Bills: SB26, SB 26

Keywords: teacher compensation, education funding, public school educators, teacher retention, teacher designation, SB 26, Texas Property Code, colonia, colonias, Spanish translation, bilingual contract, real estate contract, executory contract, residential property, border county, international border, economically distressed area, consumer protection, language access, translator certified in Spanish

Transcript Highlights:

• You have heard from the Colonia Infrastructure Board since its inception in 2011.
• And so, colonias were actually designated by counties in 1990.
• What can I say about our State Colonias Program?
• The Colonias program covers many different infrastructures.
• It's not quite clear when you stop being a colonia.

Transcript Highlights:

• We try to keep our colonias.
• We could evaluate them as we do with the Colonias. In one application.
• Do you have to go to that Colonias Board? For that approval?
• We've had great success with the Colonias, and I'm always cautious.
• Colonias infrastructure for north of that line—have better terms, I would say, than the Colonias, depending

Transcript Highlights:

• And colonias, and these are needy kinds of local governments and projects, especially in the colonias
• Because colonias, for the most part, are not units of government.
• As you know, colonias are not political subdivisions.
• The areas have to have at least one colonia within the desert. That's right.
• Does every colonia include all the land grants?

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, next up, the Colonia Infrastructure Fund.
• What I heard was that the regulatory requirements for colonias Particular audit compliance and those
• Would it be going to the Colonias Infrastructure Board?
• Chair, Representative Silva, one thing I want to say about Colonias is this is the first time that we
• Us, not just the Colonias infrastructure allocations, but in any of these handouts.

Transcript Highlights:

• I'd like to go to Arturo, but first of all, the colonia infrastructure fund and the land grant and sector
• It's because I know some of us legislators work with Colonias Funding, and some of us understand that
• Chair, you stated in terms of Colonia, you've got wastewater Flooding in the street, etc. etc.
• When Colonias was carried, I believe that was Senator Papin and Water Trust Board.
• Colonias has been around a long time too.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We have the Tribal Infrastructure Fund, we had the Colonias Fund, and we have the Water Trust Board,
• So the Colonias grants, they look at those, they vet them very carefully, and when they're approved,
• We had the Colonias Fund.
• The Tribal Infrastructure Fund and the Colonias Fund, ...the Tribal Infrastructure Fund and the Colonias

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The second thing that we did was the acquisition of 216 acres of common land known as La Colonia de José
• We've got another tour of our Colonia, which used to be the Terra Muerte property.
• The new name is La Colonia de Jose Maria Martinez. Ah, let me see.
• Luckily, up on the Colonia, we're having this thinning project that's going to happen, and that's going
• That Tribal and Colonia are bringing in 85 million dollars to the Tribes and Colonias, and here we are

Transcript Highlights:

• We've always strived to bring our colonias into compliance a little by little.
• We've had multiple projects that extend water and sewer projects to these colonias.
• We're finding right now there are some colonias that were never platted.
• you construction projects or funding for colonias that are platted.
• Overview, Webb County has, I believe it's 64 registered colonias.

Bills: HB1520, HB1525, HB1530, HB1535, HB2068, HB2091, HB2347, HB2372, HB2805, HB2815, HB2867, HB3154, HB3482, HB3483, HB3663, HB3781, HB3901, HB3915, HB4135, HB4153, HB4158, HB4329, HB4331

Keywords: Angelina and Neches River Authority, river authority, Sunset Advisory Commission, Texas Sunset Act, Special District Local Laws Code, local government, natural resources, board of directors, director training, board governance, public testimony, open meetings, public information, conflict of interest, ethics, complaint system, general manager, board president, staggered terms, removal of director

Transcript Highlights:

• The division has allocated 4.5% for the Tribal Infrastructure Fund and 4.5% for the Colonias Infrastructure
• of the committee, their analysts, individuals from senators that were part of the creation of the Colonias
• Infrastructure Fund, and part of the senators that were part of the creation of the Colonias Infrastructure
• The creation of the Colonias Infrastructure Fund, and part of the senators were also part of the process

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• You try to apply for Colonias infrastructure money because they do, that's one of the things that they
• I don't know what the, 150 miles, but the key is, have you Asked Colonias, Mr.
• Representative Terrasas (member_12219), this particular area does not fall within the county's designated Colonias
• I'm not sure exactly what their boundaries for their Colonias are, but it does not fall within our boundaries
• of Colonias.

