Monitoring the Session

HB 1638

bill reopening the November election switch for small cities

Companion SB 914 became law

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Eddie MoralesDHouse 74

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 authorizing certain cities to change the date on which their general election for officers is held.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Cities of 9,000 or fewer, in counties under 6,200 square miles.

The bill reopens a deadline that let certain small cities move their regular city election to the November uniform election date. It covers cities of 9,000 people or fewer that use a council-manager government, sit mostly in a county under 6,200 square miles (raised from 4,800), and now hold their elections on a date other than November. Those cities get until December 31, 2026, to make the switch, and the permission expires January 1, 2027.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB1638 · 2024-12-16

SOLD BY

Rep. Eddie MoralesDHouse 74

ITEM

relating to authorizing certain cities to change the date on which their general election for officers is held.

WHAT IT DOES

Cities of 9,000 or fewer, in counties under 6,200 square miles.

The bill reopens a deadline that let certain small cities move their regular city election to the November uniform election date. It covers cities of 9,000 people or fewer that use a council-manager government, sit mostly in a county under 6,200 square miles (raised from 4,800), and now hold their elections on a date other than November. Those cities get until December 31, 2026, to make the switch, and the permission expires January 1, 2027.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 14, 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 Elections
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Committee substitute considered in committee
  7. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  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. Companion considered in lieu of SB 914
  18. Laid on the table subject to call
ALSO NOTED · NOT CHARGED (1)

BRACKET BILL · analysis confidence 30%

THE TEXT

“The governing body of a city with a population of 9,000”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

A population cap, a county-area limit and a form-of-government test narrow who can use this option. The caption openly says "certain cities," and the brackets are loose enough to cover many places, so this is a weak instance.

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Eddie Morales

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$101KLegacy 44$100KTexas REALTORS Political Action Committee$57K

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 27, 2024 to Oct 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.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$101,077.16

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$101,077.16

Cash
$80,000.00
Paid by others
$21,077.16
Total
$101,077.16
mailers $21,077.16

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 · Oct 27, 2024 to Oct 1, 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: 100983216, 101059340, 101067651, 101071574.

Legacy 44$100,000.00

Legacy 44

$100,000.00

Cash
$30,000.00
Paid by others
$70,000.00
Total
$100,000.00
digital $70,000.00

Also funds 33 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 21, 2024 to Oct 20, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 29, 2024 to Sep 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.

Report IDs: 100983216, 101067651.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$56,517.22

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$56,517.22

Cash
$37,500.00
Paid by others
$19,017.22
Total
$56,517.22
mail $18,992.22grassroots $25.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 2, 2024 to Sep 2, 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: 100983216, 101031005, 101067651.

Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$101,077.16

Cash
$80,000.00
Paid by others
$21,077.16
Total
$101,077.16
mailers $21,077.16

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 · Oct 27, 2024 to Oct 1, 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: 100983216, 101059340, 101067651, 101071574.

×

Legacy 44

$100,000.00

Cash
$30,000.00
Paid by others
$70,000.00
Total
$100,000.00
digital $70,000.00

Also funds 33 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 21, 2024 to Oct 20, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 29, 2024 to Sep 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.

Report IDs: 100983216, 101067651.

×

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$56,517.22

Cash
$37,500.00
Paid by others
$19,017.22
Total
$56,517.22
mail $18,992.22grassroots $25.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 2, 2024 to Sep 2, 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: 100983216, 101031005, 101067651.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses5
For
2
Against
1
On
2
Names

For

  • Self1 registration
  • Self; Harris county ballot security1 registration

Against

  • Self1 registration

On

  • Self1 registration
  • Texas Secretary of State1 registration
Sources

5 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 · April 14, 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 Dec 16, 2024

04/28/2025 H Laid on the table subject to call

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Elections · Committee vote 8 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Companion

SB 914 by Blanco (identical)

Subjects

ALPINE, CITY OF (GB1KQ)

City Government--General

Elections--Administration

Elections--General

Text

The text as introduced · 219 words

89R4287 LRM-D

By: Morales of Maverick
H.B. No. 1638

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to authorizing certain cities to change the date on which

their general election for officers is held.

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

SECTION 1. Section 41.0052(f), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(f) The governing body of a city with a population of 9,000

or less, located predominantly in a county that has a total area of

less than 6,200 [ 4,800 ] square miles, that has adopted a

council-manager form of government and that holds its general

election for officers on a date other than the November uniform

election date may, not later than December 31, 2026 [ 2024 ], change

the date on which it holds its general election for officers to the

November uniform election date. Subsections (b), (c), and (d)

apply to the change of an election date under this

subsection. This subsection expires January 1, 2027 [ 2025 ].

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.