HB 3898: Raymond Desalination Bill Aims Water Money At A Few Border Counties

Caption

relating to the authority of the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance to certain political subdivisions for brackish water desalination.

Caption from analyzed text · version E.

Summary

Over 250K people, on the border, no groundwater district. Projects outside the state water plan qualify.

The bill lets the Texas Water Development Board fund brackish water desalination projects even when they are not in the state water plan, which current law otherwise requires. It reaches only a county of more than 250,000 people that sits on an international border and lies in a groundwater management area with no groundwater conservation district inside its lines, plus nonprofit water supply corporations in such a county. Starting September 1, 2025, those few border places can get state water money for desalination that they could not get before.

Labels

Labels: QUICK READ: 129 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 129 words, counting the existing law it amends and the text it strikes. The median 89R bill as filed runs 441 words (derived, 8,702 graded bills, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).GOT HALFWAY. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Died in the Senate: left pending in the Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB3898 · 2025-03-06

SOLD BY

Rep. Richard Peña RaymondDHouse 42

ITEM

relating to the authority of the Texas Water Development Board to provide financial assistance to certain political subdivisions for brackish water desalination.

WHAT IT DOES

Over 250K people, on the border, no groundwater district. Projects outside the state water plan qualify.

The bill lets the Texas Water Development Board fund brackish water desalination projects even when they are not in the state water plan, which current law otherwise requires. It reaches only a county of more than 250,000 people that sits on an international border and lies in a groundwater management area with no groundwater conservation district inside its lines, plus nonprofit water supply corporations in such a county. Starting September 1, 2025, those few border places can get state water money for desalination that they could not get before.

CHARGES

[x] BRACKET BILLanalysis confidence 60%

THE TEXT

“a county that has a population greater than 250,000 and is located:”

Bill text, engrossed version (E)

A population floor stacked with a border location and a no-groundwater-district test aims the new funding authority at a small set of counties. The caption says "certain political subdivisions" and the author's statement names the target, so the narrowness is disclosed.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 22, 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

Mar 6, 2025Filed
Mar 27, 2025Read first time
Mar 27, 2025Referred to Natural Resources
Apr 23, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 23, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 23, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
Apr 23, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 23, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 29, 2025Considered in formal meeting
Apr 29, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
Apr 29, 2025Recommended to be sent to Local & Consent
Apr 29, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
May 7, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 8, 2025Committee report distributed
May 8, 2025Comm. report sent to Local & Consent Calendar
May 8, 2025Considered in Local & Consent Calendars
May 10, 2025Placed on Local, Consent, and Res. Calendar
May 10, 2025Read 2nd time
May 10, 2025Passed to engrossment
May 10, 2025Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Read 3rd time
May 10, 2025Passed
May 10, 2025Record vote RV#1985
May 10, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Reported engrossed
May 12, 2025Received from the House
May 16, 2025Read first time
May 16, 2025Referred to Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs
May 22, 2025Posting rule suspended
May 23, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
May 23, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 23, 2025Testimony taken in committee
May 23, 2025Left pending in committee

FILED UNDER

DATA CENTERS, WATER AND THE GRID

THE TEXT

“Notwithstanding Subsection (j), the board may provide financial assistance for brackish water desalination to:”

Bill text, engrossed version (E)

The bill decides who gets state water-project money by letting a few border counties skip the state water plan requirement for desalination funding.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 93 yea · 35 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 10, 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

Richard Peña Raymond

Donors

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC$70KBlackstone Dilworth JR$65,000Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC$60K

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 · Jul 17, 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.

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC$70,000.00

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC

$70,000.00

Cash: $70,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $70,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 30, 2024 to Sep 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 30, 2024 to Sep 28, 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: 100968808, 101007425, 101036903, 101073060.

Blackstone Dilworth JR$65,000.00

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC$60,000.00

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC

$60,000.00

Cash: $60,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $60,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 12, 2024 to Jul 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jul 9, 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: 100968808, 101070449.

Money

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

×

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC

$70,000.00

Cash: $70,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $70,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 30, 2024 to Sep 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 30, 2024 to Sep 28, 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: 100968808, 101007425, 101036903, 101073060.

×

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC

$60,000.00

Cash: $60,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $60,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 12, 2024 to Jul 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jul 9, 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: 100968808, 101070449.

Votes1

House May 10, 2025

Yea: 93
Nay: 35
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 7
Excused: 11

Names

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

House journal

The shared roll contains conflicting member evidence. Those positions remain conflicting.

Holt is listed as excused in the shared roll and nay in this bill's list. That position remains conflicting.

Troxclair is listed as excused in the shared roll and nay in this bill's list. That position remains conflicting.

Sources

Record 1985

HB 3898 (Alders, Buckley, Bumgarner, Cain, Cook, Dean, DeAyala, Harrison, Holt, Hopper, Hull, Isaac, LaHood, Leach, Leo Wilson, Little, Lowe, Luther, McQueeney, Money, Olcott, Oliverson, Orr, Patterson, Pierson, Richardson, Schatzline, Schoolcraft, Shofner, Slawson, Swanson, Tinderholt, Toth, Troxclair, Vasut, Virdell, and Wilson - no) (93 - 35 - 2)

Shared roll motion

The following bills which were considered on second reading on the previous legislative day on the local, consent, and resolutions calendar were laid before the house, read third time, and passed by the following record vote (members registering votes and the results of the vote are shown following the bill number). (Record 1985): 128 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 93 (published)
Nay: 35 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 7 (derived from named list)
Excused: 11 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses7

For: 6
Against: 0
On: 1

Names

For

Conference of Urban Counties1 registration
El Paso County1 registration
Methodist Healthcare Ministries1 registration
SE Legacy1 registration
Self1 registration
Self; Webb County1 registration

On

Texas Water Development Board1 registration

Sources

7 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 E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 22, 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 E by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 6, 2025

05/23/2025 S Left pending in committee

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.

Companion

SB 2123 by Zaffirini (identical)

Subjects

Disaster Preparedness & Relief

Environment--Water

Special Districts & Authorities--Groundwater Conserve Dist.

Special Districts & Authorities--Water & Utility

State Finances--Management & Control

Water--Development

Water--General

DESALINATION

WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, TEXAS

Text

The text as introduced · 129 words

89R13221 ANG-F

By: Raymond
H.B. No. 3898

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of the Texas Water Development Board to

provide financial assistance to certain counties for brackish water

desalination.

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

SECTION 1. Section 16.053, Water Code, is amended by adding

Subsection (j-1) to read as follows:

(j-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (j), the board may provide

financial assistance for brackish water desalination to a county

with a population greater than 250,000 located:

(1) on an international border; and

(2) wholly or partly in a management area, as defined

by Section 36.001, that does not have a groundwater conservation

district that is located inside the county's boundaries.

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

Verdict: Smells

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC

House May 10, 2025

For

On

Companion