Monitoring the Session

HB 1338

County Hours Bill Drops Population Cutoff By 5,000 People

Companion SB 65 became law

Verdict: Smells

SmellsInitial review
Rep. Terri Leo WilsonRHouse 23
Why it's charged
Bracket bill

THE TEXT

“In a county with a population of 350,000 [ 355,000 ] or”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

Moving the population floor by just 5,000 people looks aimed at pulling one or a few specific counties into existing authority. The caption's 'certain county employees' admits the bill is narrow, so confidence stays low.

Bracket bill

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the hours of work of certain county employees.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

355,000 becomes 350,000. Counties in that 5,000-person gap can set uniform work hours.

The bill lowers the population cutoff from 355,000 to 350,000 for counties whose commissioners court may set uniform work-hour rules for county employees. It touches department heads, assistants, deputies and other employees whose pay the commissioners court sets or approves, in any county that crosses the new lower line. A county with between 350,000 and 355,000 people gains the option to adopt and enforce uniform hours rules, and nothing changes for counties already covered.

Labels

Labels: DO-OVER. Reworked text of a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 1022 (Did not pass). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.QUICK READ: 144 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 144 words, counting the existing law it amends and the text it strikes. The median 89R bill as filed runs 441 words (derived, 8,702 graded bills, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB1338 · 2024-11-14

SOLD BY

Rep. Terri Leo WilsonRHouse 23

+ 2 coauthors

ITEM

relating to the hours of work of certain county employees.

WHAT IT DOES

355,000 becomes 350,000. Counties in that 5,000-person gap can set uniform work hours.

The bill lowers the population cutoff from 355,000 to 350,000 for counties whose commissioners court may set uniform work-hour rules for county employees. It touches department heads, assistants, deputies and other employees whose pay the commissioners court sets or approves, in any county that crosses the new lower line. A county with between 350,000 and 355,000 people gains the option to adopt and enforce uniform hours rules, and nothing changes for counties already covered.

CHARGES

[x] BRACKET BILLanalysis confidence 40%

THE TEXT

“In a county with a population of 350,000 [ 355,000 ] or”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

Moving the population floor by just 5,000 people looks aimed at pulling one or a few specific counties into existing authority. The caption's 'certain county employees' admits the bill is narrow, so confidence stays low.

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · March 28, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to s/c on County & Regional Government by Speaker
  4. Scheduled for public hearing in s/c on . . .
  5. Considered by s/c in public hearing
  6. Committee substitute considered in s/c
  7. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
  8. Left pending in subcommittee
  9. Considered in formal meeting
  10. Committee substitute considered in committee
  11. Reported favorably as substituted
  12. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  13. Committee report distributed
  14. Committee report sent to Calendars
  15. Considered in Calendars
  16. Placed on General State Calendar
  17. Read 2nd time
  18. Postponed 5/1/25 10:00 AM
  19. Companion considered in lieu of SB 65
  20. Laid on the table subject to call
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Terri Leo Wilson

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$525KTexas Conservative Majority PAC$50KDustin Burrows Campaign$45K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 28, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$525,040.28

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$525,040.28

Cash
$65,000.00
Paid by others
$460,040.28
Total
$525,040.28
advertising $253,649.00mail $170,891.28polling $35,500.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 27, 2025 to Aug 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100994567, 101011936, 101042004, 101042009, 101070547.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC$50,000.00

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$50,000.00

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$50,000.00
Total
$50,000.00
canvassing $50,000.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Feb 20, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101042009.

Dustin Burrows Campaign$45,000.00

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$45,000.00

Cash
$35,000.00
Paid by others
$10,000.00
Total
$45,000.00
polling $10,000.00

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 31, 2025 to Feb 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101011936, 101028233, 101042004.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$525,040.28

Cash
$65,000.00
Paid by others
$460,040.28
Total
$525,040.28
advertising $253,649.00mail $170,891.28polling $35,500.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 27, 2025 to Aug 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100994567, 101011936, 101042004, 101042009, 101070547.

×

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$50,000.00

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$50,000.00
Total
$50,000.00
canvassing $50,000.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Feb 20, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101042009.

×

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$45,000.00

Cash
$35,000.00
Paid by others
$10,000.00
Total
$45,000.00
polling $10,000.00

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 31, 2025 to Feb 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101011936, 101028233, 101042004.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses1
For
1
Against
0
On
0
Names

For

  • Conference of Urban Counties1 registration
Sources

1 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · March 28, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R HB 1022

by Rep. Leo-Wilson, same lead author · Did not pass · reworked

Introduced text

Last action, May 11, 2023: Placed on General State Calendar

Relating to the hours of work of certain county employees.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 14, 2024

05/01/2025 H Laid on the table subject to call

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
Penny Morales ShawDHouse 148 Valoree SwansonRHouse 150

House committee · Intergovernmental Affairs · Committee vote 11 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

SB 65 by Zaffirini (similar)

Subjects

GALVESTON COUNTY

County Government--Employees/Officers

Text

The text as introduced · 144 words

89R403 MZM-F

By: Leo Wilson
H.B. No. 1338

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the hours of work of certain county employees.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 157.021(a), Local Government Code, is

amended to read as follows:

(a) In a county with a population of 350,000 [ 355,000 ] or

more, the commissioners court may adopt and enforce uniform rules

on the hours of work of department heads, assistants, deputies, and

other employees whose compensation is set or approved by the court.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.