Monitoring the Session

HB 3793

bill adds an exception to who gets closed county roads

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Don McLaughlinRHouse 80

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 procedures for a commissioners court to close, abandon, or vacate certain public roads.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Neighbors normally get the land under a closed road. Now, an exception.

The bill adds an exception to the state rule that, when a county closes a public road, the land under it goes to the neighbors whose property touches it. A commissioners court closing a road next to an existing single-family lot in a planned subdivision that sits wholly inside city limits can skip that hand-over if it finds that giving the land to a neighbor would create a public nuisance or safety hazard. In those cases, neighbors no longer automatically get the road land, and the bill takes effect September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: CROSS-PARTY HANDOFF. Lead author Don McLaughlin (R) in the House. Lead sponsor Judith Zaffirini (D) in the Senate. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB3793 · 2025-03-05

SOLD BY

Rep. Don McLaughlinRHouse 80

ITEM

relating to procedures for a commissioners court to close, abandon, or vacate certain public roads.

WHAT IT DOES

Neighbors normally get the land under a closed road. Now, an exception.

The bill adds an exception to the state rule that, when a county closes a public road, the land under it goes to the neighbors whose property touches it. A commissioners court closing a road next to an existing single-family lot in a planned subdivision that sits wholly inside city limits can skip that hand-over if it finds that giving the land to a neighbor would create a public nuisance or safety hazard. In those cases, neighbors no longer automatically get the road land, and the bill takes effect September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · May 23, 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 Transportation
  4. Posting rule suspended
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  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. Read 2nd time
  18. Passed to engrossment
  19. Record vote RV#2799
  20. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  21. Read 3rd time
  22. Passed
  23. Record vote RV#2902
  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. Rereferred to committee
  30. Referred to Economic Development
  31. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  32. Posting rule suspended
  33. Considered in public hearing
  34. Vote taken in committee
  35. Reported favorably as substituted
  36. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  37. Committee report printed and distributed
  38. Placed on local & uncontested calendar
  39. Placed on intent calendar
  40. Removed from local & uncontested calendar
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 118 yea · 1 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 16, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Don McLaughlin

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$588KTexas Conservative Majority PAC$239KGreg Abbott Campaign$38K

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$588,242.35

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$588,242.35

Cash
$162,000.00
Paid by others
$426,242.35
Total
$588,242.35
advertising $397,182.00polling $29,060.35

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 · Oct 29, 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.

Report IDs: 100978254, 101012305, 101024467, 101055468, 101070410, 101072400.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC$238,750.00

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$238,750.00

Cash
$150,000.00
Paid by others
$88,750.00
Total
$238,750.00
canvassing $80,000.00polling $8,750.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

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

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 4, 2026 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.

Report IDs: 101070410, 101072400.

Greg Abbott Campaign$38,115.79

Greg Abbott Campaign

$38,115.79

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$38,115.79
Total
$38,115.79
canvassing $31,811.05texting $5,739.94travel $564.80

Also funds 9 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 29, 2024 to Sep 2, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 29, 2024 to Nov 13, 2024. 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: 100978254.

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$588,242.35

Cash
$162,000.00
Paid by others
$426,242.35
Total
$588,242.35
advertising $397,182.00polling $29,060.35

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 · Oct 29, 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.

Report IDs: 100978254, 101012305, 101024467, 101055468, 101070410, 101072400.

×

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$238,750.00

Cash
$150,000.00
Paid by others
$88,750.00
Total
$238,750.00
canvassing $80,000.00polling $8,750.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

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

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 4, 2026 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.

Report IDs: 101070410, 101072400.

×

Greg Abbott Campaign

$38,115.79

Cash
$0.00
Paid by others
$38,115.79
Total
$38,115.79
canvassing $31,811.05texting $5,739.94travel $564.80

Also funds 9 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 29, 2024 to Sep 2, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 29, 2024 to Nov 13, 2024. 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: 100978254.

Votes2

House May 16, 2025

Yea
118
Nay
1
Present, not voting
2
Absent
4
Excused
25
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 2902

HB 3793 was passed by (Record 2902): 118 Yeas, 1 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 118 (published)
  • Nay: 1 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 4 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 25 (derived from named list)

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

House May 15, 2025

Yea
132
Nay
3
Present, not voting
1
Absent
9
Excused
5
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 2799

CSHB 3793 was passed to engrossment by (Record 2799): 132 Yeas, 3 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 132 (published)
  • Nay: 3 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 1 (published)
  • Absent: 9 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 5 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses11
For
11
Against
0
On
0
Names

For

  • County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas1 registration
  • Harris County Commissioners Court1 registration
  • Leon County Judge and President of County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas1 registration
  • Parmer county judges and commissioners association1 registration
  • Polk County1 registration
  • Self1 registration
  • Self; Waller County1 registration
  • Self; Waller county1 registration
  • Self; Webb County1 registration
  • Tarrant County Administrator's Office1 registration
  • Travis County Commissioners Court1 registration
Sources

11 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 S · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version S · May 23, 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

05/28/2025 S Removed from local & uncontested calendar

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

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

Sponsors
Judith ZaffiriniDSenate 21

House committee · Transportation · Committee vote 12 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Economic Development · Committee vote 5 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

SB 2589 by Zaffirini (similar)

Subjects

County Government--Roads

NUISANCES

Text

The text as introduced · 366 words

89R13156 GP-F

By: McLaughlin
H.B. No. 3793

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to procedures for a commissioners court to close, abandon,

or vacate certain public roads.

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

SECTION 1. Section 251.058, Transportation Code, is amended

by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (b-2) to read as

follows:

(b) Except as provided by Subsection (b-2), title [ Title ] to

a public road or portion of a public road that is closed, abandoned,

and vacated to the center line of the road vests on the date the

order is signed by the county judge in the owner of the property

that abuts the portion of the road being closed, abandoned, and

vacated. A copy of the order shall be filed in the deed records of

the county and serves as the official instrument of conveyance from

the county to the owner of the abutting property. The order shall:

(1) include the name of each property owner who

receives a conveyance under this section;

(2) include the dimensions of the property being

conveyed to each property owner;

(3) be indexed in the deed records of the county in a

manner that describes:

(A) the county conveying the property as grantor;

and

(B) the property owner receiving the conveyance

as grantee; and

(4) if a public utility or common carrier that has the

right of eminent domain is using the property being conveyed for a

right-of-way or easement purpose, state that the title to the

property is subject to the right-of-way or easement and the

continued use by the public utility or common carrier of utility

infrastructure in existence on the date the order is signed.

(b-2) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), a commissioners court

that closes, abandons, or vacates a public road that abuts an

existing single family residential lot in a planned residential

subdivision located wholly in the corporate limits of a

municipality is not required to comply with the procedure

established under Subsection (b) if the commissioners court finds

that conveying the property to any abutting property's owner will

create a public nuisance or safety hazard.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.