Texas Construction Association (TCA) Legislative Update

Now that the Governor’s Veto Period has lapsed, below is the final information on the listed bills.

TCA Legislative Issues Sent to the Governor

  • H.B. 2518 by Rep. Keith Bell and sponsored by Sen. Robert Nichols (mandates that public property leases must require bonds and notice on private construction projects on public property). Effective for all leases signed after September 1, 2023.

  • H.B. 3485 by Rep. Keith Bell and sponsored by Sen. Nathan Johnson (allows a contractor to choose not to perform work on an unsigned owner-directed change order that exceeds 10% of the contract amount).  Effective for all contracts signed after September 1, 2023.

  • H.B. 2127 by Rep. Dustin Burrows and sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton (state preemption of municipal and county regulations).  Effective September 1, 2023.

  • H.B. 679 by Rep. Keith Bell and sponsored by Sen. Charles Schwertner (prohibits requiring a specific experience modifier for public work).  Effective September 1, 2023.

  • H.B. 2879 by Rep. Tom Oliverson and sponsored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (declares out of state venue provisions in construction contracts void as a matter of public policy).  Vetoed by the Governor.

Other Issues Sent to the Governor

  • H.B. 19 by Rep. Andrew Murr and sponsored by Sen. Bryan Hughes (creation of a specialty court for select business litigation).  Effective September 1, 2023.
  • H.B. 1755 by Rep. Angie Chen Button and sponsored by Sen. Carol Alvarado (creates Lone Star Workforce of the Future Fund).  Effective September 1, 2023.

  • H.B. 1859 by Rep. Matt Schaefer and sponsored by Sen. Charles Perry (expands certified CTE programs for air conditioning and refrigeration technicians to include higher education and private schools.)  Effective September 1, 2023.
  • H.B. 2334 by Rep. DeWayne Burns and sponsored by Sen. Angela Paxton (allows for non-licensed plumbers to perform work on service mains or service lines on non-residential private property from the public easement up to five feet from a structure.)  Effective September 1, 2023.
  • H.B. 2965 by Rep. Cody Vasut and sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton (prohibits waiver of public right-to-repair law). Effective September 1, 2023.
     
  • H.B 3287 by Rep. Doc Anderson and sponsored by Sen. Morgan LaMantia (expands TSTC campuses to Williamson, Ellis, Denton and Comal/Guadalupe counties).  Effective June 10, 2023.

  • H.B. 4123 by Rep. Ryan Guillen and sponsored by Sen. Judith Zaffirini (revamp of DPS procedures for the dissemination of criminal history record information; sets parameters for when criminal history background checks are required for construction contractors).  Effective June 13, 2023.

  • S.B. 68 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini and sponsored by Rep. Andrew Murr (allows for two excused absences for Career Exploration Days). Effective May 24, 2023.

  • S.B. 1045 by Sen. Joan Huffman and sponsored by Rep. Andrew Murr (creates the Fifteenth Court of Appeals with jurisdiction over civil cases from the business specialty court and over litigation involving the State of Texas).  Effective September 1, 2023.

For more information, contact:

Jennifer Fagan
Texas Construction Association
Vice President – Governmental Affairs
jfagan@texcon.org
(512) 473-377