Last Thursday, May 15th, marked the deadline for the House to pass House Bills. Any “HB” that didn’t get passed by the House and doesn’t have an “SB” companion is effectively dead for the session. With just two weeks left in the session, several other deadlines are approaching. Many of the bills OA has supported have made good progress, while others, including one notable priority bill, ran out of time and will have to wait until 2027. Meanwhile, SB 1, the state budget, remains in Conference Committee as negotiators work to reconcile the House and Senate versions. The Senate has also yet to pass the supplemental budget (which addresses cost overruns from the previous session’s budget). With critical decisions still in play, Opportunity Austin will remain engaged until the final gavel falls.

HB 105 – JETI Improvement 

HB 105 was placed on the House calendar several days ahead of the May 15th deadline to pass House Bills in the House. However, the pace of work in the House delayed its consideration. Then the bill was delayed again while members and stakeholders worked through concerns and possible amendments. Around 11:00 pm on Thursday night, HB 105 was finally called up but was promptly subject to a “point of order,” effectively killing the bill. As one of Opportunity Austin’s top priorities, we continue to look for opportunities to improve the program. However, this is almost certainly an issue we will spend the next year and a half gathering information and data on to best position our advocacy efforts in the 2027 session. We want to thank our regional partners and Policy Council for engaging in the JETI action alert.

SB 2206 - R&D Tax Credit  

After being heard in the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday, May 12th, SB 2206 has been left pending. This is likely due to the House Bill deadline. Stakeholders remain confident the bill has the support needed to get through the House, but with the first House deadline now behind us, moving the bill ahead of upcoming deadlines is critical.

SB 1786 – Credentials of Value  

Building on last session’s momentum around outcomes-based funding models, SB 1786 aims to expand access to--and the viability--of credentials that lead to high-demand, high-wage careers. Improved alignment between the different education and workforce training agencies is a key component of making this system more efficient and effective. This bill has been sent to the governor's desk for signature.

Water Update

Differences between the House and Senate on how to address long-term water funding persist. The House did not pass its own bill, but has advanced the Senate’s SB 7--replacing its language with that of HB 7. In practical terms, that means any bill the House passes will look very different from the Senate version, setting up a Conference Committee to reconcile the two. While this is common on complex topics, it takes longer and increases the risk of nothing receiving final passage. If the House doesn’t take action on SB 7 this week, the bill will be effectively dead and long-term water funding solutions will be delayed yet again.

SB 22 – Film Incentives

The House passed SB 22 out of committee and currently the bill sits in the Calendars committee waiting to be scheduled for the House floor. The bill hasn’t received the same unanimous support in the House that it received in the Senate. Stakeholders remain positive about the bill's overall odds of being passed by the House, but there are obstacles to overcome before that becomes reality.

HB 104 - Texas Future Fund

Two weeks after being referred to the Senate Finance Committee, the bill still waits for a hearing. As a reminder, this bill uses a portion of the excess dollars in the Rainy Day Fund to invest in early-stage companies based in Texas, aiming to accelerate the development of transformative and critical technologies while advancing the status of Texas companies as leaders in those industries. After being involved on the House side at the request of the Chair of Appropriations, Opportunity Austin continues to advocate for this innovative program.

Session Preview

City To Vote on Cap and Stitch: Thursday’s Austin City Council meeting will include a discussion and vote on potential funding for the Cap and Stitch project. Despite current budget concerns, Opportunity Austin remains supportive of funding the design work needed to build I-35 to accommodate the caps, with decisions on the broader project and costs to be made at a later stage.

Highway Connector Road Passes House: In its second session, a bill to advance a connector road between I-35 and SH 130 has passed the House and is now awaiting consideration in the Senate. To help raise the profile of this issue, Opportunity Austin CEO Ed Latson recently authored a letter to the editor in the Austin American-Statesman.

SXSW Financial Aid Passes House: HB 4811 by Rep. Sheryl Cole passed the House. The bill would include SXSW in a program that provides reimbursement to large events for some of the economic activity they bring into the state. This will be important for SXSW while it faces the renovation of the convention center. 

Bill Tracker 

You can view a shortlist of some of the most notable bills OA is tracking to monitor their impact on economic development in the Austin region. If you have questions about what any of these bills do, the Advocacy team is happy to discuss. Some notable items include:

- JETI Bills – HB 105 failed to pass the House before its deadline after being delayed by a procedural issue.

- R&D Tax Credit – SB 2206 was heard in House Ways and Means and now needs a committee vote to advance.

- SH 130 Connector – HB 2876 – passed the House after some discussion and has been sent to the Senate, which continues to pose challenges for final passage.

- Workforce – OA has registered support for numerous bills aimed at improving dual-credit programs, enhancing educational outcomes, and investing in training opportunities. Of particular note is SB 1786, the companion to HB 2110, which was passed by the House with amendments and the Senate concurred in those amendments. The bill has been sent to the governor for his signature.

- Creation of the Texas Technology and Innovation Program – HB 1268 and SB 209 – OA has registered their support for these bills. HB 1268 has been received by the Senate and awaits committee referral and action.

- Creation of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Program - HB 14 / HJR 8 was heard in Senate committee on May 8th but remains pending

- Creation of the TexasCyber Command – HB 150 - is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate on May 20th.

- Creation of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute – SB 5 / SJR 3 - OA previously registered their support for these bills, which have been sent to the governor.

OA Policy and Advocacy Resources 

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