Transcript Highlights:

• you'll see that's our drinking water program, that's federally funded, our water project fund, and our Colonia
• many planning projects done, which then doesn't put them in in line for the Water Trust board, the Colonia
• Uh, the next page I will go to is Colonia Infrastructure.
• , flood control, housing, and roads in those 12 southernmost counties where they have designated colonias

Transcript Highlights:

• I would like to see that whenever you're talking about the wastewater treatment plant, are the Colonias
• We do oversee the Water Project Fund as well as the Colonias Infrastructure Project Fund and the Drinking
• Drinking Water, of course, is where drinking water and Colonias can do both water and wastewater, as
• And that is part of the selection criteria, because that is a good point under the Colonias Infrastructure

Bills: SB154, SB187, SB193, SM3

Keywords: insurance, wildfire, flood damage, natural disasters, property coverage, water projects, appropriation, New Mexico, finance authority, infrastructure, New Mexico Finance Authority, funding, SB193, acequia, community ditch, irrigation works construction fund, water infrastructure, ditch infrastructure, irrigation, New Mexico water law

Transcript Highlights:

• Pasekia is in land grants in Colonia, so we let her go ahead and complete that.
• I think a lot of these values that land grants, acequias, and colonias have have been passed down to
• community, and the Aseka community, because this is just not a land-grant bill; it's an Aseka and then Colonia
• Yeah, I always kind of forget the Colonia.
• problem we have, especially in the types of communities we're talking about here, particularly in Colonia

Transcript Highlights:

• In a lot of cases, they live in the colonias or on tribal land or are elderly, and we bring their homes
• So, you know, there's a big need on tribal land and in some of the colonias areas, as well as in some
• In some cases, especially on tribal lands and in colonias, they don't have full kitchens or restroom

Transcript Highlights:

• were enacted with good intentions to ensure development in rural areas and to prevent the rise of colonias
• We have had a big history of colonias. in El Paso County.

Bills: SB1079, SB1243, SB1504, SB1579, SB1708, SB1844, SB1851, SB1879, SB1921, SB1951, SB2237, SB2238, SB2406, SB2407

Keywords: SB 1079, Texas, county government, commissioners court, Local Government Code, Chapter 263, surplus property, salvage property, data storage device, hard drive, electronic media, digital records, confidential information, protected information, privacy, records retention, information security, data destruction, device disposal, sensitive data

Transcript Highlights:

• But at the same time, we inherited a whole bunch of colonias that don't have sufficient infrastructure
• I mean, I have colonias in my district, too, like 156, so thank you for...

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• They do that for both the Water Trust Board and the Colonias Board, but then they also...
• with that two-person team and the amount of things that they're doing for the Water Trust Board and Colonias

Transcript Highlights:

• They were put in place to stop the spread of colonias, unsafe and unregulated developments, and in Cameron
• County the flexibility to apply the rules in a way that still protects public safety and prevents colonias

Bills: HB447, HB897, HB993, HB2673, HB3671, HB3680, HB3897, HB4506, HB4753, HB4812, HB4894, HB5148, HB5437, HB5650, HB5652, HB5654, HB5656, HB5661, HB5665

Keywords: traffic impact studies, municipal utility district, bonds, road projects, eminent domain, HB 897, Texas land sale, state property, Austin real estate, Travis County, General Land Office, Texas State Library and Archives Commission, HHSC, Health and Human Services Commission, state records facility, archives building, library funding, capital improvements, lease of state land, public land disposition

