Senator Flores explained a committee substitute to Senate Bill 2,43 intended to strengthen enforcement of housing standards for migrant farm workers by updating penalties and timetables used by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA).

Under current law, Flores said, the penalty for violations of TDHCA housing standards is a flat $200 per day; the substitute would change the penalty to $50 per person per day. The substitute also establishes notification and remediation timelines: the agency would have 5 days to notify a housing provider after receiving a complaint, providers would generally have 7 days to remedy complaints, and providers would have 30 days to remedy health-and-safety complaints while providing alternative housing at no additional cost.

Flores told the committee the bill is aimed at ensuring humane, sanitary housing conditions for legally present migrant agricultural workers and that it explicitly disallows an H-2A visa holder from seeking a civil penalty under the proposed statute to avoid duplicative remedies in federal law.

Committee members asked multiple questions about immigration status, court access, and enforcement mechanics. Senator Bergwell and others pressed clarifications about who could seek remedies; Flores and witnesses said the bill preserves current federal remedies for H-2A workers and focuses state administrative enforcement through TDHCA. The committee voted the substitute out favorably (6 ayes, 0 nays).