89th Legislature, Second Called Session — 2025
The Texas Legislature's second special session of 2025 convened August 15 and ended in early September 2025. The session is closed: every measure below is history, not pending legislation. This page records what became law, what was vetoed, and what did not pass — with each measure labeled by its verified final status.
Legislative proposals are not the same as current law. A bill may be filed, referred to committee, amended, passed, vetoed, or allowed to expire without becoming law. Texas Homestead Law separates enacted legislation from proposals that did not pass. Nothing in Sections 3 through 9 of this archive changed Texas law.
How to read the status labels
- Became Law Passed both chambers and was signed or allowed to become law.
- Effective A provision of an enacted bill is in effect (the date shown in each entry).
- Vetoed Passed the Legislature but rejected by the Governor — not law.
- Did Not Pass Expired when the session ended — not law.
- Filed Only Introduced but never advanced — not law.
- Referred to Committee Sent to a committee but never passed — not law.
- Advanced but Did Not Pass Moved through part of the process but never became law.
- Companion Bill A matching bill carried in the other chamber.
- Duplicate Bill An identical proposal; another bill became the vehicle.
Labels are based on the official Texas Legislature Online record. A bill that merely advanced from committee never receives a green "success" label on this site.
On this page
- Bills that became law
- Passed but vetoed
- Homestead property-tax proposals that did not pass
- Agricultural valuation and rural land proposals
- Deeds, recording, title and property transactions
- Flooding, drainage and disaster recovery
- Water, groundwater and land acquisition
- Agricultural health, PFAS, biosolids and contamination
- Broader property-tax reform proposals
Plain-English terms used on this page
Companion bill — a matching bill filed in the other chamber so the idea can move on two tracks. Duplicate bill — an identical proposal; only one usually becomes the "vehicle" that passes. Joint resolution (HJR/SJR) — a proposed constitutional amendment; even if passed, it only takes effect if Texas voters approve it. Referred — assigned to a committee for study. Engrossed — the version passed by the first chamber. Enrolled — the final version passed by both chambers. Conference report — a negotiated compromise version when the two chambers pass different texts; both must adopt it. Effective date — the date an enacted law actually starts to apply, which can differ from the signing date.
Section 1 — Bills that became law
Only measures verified as enacted through the official record appear here. Three measures from this session directly relevant to this site's scope became law: SB 16, HB 23, and SB 14.
SB 16 Became Law Effective Real property theft and real property fraud — deed-fraud offenses, recording requirements, restitution
SB 16 is the most important measure of the session for Texas homeowners and heirs. It creates two new criminal offenses in the Texas Penal Code — real property theft (Section 31.23) and real property fraud (Section 32.60) — aimed at schemes that use forged deeds, fraudulent transfers, fraudulent liens or encumbrances, and false recorded documents to take or cloud ownership of Texas land.
The bill also: places both offenses under a ten-year felony statute of limitations; creates procedures for recording judgments involving fraudulent property documents with the county clerk where the property sits; requires restitution that may include the value of the property, related losses (including structures, equipment, or agricultural products), and title-related litigation expenses; and — beginning January 1, 2026 — requires photo identification for certain in-person real-property filings, with county clerks notifying law enforcement of suspected fraudulent filings.
The homestead connection is direct: punishment is enhanced when the owner is elderly or disabled or when the property receives a residence-homestead property-tax exemption, and the definition of "owner" expressly reaches the estate and known successors of a deceased owner — which matters for heirs and family land.
Because SB 16 is a criminal statute, it works alongside — not instead of — the civil tools owners already use. A criminal real-property fraud case is not the same as an ordinary title dispute; a prosecution is not a civil quiet-title lawsuit; recording a document is not the same as establishing legal ownership; a homestead tax status is not proof of title; restitution is not the same as restoring marketable title; and an heir’s ownership interest exists whether or not the heir holds a recorded deed. The dedicated article below walks through each of these distinctions.
Official record: SB 16 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 23 Became Law Effective Property-tax exemption for certain agricultural / youth / educational nonprofit property in a populous county
HB 23 created a narrow property-tax exemption for qualifying real and personal property owned by certain charitable, educational and scientific nonprofit corporations that promote agriculture, support youth, and provide educational support in the community — and only in a qualifying populous county. All statutory requirements must be met for the exemption to apply.
