Monitoring the Session

HB 3773

bill hands 14.999 acres in Walker County to the county

Companion SB 1879 became law

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Trey WhartonRHouse 12

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 transfer of certain state property from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to Walker County.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Justice center only. Build within 10 years or the land goes back.

The bill orders the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to hand a 14.999-acre state tract in Walker County over to Walker County. The county may use the land only for a justice center, and if it uses the land for anything else or fails to build within 10 years, the land goes back to the department. The usual state land-sale rules in Sections 31.158 and 31.159 of the Natural Resources Code are switched off for this one transfer.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB3773 · 2025-03-05

SOLD BY

ITEM

relating to the transfer of certain state property from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to Walker County.

WHAT IT DOES

Justice center only. Build within 10 years or the land goes back.

The bill orders the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to hand a 14.999-acre state tract in Walker County over to Walker County. The county may use the land only for a justice center, and if it uses the land for anything else or fails to build within 10 years, the land goes back to the department. The usual state land-sale rules in Sections 31.158 and 31.159 of the Natural Resources Code are switched off for this one transfer.

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 1, 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 Corrections
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  7. Left pending in committee
  8. Considered in public hearing
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  10. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  11. Committee report distributed
  12. Committee report sent to Calendars
  13. Considered in Calendars
  14. Placed on General State Calendar
  15. Companion considered in lieu of SB 1879
  16. Laid on the table subject to call
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Donors

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 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$20,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$20,000.00

Cash
$20,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$20,000.00

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 30, 2025 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.

Report IDs: 101004685, 101026029, 101071395.

Texas Sands PAC$12,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$12,000.00

Cash
$12,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,000.00

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 12, 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.

Report IDs: 100981751, 101056205, 101071395.

Clint McLaren$7,205.31
Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$20,000.00

Cash
$20,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$20,000.00

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 30, 2025 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.

Report IDs: 101004685, 101026029, 101071395.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$12,000.00

Cash
$12,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,000.00

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 12, 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.

Report IDs: 100981751, 101056205, 101071395.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses2
For
1
Against
0
On
1
Names

For

  • Walker county1 registration

On

  • Texas Department of Criminal Justice1 registration
Sources

2 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 · April 1, 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 Mar 5, 2025

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 · Corrections · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

SB 1879 by Schwertner (identical)

Subjects

WALKER COUNTY (G96ZI)

County Government--Land Use & Zoning

Property Interests--Real Property

Public Lands, Buildings & Resources

State Agencies, Boards & Commissions

CRIMINAL JUSTICE, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF

Text

The text as introduced · 778 words

89R11047 RAL-F

By: Wharton
H.B. No. 3773

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the transfer of certain state property from the Texas

Department of Criminal Justice to Walker County.

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

SECTION 1. (a) As soon as practicable, the Texas Department

of Criminal Justice shall transfer to Walker County the real

property interests of the State of Texas and the department in the

tract of land described by Subsection (f) of this section.

(b) Walker County may use the property transferred under

this Act only for a justice center. If Walker County uses the

property for any purpose other than the purpose described by this

subsection or if Walker County fails to use the property for the

purpose described by this subsection before the 10th anniversary of

the date of transfer, ownership of the property automatically

reverts to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

(c) The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall transfer

the property by an appropriate instrument of transfer. The

instrument of transfer must:

(1) provide that:

(A) Walker County may use the property only for a

justice center; and

(B) ownership of the property will automatically

revert to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice if Walker

County:

(i) uses the property for any purpose other

than the purpose described by Paragraph (A) of this subdivision; or

(ii) fails to use the property for the

purpose described by Paragraph (A) of this subdivision before the

10th anniversary of the date of the transfer; and

(2) describe the property to be transferred by metes

and bounds.

(d) The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall retain

custody of the instrument of transfer after the instrument of

transfer is filed in the real property records of Walker County.

(e) Sections 31.158 and 31.159, Natural Resources Code, do

not apply to the transfer of real property authorized by this Act.

(f) The tract of land referred to in this section is

described as follows:

State of Texas 14.999 Acres

County of WALKER

EXHIBIT "A"

Field notes of a 14.999 acres (653,371 sq. ft.)out of a called

279.39 acres, lying and being situated in the P. Gray League, A-24,

Walker County, being the same land described in Volume 112, Page 52

of the Official Records of Walker County, Texas and being more

particularly described herein;

Beginning at a concrete monument found in the south margin of a 100'

wide road (FM 2821), being the east margin of a variable width

county road (Smith Hill Road), marking the northwest corner and

point of beginning of the herein described 14.999 acres;

Thence N 60°21'13" E, along and with the south margin of FM 2821 , a

distance of 159.94 feet to a concrete monument found, marking an

interior corner of the herein described 14.999 acres;

Thence continuing along and with the south margin of FM 2821 with a

curve to the right having a radius of 3780.30 feet, an arc length of

745.28, with a chord bearing of N 81°11'59" E , and a chord distance

of 744.07 feet to a concrete monument found for an interior corner

of the herein described 14.999 acres;

Thence N 86°58'17" E, continuing along and with the south margin of

FM 2821, a distance of 182.83 feet to a 1/2" iron rod set marked

"Campbell - Sandoval" from which a concrete monument found bears N

86°58'19" E, a distance of 557.10 feet marking the northeast corner

of the herein described 14.999 acres;

Thence S 03°53'37" E, departing the south margin of FM 2821, cutting

across and through the called 279.39 acre parent tract, a distance

of 634.00 feet to a 1/2" iron rod set marked "Campbell - Sandoval",

marking the southeast corner of the herein described 14.999 acres;

Thence S 85°53'14" W, cutting across and through the called 279.39

acre parent tract , a distance of 1067.85 feet to a 1/2" iron rod set

marked "Campbell - Sandoval" from which a 1/2" iron rod found bears

S 03°56'02" E, a distance of 121.33 feet, said point being in the

east margin of the aforementioned Smith Hill Road, marking the

southwest corner of the herein described 14.999 acres;

Thence N 03°56'02" W, along and with the east margin of Smith Hill

Road, a distance of 507.71 feet back to point of beginning and

containing 14.999 acres.

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.