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Bill explainers

Every post names the bill, the session, and the verified status, then explains what the bill does and what it changes where you live.

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HB 483Introduced; filed Nov. 9, 2026

Tolls would stop during a declared disaster in the affected area

If a disaster is declared for your area, you would not have to pay tolls for toll projects inside that area while the declaration is in effect. That applies to every driver, including delivery trucks and other business vehicles, so companies moving through the area keep that money in their pocket too. For cities and counties in the disaster zone, the relief comes with the state declaration rather than a decision made locally, so the pause arrives with the disaster order. If the Legislature passes the bill, the change would take effect September 1, 2027.

Water & InfrastructureLocal Control
90th Regular Session (2027) · StatewideContact your rep →
HB 622Introduced; filed Nov. 9, 2026

A toll you were billed wrong on could not be collected after two years

If you drove a toll road and were billed wrong, the operator would have to stop trying to collect that unpaid toll after two years. Drivers and companies whose vehicles run toll routes would get a clear deadline, so an old billing mistake could not be chased indefinitely. The protection would cover tolls already waiting to be paid when the law takes effect. Right now this is a proposal, so it has to be voted on before it changes anything for you.

Water & InfrastructureBusiness & Jobs
90th Regular Session (2027) · StatewideContact your rep →
SB 224Introduced; filed Nov. 9, 2026

If your landlord stops paying the utility bill, you would get a written warning in English and Spanish

If your apartment building runs its utility service on one submetered account and your landlord falls behind on payments, you would get at least five days of written warning before the service is cut. The notice would say what is happening in English and Spanish and give you the landlord's contact information, so you would have time to act. If the landlord pays the utility bill and avoids the disconnection, no notice would be required, and the landlord could not pass the cost of a shutoff or late fee on to you.

HousingWater & Infrastructure
90th Regular Session (2027) · StatewideContact your rep →
HB 189Introduced; filed Nov. 9, 2026

New subdivisions that plan to use groundwater would need proof the water is there

If you buy a home in a new subdivision, the developer would have to show that the groundwater under the land can support the whole development before the plat is approved. For cities and counties where groundwater is running low, local officials approving plats would have a clear reason to reject projects that could use more water than the area can supply. The change would apply only to plat applications filed on or after Jan. 1, 2028, when the bill takes effect.

Water & InfrastructureHousingLocal Control
90th Regular Session (2027) · StatewideContact your rep →
HB 129Introduced; filed Nov. 9, 2026

Your city water utility could offer bill help to low-income households, veterans, and older adults

If your city runs its own water or sewer system, the city council would decide whether to offer this help and how to run it. State law now limits what these programs can do, and the bill would override one part of that limit for city-owned utilities. Customers who qualify could get help with the bill during a hard month.

Water & InfrastructureLocal Control
90th Regular Session (2027) · StatewideContact your rep →
HB 240Introduced; filed Nov. 9, 2026

Your water or sewer bill could hold steady after a utility buys a local system

When a utility buys a water or sewer system, your first bill could be set at the rates that were already in force, or at the rates the utility charges in another system it owns. Either way, no new rate case could start while the purchase was pending, so the starting prices would be set without one. The bill covers only purchases whose application is filed on or after September 1, 2027.

Water & InfrastructureLocal Control
90th Regular Session (2027) · StatewideContact your rep →
HB 325Introduced; filed Nov. 9, 2026

Your city's street repair sales tax could run for 8 or 10 years instead of 4

If your city collects a street repair sales tax, this bill could give your city a longer planning window for paving and drainage work instead of asking voters every four years. Money from the tax could also cover utility lines under city streets, where many water and sewer repairs happen. The reauthorization election is where voters decide how many years the tax lasts. Nothing changes until the Legislature passes the bill.

Taxes & BudgetWater & InfrastructureLocal Control
90th Regular Session (2027) · StatewideContact your rep →

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