What HB 23 is not: it is not a general residence-homestead exemption; it does not create an exemption for ordinary homeowners; it does not create an agricultural-use appraisal for individual landowners; it does not exempt all agricultural nonprofit property statewide; and it does not benefit a taxable interest held by a for-profit lessee. It applies only when every statutory requirement is met.
Official record: HB 23 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
SB 14 Became Law Effective Credits against development impact fees for certain water conservation and reuse projects
SB 14 allows a political subdivision to provide credits against development impact fees to builders and developers for certain water conservation and reuse projects. It is primarily relevant to builders, developers, and political subdivisions rather than to individual homeowners, but it is part of the session’s water-infrastructure record and can influence how new development in growing areas approaches water conservation.
Official record: SB 14 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
Section 2 — Passed but vetoed
A vetoed bill passed the Legislature but was rejected by the Governor. Vetoed bills are never listed under "became law." One bill within this site's scope was vetoed this session.
SB 18 Vetoed Permitting exemption for certain small erosion-, floodwater-, and sediment-control dams or reservoirs
SB 18 would have exempted certain small dams or reservoirs — structures controlling erosion, floodwater, and sediment, with a normal storage capacity of no more than 200 acre-feet and managed by qualified local sponsors — from needing a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) permit, and would have allowed sponsors to construct, maintain, and divert water from those sites without a permit if specific criteria were met.
The bill passed both chambers, but the Governor vetoed it on September 17, 2025. Because it was vetoed, it never took effect. A summary of the Governor’s stated reason, taken from the official veto proclamation, will be added once verified against the proclamation text (see the Source Notes page); this archive does not paraphrase veto reasoning from secondary reporting.
Why it mattered for landowners: small flood- and erosion-control structures are common on Texas rural land, and permitting requirements affect what a landowner or local sponsor can build or maintain. Because SB 18 did not become law, TCEQ permitting requirements were not changed by this bill.
Official record: SB 18 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
Section 3 — Homestead property-tax proposals that did not pass
This session produced a large slate of residence-homestead appraisal limits, tax ceilings, refunds, and exemption proposals. None of them became law. None of the benefits described below is currently available, and none appears in this site's current-law pages, calculators, or eligibility explanations. Related bills and joint resolutions are grouped to avoid repeating substantially identical explanations. A House Joint Resolution (HJR) is a proposed constitutional amendment — even when paired with a bill, it would also have required voter approval.
Residence-homestead appraisal limits
Lower or restructured appraisal caps for homesteads
HB 219 (with HJR 20) proposed a lower residence-homestead appraisal-growth limit than the current 10% cap. HB 299 (with HJR 39) proposed valuing a homestead at its purchase price in the first year of ownership with limits on later appraisal growth. HJR 9 proposed lower appraisal caps for homesteads and other real property, while HB 184, HB 249, HJR 18, and HJR 24 proposed appraisal limits reaching broader categories of real property.
Who they would have affected: homeowners in fast-appreciating markets, recent buyers, and — in the broader-category versions — owners of rental, commercial, and other real property. What readers should not assume: Texas homestead appraisal growth is still governed by existing law; no purchase-price valuation rule and no lower cap took effect.
Elderly, disabled and surviving-spouse exemptions
Expanded exemptions and tax ceilings for seniors, disabled owners, and surviving spouses
HB 155 (with HJR 15) proposed a total residence-homestead exemption for certain elderly owners and their surviving spouses; HB 183 (with HJR 16) was a substantially similar proposal. HB 273 (with HJR 30) proposed an optional tax ceiling for qualifying low-income elderly or disabled owners and surviving spouses. HJR 6 proposed a tax ceiling for elderly or disabled homeowners and surviving spouses.
Who they would have affected: Texans 65 and older, disabled homeowners, and surviving spouses. What readers should not assume: the existing over-65/disabled exemptions and school-tax ceiling remain as current law provides; no total exemption for elderly owners was created.
Disabled-veteran and surviving-spouse exemptions
Veteran exemption proposals
HB 201, HB 202, and HJR 19 concerned an exemption based on a partially disabled veteran’s disability rating. HB 210 concerned the definition of "residence homestead" for totally disabled veterans and surviving spouses. HB 250 (with HJR 25) proposed a percentage-based disabled-veteran exemption with survivor and child provisions.
Who they would have affected: partially and totally disabled veterans, their surviving spouses, and in some versions their children. What readers should not assume: the disabled-veteran exemptions available today are the ones in existing law; no rating-percentage restructuring took effect.
