Public Citizen’s Testimony to the 89th Texas Legislature
The Texas office of Public Citizen testifies on comments on various topics during each session of the Texas Legislature. This page contains Public Citizen’s comments to Texas lawmakers on legislation under consideration at the Texas Capitol. Public Citizen’s written comments will be updated periodically until the Legislature ends its work for this biennium on June 2.
May 21, 2025: HB 5033 – AGAINST
Testimony against House Bill 5033, which would eliminate the motor vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance program.
May 13, 2025: HB 3229 – SUPPORT
Testimony in favor of House Bill 3229,, which would hold recycling facilities that accept renewable energy equipment for recycling and repurposing accountable, ensuring they dispose of the waste in a timely manner.
May 13, 2025: HB 3228 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 3228, which would ensure renewable energy equipment is properly disposed of at its end of life and will keep as much material as possible out of landfills.
May 8, 2025: HB 1674 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 1674, which establishes limits on PFAS chemicals.
May 8, 2025: HB 1341 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 1341, which establishes limits on hydrogen sulfide.
May 5, 2025: HB 581 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 581, which would regulate the circulation of intimate deepfakes.
May 1, 2025: SB 763 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 763, which would allow for a more regular protectiveness review of the standard permit for concrete batch plants.
May 1, 2025: HB 1682 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 1682, which would create an environmental remediation fund.
May 1, 2025: HB 482 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 482, which would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to notify the pertinent state representative and state senator of notice of certain administrative actions of the commission.
April 30, 2025: SB 441 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 441, which would expand liability for the creation of nonconsenting intimate deepfakes.
April 29, 2025: HB 3694 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 3694, which would expand criminal liability for creating intimate deepfake material without the written consent of the subject depicted.
April 28, 2025: HB 1483 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 1483, which would provide incentives for energy-efficient home upgrades.
April, 2025: HB 4841 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 4841, which would make improvements to the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP).
April 24, 2025: HB 1823 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 1823, which would add hospitals to setback laws for concrete crushers.
April 24, 2025: HB 1730 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 1730, which would mandate a study of PFAS usage.
April 23, 2025: HB 3964 – AGAINST
Testimony against House Bill 3964, which would add limitations to the public nuisance cause of action.
April 22, 2025: SB 495 – AGAINST
Testimony against Senate Bill 495, which would prevent the commissioner of the Department of Insurance from adopting any rules implementing environmental, social, or governance (ESG) assessments.
April 22, 2025: SB 2386 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 2386, which would require notification to state legislators of certain administrative actions taken by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
April 17, 2025: HB 5033 – AGAINST
Testimony against House Bill 5033, which would eliminate the motor vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance program.
April 17, 2025: HB 4519 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 4519, which would make efficiency updates to the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP).
April 17, 2025: HB 3997 – AGAINST
Testimony against House Bill 3997, which would limit the public’s procedural rights in contested case hearings.
April 16, 2025: HB 143 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 143, which would address the problem of marginal oil and gas well operators contributing to conditions that cause wildfires
April 15, 2025: SB 2994 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 2994, which would improve the state’s energy efficiency goals.
April 8, 2025: SB 2717 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 2717, which would create the Texas Energy Efficiency Council.
April 8, 2025: SB 2967 – AGAINST
Testimony against Senate Bill 2967, which would provide subsidies for nuclear energy development.
April 3, 2025: HB 4112 – NEUTRAL
Testimony on House Bill 4112, which would limit the storage and disposal of high-level radioactive wastes in Texas.
April 3, 2025: SB 1003 – NEUTRAL
Testimony on Senate Bill 1003, which would alter compensation of a distributed renewable generation owner in certain areas outside of ERCOT, specifically El Paso Electric (EPE).
April 2, 2025: HB 1360 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 1360, which would allow the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to move forward on rulemaking for code adoption that is most up to date with energy efficiency code according to the International Code Council.
April 1, 2025: SB 715 – AGAINST
Testimony against Senate Bill 715, which would retroactively force all existing energy resources to firm.
