New Laws in Texas: 89th Legislative Session

In 2025, Texas Appleseed advocated for the bills below, which have become law.

Regular Legislative Session

  • SB 1238: Prohibits insurance companies from refusing to continue home or auto insurance due to the death of a spouse or charging a higher rate to a widow or widower based solely on a change in marital status (loss of a spouse). We have referred to this bill as closing the “widow penalty” insurance loophole.  [Affiliated with: our Fair Financial Services Project]
  • HB 4238: Strengthens debt collection protections for victims of identity theft, further helping victims of financial abuse and coerced debt.  [Affiliated with: our Fair Financial Services Project]
  • SB 1036: Addresses harmful practices in the residential solar panel retail sales and installation industry by creating new regulatory requirements. Under this bill, solar panel salespeople and retailers must register with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and follow strict standards to prevent fraudulent and deceptive practices.  [Affiliated with: our Fair Financial Services Project]
  • SB 1343: Requires data brokers to include information in a state directory and on their website to make it easier for Texans to access their data privacy rights. Data brokers collect and sell personal information often without an individual’s approval or knowledge. This change will create a new tool for survivors of domestic violence and others who are vulnerable to financial abuse to protect their private information.  [Affiliated with: our Fair Financial Services Project]
  • SB 840: Allows for the building of apartments in areas where Texas cities currently only allow office buildings or retail shops, thus creating more affordable housing opportunities and more housing in general.  [Affiliated with: our Fair Housing Project]
  • SB 1567: Prevents municipalities from restricting the number of unrelated adults who can live together in cities of less than 250,000 with nearby universities, thus allowing roommates and friends to offset rental costs.  [Affiliated with: our Fair Housing Project]
  • HB 24: Reforms the valid petition process in Texas regarding zoning changes, so that a small number of people cannot block much-needed housing. Known as the “tyrant’s veto,” a single landowner could have blocked new housing or redevelopment, but this bill sets a higher threshold for protesting and makes it easier for elected city councils to overcome the protest and allow more housing.  [Affiliated with: our Fair Housing Project]
  • SB 15: Allows smaller lot homes to develop in new subdivisions. Many cities require large lots to build even a single house, requiring buyers to buy large yards even if that’s not their desire. This bill will make starter-homes more available for first-time homebuyers, and allow affordable housing builders like Habitat for Humanity to build more houses on the same amount of land.  [Affiliated with: our Fair Housing Project]

Sunset Process: Through Sunset, the Texas Legislature looks closely at the need for and performance of state agencies.

  • SB 2405: Allows post-secondary education responsibilities in prison to be transferred to Windham School District, allowing Windham to enter into data agreements with state agencies to measure the impact of their educational programs. This supports our higher education in prisons work to ensure successful reentry of Texans back into their communities via educational/career and technical training during incarceration. The bill also codifies the creation of an advisory council that will approve prison education programs. This allows programming to be more closely monitored, evaluated, and updated, and this uplifts our work to ensure programs in prison are meaningful and nimble to best meet the needs of students.  [Affiliated with: our Criminal Justice Project]

Second Special Session

  • An omnibus bill, which focused on court functions, passed during Texas’ second special session. The bill included language that will require counties to develop plans to divert children who are living in residential facilities from the juvenile justice system. This is a win for ensuring children’s needs are met in productive environments and in therapeutic ways.  [Affiliated with: our Juvenile Justice Project]

Also, read our newsletter (pages 3-4) to read about the bills, including others that we helped block.