HB 4398: faster permits for tax-credit housing in big cities

Caption

relating to municipal permitting requirements for certain development projects supported with low income housing tax credit allocations.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Half the usual time, in cities over 100,000 people.

The bill makes larger Texas cities decide building permits for housing projects that got low income housing tax credits in no more than half the time they allow for any residential permit. It covers cities with more than 100,000 people and developers of those tax-credit housing projects. If a city already has a fast-track permit process, these projects get the right to use it, starting with applications filed on or after September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ACROSS THE AISLE. Joint authors: 2 Republicans, 2 Democrats. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.GOT HALFWAY. Passed the House on May 15, 2025. Died in the Senate: received, never referred to a committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4398 · 2025-03-11

SOLD BY

Rep. Cassandra Garcia HernandezDHouse 115

Rep. Gary GatesRHouse 28

Rep. Rafael AnchíaDHouse 103

+ 1 more author

ITEM

relating to municipal permitting requirements for certain development projects supported with low income housing tax credit allocations.

WHAT IT DOES

Half the usual time, in cities over 100,000 people.

The bill makes larger Texas cities decide building permits for housing projects that got low income housing tax credits in no more than half the time they allow for any residential permit. It covers cities with more than 100,000 people and developers of those tax-credit housing projects. If a city already has a fast-track permit process, these projects get the right to use it, starting with applications filed on or after September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 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

Mar 11, 2025Filed
Apr 1, 2025Read first time
Apr 1, 2025Referred to Land & Resource Management
Apr 24, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 24, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 24, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 24, 2025Left pending in committee
May 2, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 2, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 6, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 7, 2025Committee report distributed
May 7, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 9, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 11, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
May 14, 2025Read 2nd time
May 14, 2025Postponed 5/14/25 7:00 PM
May 14, 2025Laid out as postponed business
May 14, 2025Amended 1-Gates
May 14, 2025Passed to engrossment as amended
May 14, 2025Record vote RV#2565
May 14, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 15, 2025Read 3rd time
May 15, 2025Passed
May 15, 2025Record vote RV#2672
May 15, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 15, 2025Reported engrossed
May 15, 2025Received from the House

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 82 yea · 59 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 15, 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

Cassandra Garcia Hernandez

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$23K Hernandez Law Group$11K Texas Healthcare Neck & Back Clinics PA$10K

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 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$22,500.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$22,500.00

Cash: $22,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $22,500.00

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 · Oct 29, 2024 to Oct 8, 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: 100988470, 101011363, 101033777, 101073006.

Hernandez Law Group$11,000.00

Hernandez Law Group

$11,000.00

Cash: $11,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $11,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 29, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 29, 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: 101062154, 101073006.

Texas Healthcare Neck & Back Clinics PA$10,000.00

Texas Healthcare Neck & Back Clinics PA

$10,000.00

Cash: $10,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $10,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 30, 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: 101062154.

Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$22,500.00

Cash: $22,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $22,500.00

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 · Oct 29, 2024 to Oct 8, 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: 100988470, 101011363, 101033777, 101073006.

×

Hernandez Law Group

$11,000.00

Cash: $11,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $11,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 29, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 29, 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: 101062154, 101073006.

×

Texas Healthcare Neck & Back Clinics PA

$10,000.00

Cash: $10,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $10,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 30, 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: 101062154.

Votes2

House May 15, 2025

Yea: 82
Nay: 59
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 2
Excused: 5

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 2672

HB 4398 was passed by (Record 2672): 82 Yeas, 59 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 82 (published)
Nay: 59 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 2 (derived from named list)
Excused: 5 (derived from named list)

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

House May 14, 2025

Yea: 77
Nay: 60
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 5
Excused: 6

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 2565

HB 4398, as amended, was passed to engrossment by (Record 2565): 77 Yeas, 60 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 77 (published)
Nay: 60 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 5 (derived from named list)
Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses14

For: 13
Against: 1
On: 0

Names

For

AURA ATX1 registration
Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity1 registration
Dallas Housing Coalition1 registration
Disability Rights Texas1 registration
Self2 registrations
Self; TAAHP1 registration
Self; Texas chapter US Green Building Council1 registration
Texans for Housing1 registration
Texas Apartment Association1 registration
Texas Association of Builders1 registration
Texas Housers; Foundation Communities1 registration
The Real Estate Council1 registration

Against

City of Garland1 registration

Sources

14 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 I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 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 11, 2025

05/15/2025 S Received from the House

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed

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

House committee · Land & Resource Management · Committee vote 5 aye, 2 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Companion

SB 210 by West (identical)

Subjects

City Government--General

Housing--General

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

PERMITS

Text

The text as introduced · 245 words

89R1832 DRS-D

By: Garcia Hernandez
H.B. No. 4398

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to municipal permitting requirements for certain

development projects supported with low income housing tax credit

allocations.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 214, Local Government

Code, is amended by adding Section 214.9041 to read as follows:

Sec. 214.9041. EXPEDITED REVIEW OF BUILDING PERMITS IN

CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES; AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS. (a) This

section applies only to a municipality with a population of more

than 100,000.

(b) In this section, "affordable housing project" means a

housing development project that has received an allocation of low

income housing tax credits under Subchapter DD, Chapter 2306,

Government Code.

(c) An application for a building permit for an affordable

housing project submitted to a municipality for review must be

granted or denied by the municipality in no more than 50 percent of

the time allotted by the municipality to grant or deny any

residential building permit application.

(d) If the municipality has adopted an accelerated

residential building permit review process, an applicant for a

building permit for an affordable housing project shall be allowed

to submit the application for review under the accelerated process.

SECTION 2. Section 214.9041, Local Government Code, as

added by this Act, applies only to an application for a building

permit submitted on or after the effective date of this Act.

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

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Hernandez Law Group

Texas Healthcare Neck & Back Clinics PA

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Hernandez Law Group

Texas Healthcare Neck & Back Clinics PA

House May 15, 2025

House May 14, 2025

For

Against

Companion