Monitoring the Session

HB 447

Bell Traffic Study Bill Reaches Only Cedar Creek Reservoir Counties

Did not pass

Verdict: Smells

SmellsInitial review
Rep. Keith BellRHouse 4
Why it's charged
Bracket bill

THE TEXT

“(A) contains a portion of the Cedar Creek Reservoir; and (B) borders a county with a population of 2.6 million or more.”

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

A reservoir tie plus a 2.6 million population neighbor narrows a Water Code section to a handful of counties at most. The caption says only "certain" districts and never names the place.

Bracket bill

Initial review · graded Oct 22, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to traffic impact studies conducted before the issuance of certain municipal utility district bonds.

Caption from analyzed text · version H.

Summary

MUDs study traffic before road bonds. The commissioners court can waive the whole thing!

The bill bars certain municipal utility districts from selling bonds to pay for a road project until they study how that road will change traffic on nearby public roads and send the results to the county commissioners court. It reaches only districts with eminent domain power located in a county that contains part of the Cedar Creek Reservoir and borders a county of 2.6 million or more people. The study must come before the land is platted and expires after two years, but the commissioners court can waive the whole requirement or accept an expired study.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Land & Resource Management committee 5-0 on May 2, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB447 · 2024-11-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Keith BellRHouse 4

ITEM

relating to traffic impact studies conducted before the issuance of certain municipal utility district bonds.

WHAT IT DOES

MUDs study traffic before road bonds. The commissioners court can waive the whole thing!

The bill bars certain municipal utility districts from selling bonds to pay for a road project until they study how that road will change traffic on nearby public roads and send the results to the county commissioners court. It reaches only districts with eminent domain power located in a county that contains part of the Cedar Creek Reservoir and borders a county of 2.6 million or more people. The study must come before the land is platted and expires after two years, but the commissioners court can waive the whole requirement or accept an expired study.

CHARGES

[x] BRACKET BILLanalysis confidence 60%

THE TEXT

“(A) contains a portion of the Cedar Creek Reservoir; and (B) borders a county with a population of 2.6 million or more.”

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

A reservoir tie plus a 2.6 million population neighbor narrows a Water Code section to a handful of counties at most. The caption says only "certain" districts and never names the place.

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 5, 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 Land & Resource Management
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Withdrawn from schedule
  6. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  7. Considered in public hearing
  8. Committee substitute considered in committee
  9. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  10. Left pending in committee
  11. Considered in formal meeting
  12. Committee substitute considered in committee
  13. Reported favorably as substituted
  14. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  15. Committee report distributed
  16. Committee report sent to Calendars
FILED UNDER

DEBT AND SPECIAL DISTRICTS

THE TEXT

“A district may not issue bonds to finance a road project”…

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

The bill puts a traffic study condition on MUD road bond authority in the covered county area.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Keith Bell

Donors

Josh Stevens$50,000Carla Enna$50,000Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$35K

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 31, 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.

Josh Stevens$50,000.00
Carla Enna$50,000.00
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$35,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$35,000.00

Cash
$35,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$35,000.00

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 Sep 4, 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: 101007782, 101027129, 101068150.

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$35,000.00

Cash
$35,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$35,000.00

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 Sep 4, 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: 101007782, 101027129, 101068150.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses14
For
6
Against
7
On
1
Names

For

  • City of Georgetown1 registration
  • County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas1 registration
  • Harris County Commissioners Court1 registration
  • Tarrant County Administrator's Office1 registration
  • Texas Municipal League1 registration
  • Travis County Commissioners Court1 registration

Against

  • Allen Boone Humphries Robinson LLP1 registration
  • American Planning Association Texas Chapter1 registration
  • BGE, Inc.1 registration
  • Bold fox1 registration
  • Johnson Development Corp1 registration
  • Schwartz, Page & Haeding, LLP1 registration
  • Texas assopciation of Builders1 registration

On

  • Hunt Consolidated1 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 H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 5, 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

Adversarial review by claude-opus-5-5 at high effort: Smells.

Analysis of text version H by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 12, 2024

05/13/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Land & Resource Management · Committee vote 5 aye, 0 nay, 4 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Special Districts & Authorities--Municipal Utility Districts

Special Districts & Authorities--Water & Utility

BONDS

Text

The text as introduced · 209 words

89R4097 ANG-D

By: Bell of Kaufman
H.B. No. 447

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to traffic studies before the issuance of certain

municipal utility district bonds.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 54, Water Code, is amended

by adding Section 54.5162 to read as follows:

Sec. 54.5162. TRAFFIC STUDIES BEFORE ISSUANCE OF CERTAIN

BONDS. A district may not issue a bond to finance a road project

unless each entity with jurisdiction over a road intersection

located inside the district or within one mile of the boundaries of

the district or over a road that provides or will provide ingress to

or egress from a residential development in the district conducts a

study evaluating potential changes to traffic patterns and volumes

for the intersection or road that would result from the road

project.

SECTION 2. This Act applies only to a bond issued on or

after the effective date of this Act. A bond issued before the

effective date of this Act is governed by the applicable law in

effect before the effective date of this Act, and the former law is

continued in effect for that purpose.

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