Other homestead and residential tax proposals
Refunds and other residential proposals
HB 100 proposed property-tax refunds to Texas homestead owners using certain federal funds. HB 294 (with HJR 38) was a homestead/residential property-tax proposal whose full caption is being catalogued on the Source Notes page.
What readers should not assume: no refund program was created; no money is owed to homeowners under these proposals.
Section 4 — Agricultural valuation and rural land proposals
These proposals concerned agricultural productivity appraisal (often called "ag exemption," though it is a special appraisal, not an exemption), farm-product exemptions, quarantined land, and groundwater-area land. None became law: agricultural appraisal requirements, prior-use rules, and rollback (additional) taxes were not repealed or changed by this session.
HB 239 Referred to Committee Appraisal treatment of agricultural land under a Texas Animal Health Commission quarantine (ticks, screwworms, or another covered pest or disease)
HB 239 concerned the appraisal treatment of agricultural land placed under a Texas Animal Health Commission quarantine involving ticks, screwworms, or another covered pest or disease. The concern behind the bill: a quarantine can interrupt normal agricultural use through no fault of the landowner, which can threaten the land’s productivity appraisal.
Official record: HB 239 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 240 Referred to Committee Definitions used for the property-tax exemption for farm products in the hands of the producer
HB 240, with the paired constitutional amendment HJR 21, concerned the definitions used for the property-tax exemption for farm products in the hands of the producer — who counts as a producer, and what counts as a farm product, for purposes of the existing constitutional exemption. It would not have created a new exemption.
Official record: HB 240 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HJR 21 Did Not Pass Constitutional amendment — legislative authority to define terms for the farm-products-in-the-hands-of-the-producer exemption
HJR 21 was the proposed constitutional amendment paired with HB 240, authorizing the Legislature to define terms for the farm-products-in-the-hands-of-the-producer exemption. As a joint resolution, it would also have required approval by Texas voters.
Official record: HJR 21 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 282 Filed Only Partial property-tax exemption for qualifying non-irrigated land in a priority groundwater management area
HB 282, with HJR 32, proposed a partial property-tax exemption for qualifying non-irrigated land located in a priority groundwater management area — connecting property-tax treatment to groundwater conservation. It is also listed in Section 7 (water and groundwater).
Official record: HB 282 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HJR 32 Filed Only Constitutional amendment paired with HB 282 (non-irrigated land in a priority groundwater management area)
HJR 32 was the proposed constitutional amendment paired with HB 282. It would also have required voter approval.
Official record: HJR 32 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 289 Filed Only Agricultural productivity appraisal — eligibility, prior-use requirements, change-of-use consequences, additional (rollback) taxes, treatment of land after sale
HB 289, with HJR 37, proposed changes to agricultural productivity appraisal: eligibility, prior-use requirements, change-of-use consequences, additional or rollback taxes, and the treatment of land after a sale. Had it passed, it would have substantially changed how land enters and leaves productivity appraisal — which is why this subject deserves close attention if refiled in a future session.
Official record: HB 289 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HJR 37 Filed Only Constitutional amendment paired with HB 289 (agricultural productivity appraisal)
HJR 37 was the proposed constitutional amendment paired with HB 289. It would also have required voter approval.
Official record: HJR 37 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
Section 5 — Deeds, recording, title and property transactions
The enacted centerpiece of this subject area is SB 16 (Section 1), the real-property theft and deed-fraud law. The remaining measures here are historical proposals. Two distinctions worth keeping in mind throughout: recording a document at the county clerk's office is not the same as owning property (recording gives notice; ownership is a legal question), and a residence-homestead tax status at the appraisal district is not proof of title.
HB 258 Duplicate Bill Did Not Pass Identical House companion to SB 16 (real property theft and real property fraud)
HB 258 was an identical House version of SB 16. It is recorded here only as the duplicate; SB 16 became the enacted vehicle, so HB 258’s substance is covered in Section 1 and in the dedicated SB 16 article. (An additional identical companion, HB 19, appears in the official record.)
Official record: HB 258 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
SB 52 Filed Only Disclosures required to record an instrument conveying real property
SB 52 concerned disclosures that would have been required in order to record an instrument conveying real property — a transparency measure aimed at the recording process itself.
