This chapter sets a comprehensive governance and compliance framework for covered water districts and certain special water authorities. Mechanically, it (a) defines key terms that apply only within the chapter (Sec. 49.001); (b) makes the chapter applicable to general and special‑law districts except where other statute or special law controls (Sec....

Mechanics: The chapter establishes and structures the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), its membership and ethics rules, and the commissioner's office; assigns THECB broad coordinating, planning, data, funding‑administration, compliance‑monitoring, and rulemaking duties across public and some private postsecondary institutions; creates...

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 375 establishes the legal framework for creating and operating Municipal Management Districts (MMDs) and Defense Adjustment Management Authorities (DAMAs). Mechanically, these districts function as political subdivisions of the state, possessing the power to finance, construct, and maintain public infrastructure—such as...

What the chapter does mechanically: Establishes a statutory framework for creating and operating municipal utility districts ("districts") under Article XVI, Section 59 of the Texas Constitution, including procedures for formation (petition, notice, hearings), governance (five member board, director qualifications), specified statutory powers (water,...

Mechanical changes and framework: Chapter 51 sets statewide telecommunications policy, creates operative definitions, limits the subtitle's applicability, authorizes pricing flexibility with guardrails, and establishes municipal participation rights and commission procedures. (See 51.001–51.010.) What the instrument does (mechanics): States policy goals to...

What the chapter does mechanically: The chapter establishes a statutory framework for regulating electric utilities in Texas by (1) stating the legislative purpose to protect the public interest in utility rates and services and to create a comprehensive regulatory system (Sec. 31.001); (2) defining a set of technical legal categories (e.g., "electric...

This chapter (the Administrative Procedure Act) sets procedural rules that state agencies must follow when making rules and when conducting contested case proceedings. Mechanically, it requires agencies to adopt and publish rules of practice and to index and make available rules, policy statements, final orders and decisions (Section 2001.004; 2001.005). It...

Mechanically, Chapter 403 (as excerpted) centralizes a wide set of fiscal and program administration powers in the Texas Comptroller: it defines key fiscal terms, makes the comptroller the state's principal accounting officer with authority to prescribe forms and electronic formats, to audit and settle state claims, to prepare and authorize warrants and...

What the chapter does mechanically: The chapter sets the legal rules governing how Texas municipalities may expand or contract their corporate boundaries, including procedural steps (notice, hearings, maps, timelines), substantive limits on what may be annexed (width, acreage, extraterritorial limits), required service commitments to annexed areas, consent...

What the subchapter does, mechanically: It grants specified powers, limits, and procedures for certain hospital districts and counties. Key mechanics: (1) Commissioners courts may enter revenue anticipation agreements with persons or financial institutions to advance funds to a county hospital district when projected district revenues will not arrive in...

Mechanics first: Chapter 552 sets a legal framework that presumes public access to information held by governmental bodies, defines what counts as "public information," enumerates specific confidentiality exceptions, prescribes procedures and timelines for responding to requests, and allocates oversight and implementation duties to the Attorney General (AG)...

What this chapter does mechanically: It establishes the Texas Disaster Act framework (Sec. 418.001–418.002) by (1) authorizing the governor to declare a state of disaster and to issue executive orders, proclamations, and regulations with the force of law (Sec. 418.012, 418.014); (2) authorizing suspension of specified statutes, agency rules, and deadlines...

This subchapter sets uniform dates and related operational rules for elections and delegates limited authority to local and state actors to vary those dates. Mechanically, it: (1) prescribes the authorized uniform election dates as the first Saturday in May in odd numbered years; the first Saturday in May in even numbered years for political subdivisions...

Mechanical changes: This chapter establishes the Penal Code's label and structure (Sec. 1.01), states the Code's enumerated objectives (Sec. 1.02), prescribes baseline rules about what constitutes an offense and how Titles 1–3 apply to other statutes (Sec. 1.03), sets territorial jurisdiction rules for when the State may prosecute (Sec. 1.04), prescribes...

Mechanically, this chapter requires that any county or municipality may not issue bonds payable from ad valorem (property) taxes without prior approval by the qualified voters in an election (Sec. 1251.001). It prescribes election mechanics: use of general election laws subject to the chapter, inclusion of polling locations and hours in the order, an...

