HB 1378

Grid Batteries Need Every Neighbor’s Consent Within 500 Yards

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

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 municipal and county regulation of certain electric energy storage.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Every city and county must adopt the ban by October 1, 2025. Sites already under construction stay.

The bill orders every Texas city and county to ban the installation of grid-scale battery storage within 500 yards of land owned by someone else, unless each neighboring landowner gives written consent. It covers storage built to sell power or grid services at wholesale, and counties may not apply the rule inside city limits. Cities and counties must adopt the ban by October 1, 2025, and storage already under construction before their rule takes effect cannot be ordered removed.

Labels

Labels: PENDING FOREVER. Heard by the House State Affairs committee on Apr 30, 2025 and left pending. Never voted out. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB1378 · 2024-11-18

SOLD BY

Rep. Wes VirdellRHouse 53

Rep. Ellen TroxclairRHouse 19

Rep. Briscoe CainRHouse 128

+ 25 coauthors

ITEM

relating to municipal and county regulation of certain electric energy storage.

WHAT IT DOES

Every city and county must adopt the ban by October 1, 2025. Sites already under construction stay.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 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

Nov 18, 2024Filed
Mar 11, 2025Read first time
Mar 11, 2025Referred to State Affairs
Apr 30, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 30, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 30, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
Apr 30, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 30, 2025Left pending in committee

FILED UNDER

DATA CENTERS, WATER AND THE GRID

THE TEXT

…“shall prohibit the installation of electric energy storage within 500 yards of real property owned by a person other than the owner or operator of the proposed storage”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill limits where wholesale grid batteries can be built by requiring a 500-yard setback that neighbors can waive in writing.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Wes Virdell

Donors

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC$25K Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC$25K Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$23K

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 · Nov 3, 2024 to Oct 21, 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 Truth and Liberty PAC$25,000.00

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 24, 2025. 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: 101012375.

Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC$25,000.00

Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 33 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 30, 2025 to Oct 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Oct 22, 2025. 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: 101031736.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$22,500.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$22,500.00

Cash: $22,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $22,500.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 25, 2024 to Jul 13, 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: 100987242, 101012375, 101060151, 101072158.

Money

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

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 24, 2025. 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: 101012375.

Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 33 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 30, 2025 to Oct 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Oct 22, 2025. 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: 101031736.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$22,500.00

Cash: $22,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $22,500.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 25, 2024 to Jul 13, 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: 100987242, 101012375, 101060151, 101072158.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 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.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 18, 2024

04/30/2025 H Left pending in committee

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

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

Coauthors

Brad BuckleyRHouse 54

Benjamin BumgarnerRHouse 63

Cody HarrisRHouse 8

Richard HayesRHouse 57

Hillary HicklandRHouse 55

Andy HopperRHouse 64

Helen KerwinRHouse 58

Stan KitzmanRHouse 85

Mitch LittleRHouse 65

AJ LouderbackRHouse 30

David LoweRHouse 91

Shelley LutherRHouse 62

Don McLaughlinRHouse 80

Will MetcalfRHouse 16

Terry MezaDHouse 105

Brent MoneyRHouse 2

Claudia OrdazDHouse 79

Katrina PiersonRHouse 33

Keresa RichardsonRHouse 61

Nate SchatzlineRHouse 93

Joanne ShofnerRHouse 11

Shelby SlawsonRHouse 59

Tony TinderholtRHouse 94

Steve TothRHouse 15

Cody VasutRHouse 25

House committee · State Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

City Government--General

County Government--General

Utilities--Electric

Text

The text as introduced · 299 words

By: Virdell
H.B. No. 1378

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to municipal and county regulation of certain electric

energy storage.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 247, Local Government Code, as added by

Chapter 19 (S.B. 1017), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular

Session, 2023, is amended by adding Section 247.004 to read as

follows:

Sec. 247.004. REGULATION OF ELECTRIC ENERGY STORAGE. (a)

This section applies only to electric energy storage intended to be

used to sell at wholesale energy or ancillary services, as defined

by Section 35.004, Utilities Code.

(b) A municipality by ordinance and a county by order shall

prohibit the installation of electric energy storage within 500

yards of real property owned by a person other than the owner or

operator of the proposed storage unless the owner or operator of the

proposed storage obtains written consent from each owner of the

real property.

(c) For the purposes of this section, the measurement of

distance between an electric energy storage structure and a

property line shall be taken from the point on the structure that is

nearest to the nearest point on the property line.

(d) A county may not regulate under Subsection (b) the

installation of electric energy storage within the corporate

boundaries of a municipality.

SECTION 2. Not later than October 1, 2025, a municipality by

ordinance and a county by order shall adopt a prohibition on the

installation of electric energy storage as required by Section

247.004, Local Government Code, as added by this Act. The ordinance

or order may not require the removal of any electric energy storage

the installation of which began before the effective date of the

ordinance or order.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.