May 01, 2023
PPROA Legislative Report – Travis McCormick
Please note – these bills are filed and have not made it to committee for debate at this point
There is less than one month left of the 88th Regular Session – on May 29th, the Legislature will adjourn Sine Die until January 2025, unless Governor Abbott calls the House and Senate back for a Special Session. The prospect of a Special Session has become more and more likely as the House and Senate are at odds on several key issues ranging from property tax relief to education reform.
Below are some bills we have testified in favor of this session and where they are in the legislative process:
Bill: HB 2056 (Darby)
Status: Pending in House Ways & Means Committee (Last Action 4/10)
Description: Severance tax-break for restimulating marginal wells
Bill: HB 3244 (Goldman)
Status: Passed committee, awaiting vote in calendars
Description: Makes some common sense, reasonable changes to SB 3 to give operators and the Railroad Commission more flexibility in determining what assets should be classified as critical infrastructure and in determining participation in ERCOT’s Load Resource Program.
Bill: HB 618 (Darby) / SB 502 (Hughes)
Status: Passed the Senate, Passed House Committee
Description: Provides a tort liability shield for oil and gas operators who generate drill cuttings and transfers them to a permit holder for commercial recycling or disposal.
Bill: HB 33 (Landgraf)
Status: Out of Committee, In Calendars Committee
Description: The “Texas Energy Independence Act”: Ensures no Texas state taxpayer dollars or resources are used to implement any new federal regulations on oil and gas production.
Bill: HB 2211 (Landgraf) / SB 784 (Birdwell)
Status: Passed the Senate, awaiting approval in Calendars in the House
Description: Ensures the exclusive jurisdiction of the state to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in this state and the express preemption of local regulation of those emissions.
Bill: SB 1114 (Hancock)
Status: Passed the Senate
Description: Political subdivisions may not regulate the use or sale of a product for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions or conserving natural resources.
Bill: SB 1017 (Birdwell) / HB 2374 (Landgraf)
Status: Passed the Senate, about to be on the House Floor
Description: Energy Choice Bill – cities can’t ban fossil fuels or fossil fuel engines.
Bill: SB 150 (Springer)
Status: Voted out of committee
Description: Implements unemployment indexing which will help move individuals off unemployment more quickly and reduce unemployment taxes on businesses
Bill: HB 2127 (Burrows) / SB 814 (Creighton)
Status: Passed the House
Description: Would enact “field preemption” across a variety of statutes (basically if the state regulates it, the local governments can’t over regulate it).
Bill: HB 391 (Goldman)
Status: Pending in Committee
Description: Repeals the Franchise Tax
Bill: HB 2987/ HJR 129 (Metcalf)
Status: Pending in Committee
Description: Exempt tangible property from franchise tax
Bill: SB 1060 (Hughes)
Status: Passed the senate, referred to committee in the House
Description: This bill would prohibit any insurer operating in Texas from implementing a “political shareholder proposal,” defined as any item that restricts business dealings with fossil fuel companies or is otherwise ESG-oriented.
Bill: SB 1446 (Hughes)
Status: Passed the Senate
Description: This bill would prohibit state pensions or any agent working on their behalf from considering ESG factors in their fiduciary decision-making
Bill: HB 3619 (Burrows) / SB 1489 (Creighton)
Status: Passed Senate Committee / Heard in House Committee
Description: Bans ESG investing from institutions of higher education
Bill: SB 1290 (Perry)
Status: Voted out of the Senate
Description: Study by TCEQ on the disposal of windmills and solar panels
Bill: HB 2199 (Canales)
Status: Passed Committee & Calendars – Awaiting a vote on the Floor
Description: amends the Transportation Code to impose an additional registration fee on an electric vehicle in the amount of $200 annually
