House Resolution 174 is a procedural resolution adopted by the Texas House to suspend certain House rules so a conference committee on Senate Bill 5 can add and modify provisions in the final version of that bill. Its main purpose is to authorize the committee to include contingent appropriations for the Department of State Health Services to implement campground and youth camp safety legislation, even though those appropriations were not included in either chamber’s original version of the bill.
The resolution would allow $2,594,265 from the economic stabilization fund and $2,484,726 from general revenue to be appropriated to the Department of State Health Services, along with $500,000 in capital budget authority and authorization for 16.0 additional FTE positions. It also directs the department to adjust license fees under Health and Safety Code Section 141.0035 as needed to recover the costs of the appropriations. The resolution further changes the effective date language so the act takes effect immediately, subject to the underlying bill’s conditions.
Impact
HR 174 does not itself create the campground and youth camp safety program, but it enables the conference committee to fund and implement related legislation by expanding the scope of permissible conference committee action. If the contingent legislation is enacted, the resolution’s provisions would support state spending, staffing, and fee adjustments at the Department of State Health Services, affecting camp operators, youth camp licensing, and state health and safety regulation. It also affects the state budget by authorizing use of both the economic stabilization fund and general revenue.
Sentiment
The vote suggests broad support for the resolution, with adoption by the House on September 3, 2025 by a margin of 127 yeas to 1 nay and 1 present not voting. The available record shows no committee transcript or extended debate, so the overall sentiment appears largely procedural and favorable, reflecting agreement on the need to move the underlying campground and youth camp safety legislation forward with funding and implementation authority.
Contention
The main point of contention is procedural rather than substantive: the resolution suspends House rules to let the conference committee add new appropriations and implementation language that were not in either chamber’s version of the bill. That kind of rule suspension can draw concern from members who prefer stricter limits on conference committee authority or who object to adding funding and fee authority late in the process. The lone nay vote indicates at least one member opposed the procedural expansion, though no specific objection is recorded in the provided materials.