Business Impact Guide
Texas 89th Legislature
Understanding how 1,192 new laws affect Texas businesses — by industry, by agency, by effective date.
Session Overview
The 89th Texas Legislature convened January 14, 2025. Governor Abbott called two special sessions to address priority issues including border security and property tax relief. Together, these sessions produced 1,192 substantive laws affecting Texas businesses.
Major Changes by Industry
Find legislation relevant to your sector
Healthcare
262 billsLegislation affecting hospitals, health insurance, medical providers, pharmaceuticals, and public health.
Manufacturing & Business
212 billsLegislation affecting manufacturing, commerce, labor, workforce development, and business operations.
Technology
160 billsLegislation affecting data privacy, cybersecurity, internet regulation, AI, and digital infrastructure.
Water
123 billsLegislation affecting water rights, utilities, conservation, infrastructure, and environmental quality.
Banking & Finance
115 billsLegislation affecting banks, financial services, insurance, taxation, and investment regulations.
Energy
92 billsLegislation affecting electric utilities, grid infrastructure, renewable energy, oil & gas, and power generation.
Key Compliance Dates
Most 89th Legislature bills take effect September 1, 2025. However, 36 bills have January 1, 2026 effective dates — primarily property tax changes, R&D tax credits, and regulatory reforms.
Standard effective date for most legislation (91 days after session adjournment)
36 bills including property tax changes, SB 2420 (app stores), and R&D tax credits
Regulatory Agency Updates
Agencies implementing the most new legislation
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Health and Human Services Commission
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Texas Education Agency
Office of the Attorney General
Texas Department of Public Safety
Texas Department of Insurance
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Key Subject Areas
View All 20 SubjectsHow This Affects Your Business
New Compliance Requirements
Many bills create new reporting requirements, licensing changes, or operational mandates. Understanding these requirements before effective dates prevents costly compliance failures.
Compliance Services →Agency Rulemaking
Statutes set the framework. Agencies decide the details through rulemaking. Participating in comment periods gives businesses a voice in implementation.
Agency Relations →Tax Changes
Property tax exemptions, R&D credits, and franchise tax modifications may create opportunities — or obligations — for your business.
Tax Incentives Briefing →Industry-Specific Changes
Energy, technology, healthcare, real estate — each sector faces unique regulatory changes. Our industry pages identify relevant legislation for your sector.
Browse Industries →Frequently Asked Questions
When do 89th Legislature bills take effect?
Most 89th Legislature bills take effect September 1, 2025 (91 days after session adjournment). Some bills have different effective dates: January 1, 2026 (36 bills, primarily property tax changes), immediate effect (bills with 2/3 majority vote), or specific dates written into the legislation. JD Key Consulting tracks effective dates for business-critical legislation.
How do I know which new Texas laws affect my business?
Use our industry-specific analysis pages to find legislation relevant to your sector. We track bills by industry (energy, healthcare, technology, etc.) and by regulatory agency. Each bill page includes business impact analysis identifying affected industries and compliance considerations.
What happens after a Texas bill is signed into law?
After signing, state agencies implement the law through rulemaking. This includes publishing proposed rules in the Texas Register, accepting public comments, and holding hearings. Businesses can influence implementation by participating in this process before rules are finalized.
Which Texas agencies are implementing the most new legislation?
The 89th Legislature significantly expanded responsibilities for agencies including the Public Utility Commission (ERCOT oversight, data centers), Texas Department of Insurance, Comptroller's Office (R&D tax credits), and Texas Real Estate Commission. Each agency page shows relevant legislation and business impact.
Complete Bill Archive
1,192 substantive bills became law
Showing 50 of 1,192 bills
Relating to youth camp emergency plans and preparedness; authorizing penalties.
Relating to public education and public school finance.
Relating to the composition of the districts for the election of members of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Texas.
Relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public schools.
Relating to prohibitions on the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs, including the jurisdiction of and effect of certain judgments by courts within and outside this state with respect to the manufacture and provision of those drugs, and to protections from certain counteractions under the laws of other states and jurisdictions; authorizing qui tam actions.
Relating to an exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion of the appraised value of tangible personal property that is held or used for the production of income.
Relating to licensing reciprocity agreements entered into by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Relating to the review and audit of certain state agency operations.
Relating to support for the development of the nuclear energy industry.
