HB 4153

more Texas Water Development Board contracts skip grant rules

Companion SB 2204 became law

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

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 applicability of uniform grant and contract management standards to certain Texas Water Development Board programs.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Subchapter R joins the list. The older Subchapter C reference goes.

The bill widens the list of Texas Water Development Board programs whose contracts are exempt from the state's uniform grant and contract management law, adding Subchapter R to the list and deleting an older, narrower reference to Subchapter C. It touches the water board and the local governments and other recipients that sign contracts with it under those programs. Starting with contracts signed on or after September 1, 2025, those contracts no longer have to follow the uniform state grant-management standards.

Labels

Labels: ACROSS THE AISLE. Joint authors: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrat. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4153 · 2025-03-10

SOLD BY

Rep. Caroline FairlyRHouse 87

Rep. Cody HarrisRHouse 8

Rep. Armando "Mando" MartinezDHouse 39

ITEM

relating to the applicability of uniform grant and contract management standards to certain Texas Water Development Board programs.

WHAT IT DOES

Subchapter R joins the list. The older Subchapter C reference goes.

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 6, 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 10, 2025Filed
Mar 31, 2025Read first time
Mar 31, 2025Referred to Natural Resources
Apr 9, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 9, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 9, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 9, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 16, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 16, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
Apr 23, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
Apr 23, 2025Committee report distributed
Apr 25, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
Apr 28, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 1, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
May 1, 2025Companion considered in lieu of SB 2204
May 1, 2025Laid on the table subject to call

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Caroline Fairly

Donors

OccuNet LLC$30K Republican Party of Texas$16KDixon Gillis$15,626

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 21, 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.

OccuNet LLC$30,280.32

OccuNet LLC

$30,280.32

Cash: $0.00
Paid by others: $30,280.32
Total: $30,280.32

fundraiser $28,327.40Other filed descriptions $1,952.92

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 18, 2025 to Oct 2, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 18, 2025 to Oct 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: 101032922, 101061983, 101070115, 101072872.

Republican Party of Texas$16,250.00

Republican Party of Texas

$16,250.00

Cash: $0.00
Paid by others: $16,250.00
Total: $16,250.00

media $16,250.00

Also funds 12 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 31, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Oct 21, 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: 101072872.

Dixon Gillis$15,625.63

Money

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

OccuNet LLC

$30,280.32

Cash: $0.00
Paid by others: $30,280.32
Total: $30,280.32

fundraiser $28,327.40Other filed descriptions $1,952.92

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 18, 2025 to Oct 2, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 18, 2025 to Oct 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: 101032922, 101061983, 101070115, 101072872.

Republican Party of Texas

$16,250.00

Cash: $0.00
Paid by others: $16,250.00
Total: $16,250.00

media $16,250.00

Also funds 12 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 31, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Oct 21, 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: 101072872.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses3

For: 2
Against: 0
On: 1

Names

For

Texas Water Supply Partners1 registration
Upper Trinity Regional Water District1 registration

On

Texas Water Development Board1 registration

Sources

3 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 6, 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 10, 2025

05/01/2025 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 · Natural Resources · Committee vote 11 aye, 0 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Companion

SB 2204 by Birdwell (identical)

Subjects

Purchasing--State

Water--Development

Water--General

WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, TEXAS

Text

The text as introduced · 179 words

89R4095 ANG-F

By: Fairly
H.B. No. 4153

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the applicability of uniform grant and contract

management standards to certain Texas Water Development Board

programs.

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

SECTION 1. Section 15.008, Water Code, is amended to read as

follows:

Sec. 15.008. GRANT STANDARDS. The law regarding uniform

grant and contract management, Chapter 783, Government Code, does

not apply to a contract under Subchapter B, C, F, H, I, K, [ or ] P, or

R [ to a contract relating to an economically distressed area or

nonborder colonia under Subchapter C ].

SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

a contract entered into on or after the effective date of this Act.

A contract entered into before the effective date of this Act is

governed by the law in effect immediately before the effective date

of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.

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