Monitoring the Session

HB 4473

Canales Bill Ranks Five County Road Systems For Taxpayers

Did not pass

Verdict: Smells

SmellsReviewed
Rep. Terry CanalesDHouse 40
Why it's charged
Study, task force, commission, report

THE TEXT

“Not later than December 1, 2026, the department shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house, and each legislative committee with jurisdiction over transportation issues a written report”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill's only duty is a study and a report due after the next election. Any change to county road systems would have to wait for a later bill. The caption openly says it is a study.

Study, task force, commission, report

Reviewed · Nov 1, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to a study by the Texas Department of Transportation of the construction and maintenance of certain county road systems in this state.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Report due December 1, 2026. The study duty expires January 1, 2027. Roads: unchanged.

The bill orders the Texas Department of Transportation, working with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, to study how counties build and maintain roads and bridges under the five county road systems in state law. It touches TxDOT and the counties whose road costs would be inventoried, compared, and ranked from most to least economical for taxpayers. Nothing changes on the ground beyond a report due December 1, 2026, and the study requirement expires January 1, 2027.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the House on May 15, 2025. Died in the Senate: received, never referred to a committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4473 · 2025-03-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Terry CanalesDHouse 40

ITEM

relating to a study by the Texas Department of Transportation of the construction and maintenance of certain county road systems in this state.

WHAT IT DOES

Report due December 1, 2026. The study duty expires January 1, 2027. Roads: unchanged.

The bill orders the Texas Department of Transportation, working with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, to study how counties build and maintain roads and bridges under the five county road systems in state law. It touches TxDOT and the counties whose road costs would be inventoried, compared, and ranked from most to least economical for taxpayers. Nothing changes on the ground beyond a report due December 1, 2026, and the study requirement expires January 1, 2027.

CHARGES

[x] STUDY, TASK FORCE, COMMISSION, REPORTanalysis confidence 80%

THE TEXT

“Not later than December 1, 2026, the department shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house, and each legislative committee with jurisdiction over transportation issues a written report”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill's only duty is a study and a report due after the next election. Any change to county road systems would have to wait for a later bill. The caption openly says it is a study.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 11, 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 s/c on Transportation Funding by Speaker
  4. Scheduled for public hearing in s/c on . . .
  5. Considered by s/c in public hearing
  6. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
  7. Left pending in subcommittee
  8. Recalled from subcommittee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  10. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  11. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  12. Committee report distributed
  13. Committee report sent to Calendars
  14. Considered in Calendars
  15. Placed on General State Calendar
  16. Read 2nd time
  17. Amended 1-Canales
  18. Passed to engrossment as amended
  19. Record vote RV#2536
  20. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  21. Read 3rd time
  22. Passed
  23. Record vote RV#2648
  24. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  25. Reported engrossed
  26. Received from the House
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 99 yea · 41 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.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Terry Canales

Donors

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC$65KTexas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$35KCurtis E. Ford$30,605

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 · Aug 9, 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.

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC$65,000.00

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC

$65,000.00

Cash
$65,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$65,000.00

Also funds 120 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 19, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 6, 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.

Report IDs: 100986692, 101072185.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$35,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$35,000.00

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

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 · Aug 9, 2024 to Sep 29, 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: 100986692, 101030306, 101068017, 101072185.

Curtis E. Ford$30,605.00
Money

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

×

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC

$65,000.00

Cash
$65,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$65,000.00

Also funds 120 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 19, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 6, 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.

Report IDs: 100986692, 101072185.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$35,000.00

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

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 · Aug 9, 2024 to Sep 29, 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: 100986692, 101030306, 101068017, 101072185.

Votes2

House May 15, 2025

Yea
99
Nay
41
Present, not voting
2
Absent
5
Excused
3
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 2648

HB 4473 was passed by (Record 2648): 99 Yeas, 41 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 99 (published)
  • Nay: 41 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 5 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 3 (derived from named list)

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

House May 14, 2025

Yea
104
Nay
31
Present, not voting
2
Absent
3
Excused
10
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 2536

HB 4473, as amended, was passed to engrossment by (Record 2536): 104 Yeas, 31 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 104 (published)
  • Nay: 31 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 3 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 10 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses6
For
5
Against
0
On
1
Names

For

  • Conference of Urban Counties1 registration
  • Farm&City1 registration
  • Harris County Commissioners Court1 registration
  • Self1 registration
  • Self; Johnson County and County Judges & Commissioners Association of Texas1 registration

On

  • Texas A&M Transportation Institute1 registration
Sources

6 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 11, 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 12, 2025

05/15/2025 S Received from the House

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed

Data snapshot Nov 1, 2026 at 3:13 PM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Transportation · Committee vote 10 aye, 1 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

County Government--Roads

Interim Studies

BRIDGES & CAUSEWAYS

TEXAS A&M TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

TRANSPORTATION, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF

Text

The text as introduced · 386 words

By: Canales
H.B. No. 4473

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a study by the Texas Department of Transportation of the

construction and maintenance of certain county road systems in this

state.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 250, Transportation Code, is amended by

adding Section 250.003 to read as follows:

Sec. 250.003. STUDY REGARDING COUNTY ROAD SYSTEMS. (a) The

department, in consultation with the Texas A&M Transportation

Institute, shall conduct a study of the construction and

maintenance of county roads and bridges under the five systems of

county road administration described by Chapter 251 and

Subchapters A, B, C, and D of Chapter 252.

(b) The study described by Subsection (a) shall:

(1) provide an inventory of what system of county road

administration each county in this state has adopted and the date on

which it was adopted;

(2) provide, for the 20 most populous counties in each

of the five systems of county road administration and after

adjusting for inflation:

(A) the average and median cost of the

construction and maintenance of county roads during the most recent

25-year period or the period since the adoption of the county's

current system of county road administration; and

(B) an average per-mile cost comparison of

completed road projects among the five systems of county road

administration during the most recent 25-year period or the period

since the adoption of the county's current system of county road

administration; and

(3) rank from most economical to least economical for

taxpayers the systems of county road administration for the

construction and maintenance of county roads and describe the

reasoning behind each rank placement.

(c) Not later than December 1, 2026, the department shall

submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the

house, and each legislative committee with jurisdiction over

transportation issues a written report that includes the results of

the study conducted under this section and any associated

recommendations.

(d) This section expires January 1, 2027.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.