AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate on Thursday passed a broad slate of legislation and constitutional measures covering emergency-declaration rules, homeland security, higher education, and a set of regulatory and criminal-law changes, while advancing several other bills for later action.

The chamber voted on and approved bills that require the legislature to be called into special session under certain large-scale disaster thresholds, authorize a Homeland Security Division inside the Department of Public Safety, and tighten rules governing foreign funding at Texas public universities. Several bills that change local or administrative rules — including limits on healthcare noncompete agreements and expanded eligibility for flood‑infrastructure funding — won final passage as well.

Why it matters: The measures passed and advanced Thursday affect state responses to large disasters, how state government coordinates security and infrastructure protection, and how state agencies and institutions manage grants, contracting and regulatory authority. Collectively these bills alter the balance between executive authority and legislative oversight in emergencies, create a new structure for state homeland security work, and change eligibility and transparency rules across higher education, local government and regulatory programs.

What the Senate did
- Passed a constitutional resolution and companion bill creating statutory triggers for automatic legislative involvement when a disaster reaches set thresholds of geographic scope or population impact. That package (Committee Substitute SJR 40 and SB 871) drew sustained floor discussion about preserving the legislature’s role while ensuring the governor can act quickly; both measures were approved by the Senate.
- Approved a bill that authorizes establishment of a Homeland Security Division inside the Department of Public Safety to centralize and coordinate border security, critical‑infrastructure protection and threat analysis functions currently spread across several state entities.
- Enacted an outcomes and data-focused higher-education bill to expand reporting and align community-college credentials with labor-market needs, and approved a separate bill directing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to restrict certain foreign gifts, grants or investments to public institutions and their employees from designated hostile foreign entities.
- Advanced and passed multiple other measures on topics ranging from flood infrastructure fund eligibility and manufactured housing to limits on noncompete clauses for physicians and professional licensing cleanup.

Votes at a glance (selected items from Thursday's floor action)
- SB 311 (relating to writ power of the Texas Supreme Court): final passage; roll call: 24 ayes, 6 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Sarah Hughes. Summary: aligns Government Code §22.002 with Article V, Sec. 3 of the Texas Constitution regarding the Supreme Court’s writ authority.
- Committee Substitute SJR 40 (constitutional amendment on disaster powers): final passage; roll call: 29 ayes, 1 nay. Sponsor: Sen. Charles Birdwell. Summary: sets thresholds requiring the governor to call a special legislative session for prolonged or statewide disasters and authorizes the legislature to support, revise, or terminate an emergency declaration.
- SB 871 (implementing legislation tied to SJR 40): final passage; roll call: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Charles Birdwell. Summary: revises the Disaster Act and the Emergency Management Act, clarifies geographic limits for declarations, and restricts certain suspension authorities.
- SB 36 (committee substitute, establishing a Homeland Security Division at DPS): final passage; roll call: 26 ayes, 4 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Donna Campbell (floor sponsor Sen. Robert Parker presented the bill). Summary: consolidates homeland-security functions in DPS, coordinates public‑private critical‑infrastructure protection, and formalizes preparedness/exercise responsibilities.
- Committee substitute SB 16 77 (study on prevention and reduction of diabetes‑related amputations): final passage; roll call: 25 ayes, 5 nays. Sponsor: Sen. José Menéndez. Summary: directs Department of State Health Services to conduct a study with a tier‑1 research institution and an interdisciplinary panel.
- SB 1967 (flood infrastructure fund project eligibility): final passage; roll call: 28 ayes, 2 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Juan Hinojosa. Summary: clarifies that multipurpose projects providing both flood mitigation and new water supply are eligible for Flood Infrastructure Fund assistance.
- SB 1255 (regulation of mold assessors and remediators): final passage; roll call: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Judith Zaffirini. Summary: technical cleanup requested by TDLR to clarify mold regulation and streamline licensing.
- SB 154 (?) / SB 15 92 (hotel occupancy tax collection by intermediary): final passage; roll call: 21 ayes, 9 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Sarah Blanco. Summary: centralizes collection of state and local hotel occupancy taxes from accommodation intermediaries through the Comptroller's collection system (remits to local governments).
- SB 1271 (concurrent jurisdiction over U.S. military installations for certain juvenile matters): final passage; roll call: 28 ayes, 2 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Joan Huffman (floor sponsor Sen. Dawn Hancock presented the bill). Summary: permits the state and federal government, by agreement, to exercise concurrent jurisdiction over certain juvenile offenses on military installations to allow access to state rehabilitative resources.
- SB 745 (increasing penalty ranges for intoxication manslaughter when multiple victims are killed): final passage; roll call: 28 ayes, 2 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Lois Kolkhorst. Summary: creates an enhanced sentencing option for defendants whose intoxication manslaughter caused multiple deaths.
- SB 365 (academic fresh start window for higher education applicants): final passage; roll call: 29 ayes, 1 nay. Sponsor: Sen. Roland Gutierrez (floor sponsor Sen. Angela Eckhart presented the bill). Summary: allows institutions discretion to reduce the “fresh start” waiting period from 10 to as few as five years and requires institutions to publish their policy.
- SB 1067 (limits on certain foreign funding to public institutions of higher education and employees/spouses): final passage; roll call: 27 ayes, 3 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Royce West (floor sponsor Sen. Nathan Johnson and Sen. Lois Kolkhorst participated in debate). Summary: prohibits acceptance of funds from designated foreign governmental entities, certain political parties and companies with government ownership stakes; CHARGES THE COORDINATING BOARD to adopt enforcement rules.
- SB 785 (manufactured housing; prevents outright municipal bans): final passage; roll call: 28 ayes, 2 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Honorable (Sen.) John Flores. Summary: requires municipalities to allow some form of HUD‑code manufactured housing while preserving local zoning control over placement.
- SB 1318 (limits on covenants not to compete for physicians and certain health-care practitioners): final passage; roll call: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Charles Schwertner. Summary: places guardrails on noncompetes for many health-care workers (time, geography, buyout cap), with specified exemptions for some medical‑director roles.
- SB 18 71 (discipline management, access to telehealth/mental-health services in public schools): final passage; roll call: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Royce West/Chair Perry (committee bill). Summary: revises discipline placement standards and expands options for telehealth and behavioral supports in schools.
- SB 1365 (DMV cleanup: registration, plates, inspection reports): final passage; roll call: 26 ayes, 4 nays. Sponsor: Sen. Drew Springer (floor sponsor Sen. Nathan Nichols). Summary: multiple technical changes to vehicle registration, temporary plates and inspection‑report enforcement.

What was debated: Several measures drew extensive floor debate. SJR 40 and SB 871 prompted extended exchanges about where to draw the line between emergency executive authority and legislative oversight, with senators warning a requirement to convene could slow immediate executive responses while others said the legislature must not be sidelined for prolonged emergencies. The squatters/eviction legislation (SB 38) produced lengthy floor discussion and multiple amendments designed to balance property‑owner protections with renter due‑process safeguards; the Senate adopted an amendment from the House to clarify notice and timing procedures before passing SB 38 to engrossment.

Next steps: Measures that passed the Senate will go to the Texas House of Representatives if not already companioned there, or to the governor when a companion and final enrollment are complete. Several bills advanced to engrossment Thursday and will return for final votes after constitutionally required readings or after transmittal processes are complete.

Reporting note: Vote tallies and mover/second details in the Votes at a glance are taken from the Senate floor record for the April 10 session.