This source compiles rules for which property is subject to or exempt from ad valorem (property) taxation and how certain exemptions are implemented. Mechanically, the chapter (as excerpted) (1) sets the baseline that all real and tangible personal property located in the state is taxable unless an exemption applies, with tests for when tangible personal...

Government Code Chapter 411 is the foundational charter and operating manual for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). It runs nearly 500 sections across roughly two dozen subchapters, organized around DPS itself, criminal history records, the DNA database, the License to Carry a Handgun program, statewide emergency alert systems, regulated programs...

What the instrument does mechanically: Chapter 271 authorizes and structures multiple financing and procurement tools for Texas local governments. It (a) authorizes governmental agencies to enter contracts to acquire or finance personal property (including electricity and cloud computing) and to set contract terms and payment sources (Sec. 271.003(8);...

Mechanics: This chapter establishes uniform statutory definitions that govern terms used in the title. It specifies that chapter definitions apply throughout the title (Sec. 71.001(a)), but that a different meaning set elsewhere in the title controls where there is a conflict (Sec. 71.001(b)). Major defined terms include: the range of courts that can...

Mechanics: The chapter creates a comprehensive statutory licensing, registration, and permit regime for providers who care for nonrelated children in Texas, defines facility types and terms, assigns rulemaking and enforcement authority to the Health and Human Services Commission (executive commissioner) and the department/division designated to carry out...

Mechanically: this chapter establishes a comprehensive statutory regime for emergency medical services (EMS) and trauma care in the state. It (a) defines covered activities and personnel (773.003); (b) requires licensing of providers and certification of personnel and sets fee and application regimes (773.041, 773.055, 773.057, 773.071); (c) prescribes...

Mechanically, this subtitle supplies the statutory definitions that determine who and what other provisions of the Transportation Code cover. It adds and defines categories of persons (for example, "operator" as a person who drives or has physical control of a vehicle (Sec. 541.001(1 a)); "owner" as a person with a property interest or title, including...

What the chapter does mechanically: This chapter sets out the statutory framework for creating, governing, funding, and regulating groundwater conservation districts ("districts"). It gives the Texas Commission exclusive administrative authority to certify and order district creation (36.011, 36.015, 36.0151), prescribes petition and notice procedures for...

Mechanically, Chapter 13 (Water Code) sets the legal framework governing retail potable water and sewer utilities in Texas by: (1) defining covered actors, services, and utility size classes (13.002); (2) allocating regulatory authority between municipal governing bodies and the state utility commission, and describing when each has original or appellate...

Mechanically, the sections supplied set firm procedural and substantive requirements for public (and in some definitions private) postsecondary institutions across three broad domains: financial custody and investment of locally collected institutional funds; student conduct, sexual misconduct prevention/response, and related compliance/enforcement; and...

Mechanics: Chapter 4 requires that notice be given for each general and special election (Sec. 4.001). It prescribes who must give notice depending on who ordered the election (county judge for governor ordered elections; presiding officer of the political subdivision for elections they order; or the authority ordering the election for other elections)...

Mechanical changes (what the law does): Establishes multiple targeted state allotments and reimbursement streams to school districts for specific purposes: tuition reimbursement for students educated out of district (Sec. 48.154); reimbursement for assessment administration fees (Sec. 48.155); reimbursement for certification exam subsidies and...

Mechanics: This chapter establishes a comprehensive statutory regime governing controlled substances in Texas. It (1) defines substantive terms (practitioner, dispenser, controlled substance, chemical precursor, chemical laboratory apparatus, drug paraphernalia, etc.) used across the regime (481.002); (2) tasks the commissioner of state health services with...

Mechanically, Chapter 171 creates a statutory conflict of interest regime for local public officials. It defines covered actors and entities (Sec. 171.001), sets numerical thresholds for a "substantial interest" in a business (10% of voting stock or 10% or $15,000 of fair market value, or funds from the entity exceeding 10% of the official's prior year...

This chapter of the Penal Code defines a wide set of sexual, prostitution related, and obscenity offenses and prescribes mens rea, penalties, defenses, and procedural rules. Mechanically, it (a) defines key terms used throughout the chapter (e.g., sexual conduct, prostitution, interactive computer service, access software provider) (Sec. 43.01); (b)...