With only a few dozen hours remaining in the regular session, Texas lawmakers have sealed the fate of thousands of bills and are now focused on reconciling House and Senate versions of passed legislation.
The Texas Legislature meets in a regular session every two years, convening on the second Tuesday in January of every odd-numbered year in Austin. These biennial sessions are limited to 140 days. The governor has the authority to call special sessions as necessary, which cannot exceed 30 days. The 89th Texas Legislature gaveled in on Jan. 14 and is set to conclude June 2. As of press time, there were no references to any potential special called sessions.
The July issue of Permian Basin Oil & Gas Magazine will include a comprehensive report on the 89th Regular Session. The following abbreviated report includes a few fast facts.
Tuesday, May 29, was the last day for the House to consider a Senate bill or joint resolution on second reading. Wednesday, May 30, was the last day for the Senate to consider all bills and joint resolutions. The five days that follow are reserved for reconciling House and Senate versions of bills and for making corrections that are considered “non-substantive.”
The latest bill statistics provided by the Texas Legislature on May 27 are as follows:
House Bills and Resolutions Senate Bills and Resolutions
Filed 5,852 3,162
Reported out of committee 1,901 1,116
Passed by chamber of origin 1,178 1,004
Referred to committee in opposite chamber 1,004 996
Reported out of committee in opposite chamber 652 819
Passed opposite chamber 455 445
Sent to the Governor 235 277
Signed by the Governor 35 130
Filed without the Governor’s signature 2 5
Vetoed by the Governor 1
Industry-Related Legislation
Major bills including those addressing the state budget, water, and electricity have reached the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott and will have an overall impact on oil and gas activity. Several specific industry bills have also reached the governor’s desk, while others were left pending in committee and did not make it to the chamber floors.
Broad and detailed industry impact will be discussed in-depth in our next analysis following sine die. In the meantime, here’s how several oil- and gas-related bills landed:
Signed by the governor
S.B. 494: Relating to the establishment of a theft of petroleum products task force. Effective Sept. 1, 2025
S.B. 1806: Relating to the inspection, purchase, sale, possession, storage, transportation, and disposal of petroleum products, oil and gas equipment, and oil and gas waste; creating criminal offenses and increasing the punishment for an existing criminal offense. Effective Sept. 1, 2025
S.B. 1146: Relating to the plugging or re-plugging of certain inactive wells subject to the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas. Effective Sept. 1, 2025
Sent to the governor
H.B. 49: Relating to the treatment and beneficial use of fluid oil and gas waste and related material, including a limitation on liability for that treatment or use.
S.B. 1150: Relating to the plugging of and reporting on inactive wells subject to the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas; authorizing an administrative penalty.
Left pending in committee
S.B. 1320: Relating to the establishment of the organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Texas Department of Public Safety.
H.B. 265: Relating to the allocation of certain constitutional transfers of money to the economic stabilization fund, the state highway fund, and the Grow Texas Fund and to the permissible uses of money deposited to the Grow Texas Fund.
HJR 35: Would create the Grow Texas Fund in the state treasury and the establishment of the Grow Texas Grant Program.
H.B. 188: Relating to the allocation of certain constitutional transfers of money to certain funds and accounts, including the Texas severance tax revenue and oil and natural gas (Texas STRONG) defense fund, and to the permissible uses of money deposited to Texas STRONG.
Julie Anderson is editor of County Progress Magazine and is former editor of Permian Basin Oil and Gas Magazine.
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