Monitoring the Session

HB 1729

Port Freeport Term Limit Starts Every Sitting Commissioner At Zero

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: Smells

SmellsReviewed
Rep. Cody VasutRHouse 25
Why it's charged
The hole

THE TEXT

…“does not apply to a term of office that began before the effective date of this Act”

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The term limit ignores every term that began before the law takes effect. Long-serving incumbents, the obvious target of a term limit, get two more full terms before the cap can stop them.

The hole

Reviewed · Nov 1, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to a limitation on the number of terms a person may serve as a commissioner of Port Freeport.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Two full terms and you’re out, but terms before September 1, 2025 don’t count!

The bill sets a term limit for Port Freeport commissioners: a person who has already served two or more full terms cannot be elected again. Partial terms served to fill a vacancy do not count toward the limit. Terms that began before September 1, 2025, do not count, so sitting commissioners start fresh and the limit will not block anyone for years.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB1729 · 2025-01-03

SOLD BY

Rep. Cody VasutRHouse 25 Rep. Jeff BarryRHouse 29

ITEM

relating to a limitation on the number of terms a person may serve as a commissioner of Port Freeport.

WHAT IT DOES

Two full terms and you’re out, but terms before September 1, 2025 don’t count!

The bill sets a term limit for Port Freeport commissioners: a person who has already served two or more full terms cannot be elected again. Partial terms served to fill a vacancy do not count toward the limit. Terms that began before September 1, 2025, do not count, so sitting commissioners start fresh and the limit will not block anyone for years.

CHARGES

[x] THE HOLEanalysis confidence 50%

THE TEXT

…“does not apply to a term of office that began before the effective date of this Act”

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The term limit ignores every term that began before the law takes effect. Long-serving incumbents, the obvious target of a term limit, get two more full terms before the cap can stop them.

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 12, 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. Transmitted to the Governor
  3. Recommendations filed with the Speaker
  4. Read first time
  5. Referred to Transportation
  6. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  7. Considered in public hearing
  8. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  9. Left pending in committee
  10. Considered in public hearing
  11. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  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. Passed to engrossment
  19. Record vote RV#1200
  20. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  21. Read 3rd time
  22. Passed
  23. Record vote RV#1305
  24. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  25. Reported engrossed
  26. Received from the House
  27. Read first time
  28. Referred to Transportation
  29. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  30. Considered in public hearing
  31. Vote taken in committee
  32. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  33. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  34. Committee report printed and distributed
  35. Placed on intent calendar
  36. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  37. Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading
  38. Vote recorded in Journal
  39. Three day rule suspended
  40. Record vote
  41. Read 3rd time
  42. Passed
  43. Record vote
  44. Senate passage reported
  45. Reported enrolled
  46. Signed in the House
  47. Signed in the Senate
  48. Sent to the Governor
  49. Signed by the Governor
  50. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 131 yea · 0 nay

Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 2, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · May 19, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Cody Vasut

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$40KTexas REALTORS Political Action Committee$13KTexas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC$11K

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 29, 2024 to Oct 19, 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$40,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$40,000.00

Cash
$40,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$40,000.00

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 Oct 7, 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: 101005740, 101033392, 101072869.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$12,750.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$12,750.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$250.00
Total
$12,750.00
advertising $250.00

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 · Dec 12, 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: 100981647, 101005740, 101062767, 101072869.

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC$11,000.00

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC

$11,000.00

Cash
$11,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$11,000.00

Also funds 65 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 3, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jun 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: 100981647, 101033392, 101062767.

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$40,000.00

Cash
$40,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$40,000.00

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 Oct 7, 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: 101005740, 101033392, 101072869.

×

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$12,750.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$250.00
Total
$12,750.00
advertising $250.00

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 · Dec 12, 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: 100981647, 101005740, 101062767, 101072869.

×

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC

$11,000.00

Cash
$11,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$11,000.00

Also funds 65 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 3, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jun 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: 100981647, 101033392, 101062767.

Votes5

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Huffman moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 1729 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea
31
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Huffman moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 1729 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 31 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to third reading by a viva voce vote.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 2, 2025

Yea
131
Nay
0
Present, not voting
1
Absent
6
Excused
12
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 1305

HB 1729 was passed by (Record 1305): 131 Yeas, 0 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 131 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 1 (published)
  • Absent: 6 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 12 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 1, 2025

Yea
131
Nay
4
Present, not voting
2
Absent
9
Excused
4
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 1200

HB 1729 was passed to engrossment by (Record 1200): 131 Yeas, 4 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 131 (published)
  • Nay: 4 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 9 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 4 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses4
For
4
Against
0
On
0
Names

For

  • Port Freeport3 registrations
  • Texas Chemistry Council1 registration
Sources

4 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.

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

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 12, 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 Jan 3, 2025

05/29/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed · Senate Committee Report · Enrolled

Data snapshot Nov 1, 2026 at 3:09 PM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Sponsors
Joan HuffmanRSenate 17

House committee · Transportation · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay, 4 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Transportation · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

PORT FREEPORT (DN430)

Special Districts & Authorities--Navigation & Ports

TERM LIMITS

Text

The text as introduced · 343 words

89R3608 SCR-F

By: Vasut
H.B. No. 1729

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a limitation on the number of terms a person may serve

as a commissioner of Port Freeport.

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

SECTION 1. The heading to Section 5002.053, Special

District Local Laws Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 5002.053. ELECTION BY POSITION; QUALIFICATIONS ; TERM

LIMITS .

SECTION 2. Section 5002.053, Special District Local Laws

Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:

(c) To be eligible to be elected as a commissioner, a person

may not have previously served two or more full terms as a

commissioner. The completion of the remainder of an unexpired term

by a person elected or appointed to fill a vacancy does not

constitute service for a full term for purposes of this subsection.

SECTION 3. Section 5002.053(c), Special District Local Laws

Code, as added by this Act, does not apply to a term of office that

began before the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 4. (a) The legal notice of the intention to

introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this

Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a

copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies,

officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished

under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313,

Government Code.

(b) The governor, one of the required recipients, has

submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on

Environmental Quality.

(c) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed

its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, the

lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of

representatives within the required time.

(d) All requirements of the constitution and laws of this

state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect

to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled

and accomplished.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.