Official record: SB 52 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
SB 26 Filed Only Contracts for the purchase of residential property in a colonia
SB 26 concerned contracts for the purchase of residential property in a colonia — the executory-contract ("contract for deed") arrangements that are common in some border-area communities and that can leave buyers without recorded title for years.
Official record: SB 26 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 242 Referred to Committee Collection of delinquent property taxes
HB 242 concerned the collection of delinquent property taxes. Delinquent-tax procedures matter to owners at risk of tax sale and to heirs sorting out taxes on inherited property. Also listed in Section 9.
Official record: HB 242 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 245 Referred to Committee Collection of delinquent property taxes
HB 245 also concerned the collection of delinquent property taxes. Also listed in Section 9.
Official record: HB 245 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 251 Referred to Committee Determining the value not in dispute during a property-tax protest or appeal
HB 251 concerned determining the "value not in dispute" during a property-tax protest or appeal — the portion of taxes an owner must pay while a protest is pending.
Official record: HB 251 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
Section 6 — Flooding, drainage and disaster recovery
Filed in the shadow of the deadly July 2025 Central Texas floods, these proposals concerned county drainage utilities and fees, county land-use authority for flood management, impervious-cover regulation in unincorporated areas, rural emergency-preparedness funding, flood-safety signage, disaster identification, flood-recovery loans, rural disaster-recovery grants, Flood Infrastructure Fund projects, and the property-tax treatment of replacement structures after casualty or disaster damage. None of the measures listed in this section became law — counties did not receive new drainage or land-use powers from these bills.
HB 108 Did Not Pass County drainage utilities, drainage fees, and county land-use regulation for flood management
HB 108, with Senate companion SB 45, would have addressed county drainage utilities, drainage fees, and county land-use regulation for flood management — authority Texas counties largely lack in unincorporated areas today.
Official record: HB 108 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
SB 45 Companion Bill Did Not Pass Senate companion to HB 108 (county drainage utilities and flood-management land-use authority)
SB 45 was the Senate companion to HB 108 (county drainage utilities and flood-management land-use authority).
Official record: SB 45 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 117 Referred to Committee County regulation of impervious cover in unincorporated areas
HB 117 would have allowed county regulation of impervious cover (roofs, pavement, and other surfaces that increase runoff) in unincorporated areas. It was left pending in committee when the session ended.
Official record: HB 117 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 188 Did Not Pass Rural Emergency Preparedness Fund for flood-prone communities
HB 188 proposed a Rural Emergency Preparedness Fund for flood-prone communities.
Official record: HB 188 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 194 Did Not Pass Flood-safety signage
HB 194 concerned flood-safety signage.
Official record: HB 194 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 215 Did Not Pass Disaster-related proposal (official caption verification pending — see Source Notes)
HB 215 is grouped here from the session’s disaster-related filings; its official caption is being confirmed against the Texas Legislature Online record and is catalogued on the Source Notes page.
Official record: HB 215 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 217 Did Not Pass Low-interest flood-recovery loans for disaster victims
HB 217 proposed low-interest flood-recovery loans for disaster victims.
Official record: HB 217 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 254 Advanced but Did Not Pass Rural Infrastructure Disaster Recovery Program eligibility
HB 254 concerned eligibility for the Rural Infrastructure Disaster Recovery Program. It advanced further than most bills in this section — reaching a Senate committee — but did not pass. Advancing from committee is not passage, and no green "success" label applies.
Official record: HB 254 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
SB 47 Did Not Pass Flood Infrastructure Fund projects
SB 47 concerned Flood Infrastructure Fund projects administered through the Texas Water Development Board framework.
Official record: SB 47 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
SB 58 Did Not Pass Whether a replacement structure after disaster or casualty damage is treated as a new improvement for property-tax purposes
SB 58 concerned whether a replacement structure built after casualty or disaster damage is treated as a "new improvement" for property-tax purposes — which affects how quickly a rebuilt home’s appraised value rises after a disaster.
Official record: SB 58 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
Section 7 — Water, groundwater and land acquisition
Some distinctions matter in this section. Voluntary acquisition (a negotiated purchase or easement) is different from condemnation through eminent domain. Water rights (the right to use water) are different from groundwater regulation (district rules on pumping) and from subdivision approval (plat requirements). And a proposal about acquiring land for water infrastructure is not, by itself, a change to property-tax treatment. This archive uses neutral language: describing a proposal is not describing a threat.
