreme Court, and jurors; increasing a criminal penalty; authorizing fees.

The bill was read second time.

Senator Hughes offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend SB 16 (senate committee report) in SECTION 7.04 of the bill, in added Section 22.110(b-1), Government Code (page 18, line 46), by striking "or child abuse and neglect" and substituting "child abuse and neglect, or elder abuse and neglect".

The amendment to SB 16 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 1 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

SB 16 as amended was passed to engrossment without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the passage to engrossment except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Hughes moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 16 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

The President laid before the Senate SB 8, by Senator Bettencourt, at this time on its second reading:

SB 8, Relating to public school accountability and transparency, including the implementation of an instructionally supportive assessment program and the adoption and administration of assessment instruments in public schools, indicators of achievement, public school performance ratings, and interventions and sanctions under the public school accountability system, a grant program for school district local accountability plans, and actions challenging Texas Education Agency decisions related to public school accountability.

The bill was read second time.

Senator Bettencourt offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend SB 8 (senate committee report) as follows:

(1)  In SECTION 1.008 of the bill, amending Section 39.0263(c), Education Code (page 8, line 12), between "29" and the period, insert "or this chapter".

(2)  In SECTION 1.011 of the bill, repealing provisions of the Education Code, strike Subdivision (2) (page 8, line 50), and renumber subsequent subdivisions of that SECTION accordingly.

(3)  In SECTION 5.002 of the bill, providing for the applicability of certain provisions of the Education Code (page 24, line 42), strike "39.0541" and substitute "39.0541(a)".

(4)  In SECTION 5.003(b) of the bill, providing transition language (page 24, lines 56 and 57), strike "39.025(a-1) and (a-3),".

The amendment to SB 8 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 1 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Bettencourt offered the following amendment to the bill:

Amend SB 8 (senate committee report) by striking SECTION 2.001 of the bill, adding Section 39.0511, Education Code (page 8, line 57 through page 9, line 1), and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the article of the bill accordingly.

The amendment to SB 8 was read and was adopted without objection.

All Members are deemed to have voted "Yea" on the adoption of Floor Amendment No. 2 except as follows:

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

SB 8 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote:  Yeas 22, Nays 6.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Alvarado, Eckhardt, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

Senator Bettencourt moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 8 be placed on its third reading and final passage.

The motion prevailed by the following vote:  Yeas 23, Nays 5.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks, West, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Alvarado, Eckhardt, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote:  Yeas 22, Nays 6.

Yeas:  Bettencourt, Birdwell, Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Nichols, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, Sparks, Zaffirini.

Nays:  Alvarado, Eckhardt, Johnson, Menéndez, Miles, West.

Absent:  Cook, Gutierrez.

On motion of Senator Perry, Senators Alvarado, Bettencourt, Birdwell, Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Eckhardt, Flores, Hagenbuch, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Menéndez, Middleton, Miles, Parker, Paxton, Schwertner, Sparks, West, and Zaffirini will be shown as Co-authors of SB 1.

On motion of Senator Bettencourt, Senators Alvarado, Birdwell, Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Huffman, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Menéndez, Middleton, Miles, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, West, and Zaffirini will be shown as Co-authors of SB 2.

On motion of Senator Huffman, Senators Alvarado, Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Flores, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Menéndez, Middleton, Miles, Parker, Paxton, Schwertner, West, and Zaffirini will be shown as Co-authors of SB 3.

On motion of Senator King, Senators Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Flores, Hagenbuch, Hughes, Kolkhorst, Parker, Paxton, Schwertner, and Sparks will be shown as Co-authors of SB 4.

On motion of Senator Hughes, Senators Bettencourt, Birdwell, Campbell, Creighton, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Parker, Paxton, Perry, Schwertner, and Sparks will be shown as Co-authors of SB 6.

On motion of Senator Bettencourt, Senators Birdwell, Flores, Kolkhorst, Parker, Perry, and Schwertner will be shown as Co-authors of SB 8.

On motion of Senator Parker, Senators Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Hagenbuch, Hall, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, Hughes, King, Kolkhorst, Middleton, Paxton, Schwertner, Sparks, and Zaffirini will be shown as Co-authors of SB 10.

On motion of Senator Perry, Senators Alvarado, Blanco, Campbell, Creighton, Eckhardt, A. Hinojosa, King, Kolkhorst, Menéndez, Miles, Parker, Sparks, and Zaffirini will be shown as Co-authors of SB 13.

On motion of Senator King, Senators Bettencourt, Flores, Hagenbuch, A. Hinojosa, Kolkhorst, Parker, Perry, and Schwertner will be shown as Co-authors of SB 14.

On motion of Senator Hughes, Senators Birdwell, Campbell, Hagenbuch, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, King, Kolkhorst, and Zaffirini will be shown as Co-authors of SB 16.

On motion of Senator Zaffirini, Senators Alvarado, Blanco, Eckhardt, A. Hinojosa, J. Hinojosa, King, Menéndez, Miles, and Paxton will be shown as Co-authors of SB 43.

On motion of Senator Zaffirini, the Senate at 4:14 p.m. recessed until 10:00 a.m. Friday, August 15, 2025.

The following committee report was received by the Secretary of the Senate:

FINANCE — SB 3

SB 1, SB 2, SB 3, SB 4, SB 6, SB 8, SB 10, SB 13, SB 14, SB 16, SB 43