March 31, 2025: Funding for the Texas Nuclear Power Fund – AGAINST
Testimony against appropriating funds for the Texas Nuclear Power Fund
March 27, 2025: HB 1361 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 1361, which would direct $176.2 million in LIRAP funds back to the counties in which that money was collected for incentive-based programs to reduce air pollution to the benefit of public health in Texas.
March 27, 2025: SB 819 – AGAINST
Testimony against Senate Bill 819, which would weaponize regulations against renewable energy.
March 27, 2025: HB 3229 – SUPPORT
Testimony in favor of House Bill 3229,, which would hold recycling facilities that accept renewable energy equipment for recycling and repurposing accountable, ensuring they dispose of the waste in a timely manner.
March 26, 2025: HB 3228 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 3228, which would ensure renewable energy equipment is properly disposed of at its end of life and will keep as much material as possible out of landfills.
March 26, 2025: SB 1758 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 1758, which would commission a study of the impacts of vibrations caused by aggregate production on semiconductor manufacturing.
March 26, 2025: SB 1757 – AGAINST
Testimony against Senate Bill 1757, which would create a standard permit option for rock crushers collocated at quarries that is not eligible for a contested case hearing.
March 25, 2025: HB 1121 – SUPPORT
Testimony in favor of House Bill 1121, which would adds civil and criminal liability for the disclosure, promotion, and production of intimate deepfakes.
March 25, 2025: HB 235 – SUPPORT
Testimony in favor of House Bill 235, which would add intimate deepfakes to the tort of unlawful disclosure or promotion of certain intimate visual material and to the crime of unlawful production of sexually explicit material.
March 25, 2025: HB 449 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 449, which would add production and distribution of intimate deepfake images to the crime of unlawful production of sexually explicit material.
March 25, 2025: SB 783 – SUPPORT
Testimony in favor of Senate Bill 783, which would empower the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to Move Forward on Energy Efficiency Code Updates
March 19, 2025: HB 14 – AGAINST
Testimony against House Bill 14, which would use tax dollars for unproven nuclear reactor technologies.
March 17, 2025: SB 779 – AGAINST
Testimony against Senate Bill 779, which would eliminate an established right of the public to address concerns about polluting facilities.
March 12, 2025: HB 581 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 581, which would regulate the circulation of intimate deepfakes.
March 12, 2025: HB 421 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of House Bill 421, which would regulate the circulation of intimate deepfakes,
March 12, 2025: SB 763 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 763, which would allow for a more regular protectiveness review of the standard permit for concrete batch plants.
March 12, 2025: HB 912 – AGAINST
Testimony against House Bill 912, which would end net metering at El Paso Electric.
March 11, 2025: SB 1252 – NEUTRAL
Testimony on Senate Bill 1252, which would allow a municipality to regulate the installation or inspection of a residential energy backup system.
March 10, 2025: SB 893 – SUPPORT
Testimony in support of Senate Bill 893, which expands a law restricting the use of artificial intelligence in political ads to include deepfake images.
March 4, 2025: SB 388 – AGAINST
Testimony against Senate Bill 388, which would establish a dispatchable generation target of 50 percent on the ERCOT grid and encourage the development of new methane-powered generation.
Feb. 26, 2025: HB 1 Articles VI, VII, & VIII – Funding for the Public Utility Commission and the Office of Public Utility Counsel – NEUTRAL
Testimony on House Bill 1, the lower chamber’s version of the state budget. Public Citizen provided comments on the portions of the budget that include the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Office of Public Utlity Council
Feb. 18, 2025: SB 495 – AGAINST
Testimony against Senate Bill 495, which would prevent the commissioner of the Department of Insurance from adopting any rules implementing environmental, social, or governance (ESG) assessments.
Feb. 11, 2025: SB 1 – NEUTRAL
Testimony on Senate Bill 1, the Texas Senate version of the state budget. Public Citizen offered recommendations for the budgets allocated to the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.