HB 145 Filed Only Evidence of groundwater availability for certain subdivision plats
HB 145 concerned evidence of groundwater availability for certain subdivision plats — what a developer would have to show about water supply before a rural subdivision could be approved.
Official record: HB 145 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 287 Filed Only Authority of a political subdivision to acquire real property for taking or transporting water
HB 287 concerned the authority of a political subdivision to acquire real property for taking or transporting water. Acquisition authority can include voluntary purchases, easements, and negotiation — and, separately, condemnation through eminent domain, which carries its own constitutional and statutory protections for landowners. Because HB 287 did not pass, no acquisition authority was changed by it.
Official record: HB 287 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
Also relevant to this subject area: HB 282 and HJR 32 (Section 4) — the proposed partial exemption for non-irrigated land in a priority groundwater management area; SB 14 (Section 1) — the enacted water-conservation impact-fee credit law, effective January 1, 2026; and SB 18 (Section 2) — the vetoed dam-and-reservoir permitting exemption.
Section 8 — Agricultural health, PFAS, biosolids and contamination
These proposals concerned interstate animal-health initiatives, Texas Animal Health Commission pest-control authority, animal-health research and emergency response, PFAS ("forever chemicals") in agricultural products, biosolids applied to land, livestock health, and soil and water protection. None became law: no proposed criminal offense, prohibition, or agency authority in this section is current law. For landowners, the practical takeaway is due diligence — knowing what has been applied to land you own or are buying.
HB 237 Advanced but Did Not Pass Interstate animal-health compact / initiative
HB 237 concerned an interstate animal-health compact or initiative — cooperative disease response across state lines. It advanced through the committee-report/Calendars stage but did not pass.
Official record: HB 237 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 238 Advanced but Did Not Pass Texas Animal Health Commission pest-control authority
HB 238 concerned the Texas Animal Health Commission’s pest-control authority. It advanced through the committee-report/Calendars stage but did not pass.
Official record: HB 238 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 253 Advanced but Did Not Pass Proposed Texas A&M institute for animal-health research and emergency response
HB 253 proposed a Texas A&M institute for animal-health research and emergency response. It advanced through the committee-report/Calendars stage but did not pass.
Official record: HB 253 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 290 Did Not Pass PFAS in certain agricultural products — county-specific proposal directed at Johnson County
HB 290 concerned PFAS in certain agricultural products and was a county-specific proposal directed at Johnson County, where PFAS contamination of agricultural land had drawn attention.
Official record: HB 290 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
HB 292 Did Not Pass Proposed prohibition on applying biosolids to certain land
HB 292 proposed prohibiting the application of biosolids (treated sewage sludge used as fertilizer) to certain land.
Official record: HB 292 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
Section 9 — Broader property-tax reform proposals
A large share of the session's filings concerned the structure of Texas taxation rather than individual homestead eligibility: proposals to abolish or replace property taxes, school-district tax compression, voter-approval tax rates, bond elections, political-subdivision spending limits, tax refunds, alternative revenue systems, and delinquent-tax collection. This consolidated section preserves the legislative history — because ideas like these are frequently refiled — without letting broad tax policy overwhelm the homestead-focused content on this site. None of these measures became law.
SB 10 Advanced but Did Not Pass Broad property-tax relief / reform package — advanced to a conference committee; the House did not adopt the conference report
SB 10 was the session’s broad property-tax relief and reform package, and it advanced further than any other measure in this section: it went to a conference committee (where the two chambers negotiate a compromise text), but the House did not adopt the conference report, so the bill died when the session ended. Advancing to a conference report is not passage.
Official record: SB 10 on Texas Legislature Online (89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session)
Other broad tax-structure proposals (did not pass)
Each bill number links to its official Texas Legislature Online record; individual captions are catalogued on the Source Notes page. HB 242 and HB 245 (delinquent-tax collection) also appear in Section 5.
What this archive intentionally leaves out
Bills from this session unrelated to property ownership, land, homestead rights, rural property, taxation, water, disaster recovery, inheritance, recording, or agricultural land — such as redistricting, hemp regulation, general election administration, and law-enforcement funding — are excluded from this archive. The full exclusion list, with bill numbers, is on the Source Notes page.
Last reviewed: July 13, 2026 · Statuses verified against Texas Legislature Online (LegSess 892), the Texas Legislative Reference Library effective-dates list, and the Texas Legislative Council Summary of Enactments, 89th Texas Legislature. See the Source Notes page for the complete reviewed-bill table.