Summary: The committee heard testimony and took action on several land use, housing, municipal utility district, and cemetery-related bills. House Bill 447, dealing with transportation impact analysis requirements tied to MUD bond issuance, drew opposition from a witness who argued it would duplicate work, strain agency resources, and delay development; after the sponsor’s closing remarks, the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending. Senate Bill 1202, on third-party review of home backup power installations, was substituted and reported favorably to the full House by a unanimous roll call. House Bill 2494, on disannexation for failure to provide municipal services, and House Bill 1835, removing barriers to HUD-code manufactured homes, were also substituted and reported favorably; HB 1835 passed on a 5-1 vote. Senate Bill 15, limiting lot size and density requirements in certain large municipalities, was substituted and reported favorably unanimously. The committee also heard House Bill 897, which would authorize the sale or long-term lease of two state-owned Austin properties used by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and HHSC. The sponsor said the properties are in poor condition and that proceeds would benefit the state; after questions, the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending. Several template MUD bills were then laid out, including HB 5652, HB 5654, HB 5661, and HB 5656, each creating or authorizing municipal utility districts in Montgomery or Fort Bend counties for water, wastewater, drainage, road, and recreational improvements. These bills drew limited testimony in support and were left pending without objection. A major portion of the meeting focused on House Bill 2673, which would repeal last session’s change allowing new cemeteries within certain distances of municipalities and restore the prior rule limiting cemetery placement near growing urban areas. The sponsor and supporters argued the 2023 change created unintended consequences, removed valuable taxable land from future use, and complicated city planning; opponents, including a funeral service industry representative, argued the current law gives communities local control and helps address cemetery land shortages. After extensive testimony, the bill was left pending. The committee also heard HB 4753, a bill allowing a property owner to use a municipal record showing a certificate of occupancy was issued when the original document is lost; it was left pending. Finally, HB 3680, a Cameron County-specific bill modifying subdivision/model rule procedures to reduce replatting burdens while preserving colonia protections, and HB 4812, clarifying that condominiums follow Chapter 82 of the Property Code rather than full subdivision platting, both received supportive testimony and were left pending.

Transcript Highlights:

• Senate Bill 1618 by Zaffirini relating to certain contracts residential real property located in a colonia

Bills: SJR60, SJR62, SJR65, SJR66, SJR67, SJR68, SCR27, SCR28, SCR29, SB1576, SB1577, SB1578, SB1579, SB1580, SB1581, SB1582, SB1583, SB1584, SB1585, SB1586, SB1587, SB1588, SB1589, SB1590, SB1591, SB1592, SB1593, SB1594, SB1595, SB1596, SB1597, SB1598, SB1599, SB1600, SB1601, SB1602, SB1603, SB1604, SB1605, SB1606, SB1607, SB1608, SB1609, SB1610, SB1611, SB1612, SB1613, SB1614, SB1615, SB1616, SB1618, SB1619, SB1620, SB1622, SB1623, SB1624, SB1625, SJR60, SJR62, SJR65, SJR66, SJR67, SJR68, SCR27, SCR28, SCR29, SB1576, SB1577, SB1578, SB1579, SB1580, SB1581, SB1582, SB1583, SB1584, SB1585, SB1586, SB1587, SB1588, SB1589, SB1590, SB1591, SB1592, SB1593, SB1594, SB1595, SB1596, SB1597, SB1598, SB1599, SB1600, SB1601, SB1602, SB1603, SB1604, SB1605, SB1606, SB1607, SB1608, SB1609, SB1610, SB1611, SB1612, SB1613, SB1614, SB1615, SB1616, SB1618, SB1619, SB1620, SB1622, SB1623, SB1624, SB1625

Keywords: SJR 60, Texas constitutional amendment, property tax exemption, ad valorem taxation, rainwater harvesting, graywater system, water conservation, water reuse, residential tax incentive, local government finance, county commissioners court, appraisal value, environmental incentive, November 2025 ballot, Article VIII, tax relief, healthcare workforce, education funding, higher education, economic growth