HB 205: Cortez Bill Lets Transit In Million-Plus Counties Skip The Line

Caption

relating to the eligibility for grants for alternative fueling facilities.

Summary

Their stations can stay non-public. Only a handful of agencies fit the bracket.

The bill changes the state's alternative fueling station grant program, which normally makes applicants who refuse to open their stations to the public wait until every applicant who agrees to public access has been funded. It exempts from that rule any station owned or run by a transit authority, located in a county of more than one million people, and located in a nonattainment area or affected county. Those big-county transit agencies can now win grants for private, non-public fueling stations without waiting behind public-access applicants, starting with grant rounds that begin on or after September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 2290 (Died in committee) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 2290 (Died in committee). 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.GOT HALFWAY. Passed the House on Apr 29, 2025. Died in the Senate: never got out of the Finance committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB205 · 2024-11-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Philip CortezDHouse 117

ITEM

relating to the eligibility for grants for alternative fueling facilities.

WHAT IT DOES

Their stations can stay non-public. Only a handful of agencies fit the bracket.

The bill changes the state's alternative fueling station grant program, which normally makes applicants who refuse to open their stations to the public wait until every applicant who agrees to public access has been funded. It exempts from that rule any station owned or run by a transit authority, located in a county of more than one million people, and located in a nonattainment area or affected county. Those big-county transit agencies can now win grants for private, non-public fueling stations without waiting behind public-access applicants, starting with grant rounds that begin on or after September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[x] CARVE-OUTanalysis confidence 65%

THE TEXT

“owned or operated by a transit authority governed”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill exempts only facilities run by one kind of entity, transit authorities under Chapter 451 or 452, from the public-access priority rule. The caption speaks of general grant eligibility.

[x] BRACKET BILLanalysis confidence 55%

THE TEXT

“located in a county that has a population of more”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The exemption is limited to counties with more than one million people, which aims the change at a handful of large-county transit authorities. The caption reads statewide.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 25, 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 12, 2024Filed
Feb 27, 2025Read first time
Feb 27, 2025Referred to Environmental Regulation
Mar 27, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Mar 27, 2025Considered in public hearing
Mar 27, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Mar 27, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 3, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 3, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
Apr 16, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
Apr 16, 2025Committee report distributed
Apr 17, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
Apr 22, 2025Considered in Calendars
Apr 25, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
Apr 28, 2025Read 2nd time
Apr 28, 2025Passed to engrossment
Apr 28, 2025Record vote RV#607
Apr 28, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
Apr 29, 2025Read 3rd time
Apr 29, 2025Passed
Apr 29, 2025Record vote RV#718
Apr 29, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
Apr 29, 2025Reported engrossed
Apr 29, 2025Received from the House
May 22, 2025Read first time
May 22, 2025Referred to Finance

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 91 yea · 55 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · Apr 29, 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

Philip Cortez

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$44K Texas Sands PAC$37K Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC$35K

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 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$44,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$44,000.00

Cash: $44,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $44,000.00

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 · Dec 6, 2024 to Sep 25, 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: 100985407, 101008363, 101026711, 101035640, 101039466, 101052595, 101071633.

Texas Sands PAC$37,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$37,000.00

Cash: $37,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $37,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 6, 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.

Report IDs: 100985407, 101039466, 101071633.

Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC$35,000.00

Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC

$35,000.00

Cash: $35,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $35,000.00

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 · Sep 22, 2025 to Oct 15, 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: 101026711, 101035640, 101071633.

Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$44,000.00

Cash: $44,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $44,000.00

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 · Dec 6, 2024 to Sep 25, 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: 100985407, 101008363, 101026711, 101035640, 101039466, 101052595, 101071633.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$37,000.00

Cash: $37,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $37,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 6, 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.

Report IDs: 100985407, 101039466, 101071633.

×

Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC

$35,000.00

Cash: $35,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $35,000.00

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 · Sep 22, 2025 to Oct 15, 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: 101026711, 101035640, 101071633.

Votes2

House Apr 29, 2025

Yea: 91
Nay: 55
Present, not voting: 1
Absent: 2
Excused: 1

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 718

HB 205 was passed by (Record 718): 91 Yeas, 55 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 91 (published)
Nay: 55 (published)
Present, not voting: 1 (published)
Absent: 2 (derived from named list)
Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

House Apr 28, 2025

Yea: 82
Nay: 63
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 1
Excused: 2

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 607

HB 205 was passed to engrossment by (Record 607): 82 Yeas, 63 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 82 (published)
Nay: 63 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 1 (derived from named list)
Excused: 2 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses12

For: 10
Against: 0
On: 2

Names

For

Bexar County Commissioners Court1 registration
City of Austin1 registration
City of Houston1 registration
City of San Antonio1 registration
Dallas County1 registration
Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club1 registration
Public Citizen1 registration
San Antonio Mobility Coalition, Inc.1 registration
Self; VIA Transit1 registration
Society of native nations1 registration

On

Environmental Defense Fund1 registration
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality1 registration

Sources

12 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 significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 25, 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 2290

by Rep. Cortez, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, May 9, 2023: Referred to Natural Resources & Economic Development

Relating to the eligibility for grants for alternative fueling facilities.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 12, 2024

05/22/2025 S Referred to Finance

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed

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

House committee · Environmental Regulation · Committee vote 6 aye, 1 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Finance · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Energy--Alternative Fuels

Environment--Air

State Finances--Management & Control

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, TEXAS COMMISSION ON

Text

The text as introduced · 258 words

89R2245 JRR-F

By: Cortez
H.B. No. 205

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the eligibility for grants for alternative fueling

facilities.

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

SECTION 1. Section 393.004(b), Health and Safety Code, is

amended to read as follows:

(b) Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, the

[ The ] prioritization criteria established under Subsection (a)

must provide that, for each grant round, the commission may not

award a grant to an entity that does not agree to make the

alternative fueling facility accessible and available to the public

at times designated by the grant contract until each eligible

entity that does agree to those terms has been awarded a grant. The

prohibition imposed by this subsection does not apply to a facility

that is:

(1) owned or operated by a transit authority governed

by Chapter 451 or 452, Transportation Code;

(2) located in a county that has a population of more

than one million; and

(3) located in a nonattainment area or an affected

county, as those terms are defined by Section 386.001.

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only

to a grant round that begins on or after the effective date of this

Act. A grant round that began before the effective date of this Act

is governed by the law in effect on the date the grant round began,

and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

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

Verdict: Smells

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Texas Sands PAC

Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Texas Sands PAC

Physicians for Free Market Healthcare PAC

House Apr 29, 2025

House Apr 28, 2025

For

On

88R HB 2290