Relating to the operation and administration of and practices and procedures related to proceedings in the judicial branch of state government, including court security, court documents and arrest warrants, document delivery, juvenile boards, constitutional amendment election challenges, record retention, youth diversion, court-ordered mental health services, the powers of the Texas Supreme Court, jurors, and the special prosecution unit; increasing a criminal penalty; authorizing fees.
Relating to the establishment and administration of certain programs and services providing health care services to rural counties.
Relating to a restriction on the acceptance of political contributions and the making of certain political expenditures by a member of the legislature and certain political committees during certain periods in which a member is absent from a legislative session; authorizing a civil penalty.
Relating to establishing the Applied Sciences Pathway program.
Relating to measures to prevent and reduce fraudulent charitable solicitations and theft during declared disasters, including establishing a designation program for disaster relief nonprofit organizations and financial institutions; creating a criminal offense; increasing a criminal penalty.
Relating to housing finance corporations; authorizing a fee.
Relating to the exemption from ad valorem taxation of intangible personal property.
Relating to the exemption from ad valorem taxation of property owned by certain nonprofit corporations, located in a populous county, and used to promote agriculture, support youth, and provide educational support in the community.
Relating to procedures for changes to a zoning regulation or district boundary.
Relating to a pharmacist's authority to dispense ivermectin without a prescription.
Relating to authorizing Medicaid managed care organizations to offer nutrition support services in lieu of other state Medicaid plan services.
Relating to courses in personal financial literacy for high school students in public schools.
Relating to water losses reported by certain municipally owned utilities to the Texas Water Development Board; authorizing administrative penalties.
Relating to the effect of a disaster and associated costs on the calculation of certain tax rates and the procedure for adoption of a tax rate by a taxing unit.
Relating to active shooter incidents at primary and secondary school facilities and other emergencies.
Relating to prohibiting the investment of state money in certain countries and in certain private business entities in those countries.
Relating to a peer support network for first responders.
Relating to perinatal bereavement care provided by certain hospitals, a perinatal bereavement care initiative, and a perinatal bereavement care hospital recognition program.
Relating to information and data regarding the incidence of veteran deaths in this state.
Relating to the business court.
Relating to the amount and allocation of the annual constitutional appropriation to certain agencies and institutions of higher education and to the permissible uses of that money.
Relating to the Texas Agricultural Finance Authority and certain programs administered by the authority.
Relating to the duty of the attorney general to represent the state in the prosecution of the criminal offense of trafficking of persons.
Relating to the medical use of low-THC cannabis under and the administration of the Texas Compassionate-Use Program; requiring registration.
Relating to sexual assault and other sex offenses.
Relating to the creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Department of Public Safety.
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.
Relating to the duty of a magistrate to make written findings in certain criminal proceedings.
Relating to the purchase, adoption, and use of instructional materials by public schools.
Relating to creating the Texas State Guard Professionalization Task Force.
Relating to early registration for students in military-related programs at public institutions of higher education.
Relating to the creation and maintenance of a database of taxing unit bond, tax, and bond-related project information; providing a civil penalty.
Relating to the establishment of the sickle cell disease registry.
Relating to the use of metal or body armor while committing certain offenses; increasing a criminal penalty.
Relating to the construction, expansion, and operation of certain inpatient mental health facilities and the designation of residential treatment facilities for certain juveniles.
Relating to the transfer of functions relating to certain veteran mental health programs and plans to the Texas Veterans Commission.
Relating to grounds for the involuntary termination of the parent-child relationship.
Relating to the establishment of the governor's task force on the governance of early childhood education and care.
Relating to the registration as a lobbyist of persons who engage in certain lobbying activities on behalf of a foreign adversary and to prohibitions on the receipt of compensation related to those lobbying activities; providing a civil penalty.
Relating to college, career, and military readiness in public schools, including career and technology education programs, the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer (FAST) program, and the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership (R-PEP) program, funding for those programs under the Foundation School Program, and workforce reporting to support those programs, to the public school accountability system, and to the new instructional facility allotment and the permissible uses of funding under the Foundation School Program.
Relating to measures for ensuring public school safety, including the commissioning of peace officers by the Texas Education Agency, the composition of the board of directors of the Texas School Safety Center, and public school safety and security requirements and resources.
This archive includes substantive bills (HB, SB) and joint resolutions (HJR, SJR) signed into law. Simple resolutions (HR, SR), concurrent resolutions (HCR, SCR), and purely commemorative or memorial bills are excluded.
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