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Signed Into Law
Signed May 19, 2025Effective 2025-09-01
SB1532

Regular Session

Relating to the information required to be posted by the Texas Water Development Board on the board's Internet website regarding the use of the state water implementation fund for Texas.

Government Affairs & Regulatory Compliance Analysis

SB1532: Government Affairs Overview

SB1532 eliminates the statutory requirement for the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to post nonconfidential details of approved State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) applications on its website. This deregulation removes a primary source of market intelligence for engineering firms, contractors, and financial advisors tracking state-funded water projects, requiring an immediate pivot to active public records monitoring.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini·Senate Bill·Regular Session

Low
Low Cost
Effective:2025-09-01
Business Impact

Who SB1532 Affects

This legislation has regulatory implications for the following Texas businesses and organizations:

Regulatory Priority: low

Standard regulatory changes (effective 2025-09-01). Review during normal business planning.

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Water

Affected business types:

  • Water utilities
  • Wastewater treatment facilities
  • Municipal water districts
  • Agricultural water users
View all water legislation

Key Operational Considerations

  • 1Business Development Staff: Staff currently responsible for scraping or monitoring the TWDB website must be retrained on the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) process.
  • 2Legal/Compliance: In-house counsel must equip sales teams with pre-approved PIA request templates to avoid bottlenecks.

Estimated Cost Impact

lowMinimal cost impact anticipated.

Enforcing Agencies

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SB1532
Low
Relating to the information required to be posted by the Texas Water Development Board on the board's Internet website regarding the use of the state ...
Low Compliance Urgency
Requires routine attention
Cost Impact
Low
Effective
2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies
Texas Water Development Board
Primary Author: Sen. Judith Zaffirini
89th Texas Legislature
jdkey.com
01

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

  • Effective Date: September 1, 2025
  • Compliance Deadline: August 15, 2025 (Internal deadline to operationalize new data retrieval workflows before the public feed is potentially terminated).
  • Agency Rulemaking: The TWDB is not required to issue new rules to implement this reduction in transparency. However, the Board retains discretion to post information via internal rule; stakeholders must monitor upcoming Board meetings for indications of whether voluntary posting will continue.

Immediate Action Plan

  • 1. Audit Data Usage: Immediately determine which internal departments (Sales, Estimating, Legal) currently rely on the TWDB SWIFT transparency webpage.
  • 2. Establish PIA Protocol: Draft a standard, recurring Public Information Act request for "Approved SWIFT Financial Assistance Applications" to be filed monthly starting September 2025.
  • 3. Monitor Board Agendas: Subscribe to TWDB Board Meeting agendas and minutes. While the detailed application data may vanish from the website, project approvals will still be recorded in meeting minutes.
  • 4. Update Lead Times: Adjust business development timelines to account for a 10-to-20-day lag in obtaining project intelligence due to the shift from instant web access to the open records request cycle.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

  • Teaming Agreements: Prime contractors and subcontractors must accelerate pre-bid teaming agreements. Because project funding details will no longer be automatically public, identifying partners after funding approval will become slower and more difficult.
  • Confidentiality: For SWIFT applicants, the risk of inadvertent disclosure of proprietary data via the website is reduced, but standard Texas Public Information Act (PIA) provisions still apply to all submitted documents.

Hiring/Training

  • Business Development Staff: Staff currently responsible for scraping or monitoring the TWDB website must be retrained on the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) process.
  • Legal/Compliance: In-house counsel must equip sales teams with pre-approved PIA request templates to avoid bottlenecks.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

  • PIA Logs: Implement a tracking log for PIA requests sent to TWDB. Unlike the instant access of a website, PIA requests have a statutory 10-business-day response window. Your team must track these dates to ensure data is received in time for bid preparation.

Fees & Costs

  • Administrative Costs: Expect a minor increase in administrative overhead dedicated to drafting and managing open records requests.
  • Data Charges: While standard electronic data is often free, the TWDB may charge standard state rates for labor and overhead if data requests are voluminous or require manipulation.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

  • Discretionary Posting: The law removes the *mandate* to post information but does not *prohibit* the Board from doing so. It is currently unclear if the TWDB will cease posting immediately to reduce administrative burden or continue posting as a courtesy.
  • "Other Information": The statute retains the Board's authority to post "any other information required by board rule." If industry pushback regarding the loss of transparency is significant, the Board may re-regulate this disclosure requirement through the standard rulemaking process.

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Information presented is for general knowledge only and is provided without warranty, express or implied. Consult qualified government affairs professionals and legal counsel before making compliance decisions.

02

Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

Filed
Feb 21, 2025
Passed Senate
Mar 26, 2025
Passed House
May 2, 2025
Signed
May 19, 2025
Effective
Sep 1, 2025
TopicsWaterWater--developmentWater--generalInternetWater Development Board, Texas
03

Senate Authors

Sen. Judith ZaffiriniDemocrat · Primary Author

House Sponsor

Rep. Armando MartinezDemocrat · Primary Sponsor

Bill Text(with markup)

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

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Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SB1532

Q

What does Texas SB1532 do?

SB1532 eliminates the statutory requirement for the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to post nonconfidential details of approved State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) applications on its website. This deregulation removes a primary source of market intelligence for engineering firms, contractors, and financial advisors tracking state-funded water projects, requiring an immediate pivot to active public records monitoring.

Q

Who authored SB1532?

SB1532 was authored by Texas Senator Judith Zaffirini during the Regular Session.

Q

When was SB1532 signed into law?

SB1532 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on May 19, 2025.

Q

Which agencies enforce SB1532?

SB1532 is enforced by Texas Water Development Board.

Q

How significant are the changes in SB1532?

The regulatory priority for SB1532 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the legislation to understand potential impacts.

Q

What is the cost impact of SB1532?

The cost impact of SB1532 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

Q

What topics does SB1532 address?

SB1532 addresses topics including water, water--development, water--general, internet and water development board, texas.

Q

What are the key dates for SB1532?

Key dates for SB1532: Effective date is 2025-09-01. Consult with legal counsel regarding applicability.

Need Strategic Guidance on This Legislation?

JD Key Consulting is an Austin, Texas-based government affairs firm led by James Dickey, former Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. We specialize in Texas regulatory compliance and legislative strategy for data centers, energy, banking, and manufacturing.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: January 11, 2026