Monitoring the Session

SB 1024

Bettencourt Bill Bans Notes After Failed Bond Votes, Except Under $5M

Did not pass

Verdict: Smells

SmellsReviewed
Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7
Why it's charged
The hole

THE TEXT

…“less than $5 million.”

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

Subsection (e)(5) lets any anticipation note with total debt service under $5 million skip both the failed-bond-vote ban and the five percent cap. A smaller project that voters already rejected can still be financed this way, which cuts against the stated goal of honoring the voters' choice.

The hole

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 the issuance of certain anticipation notes and certificates of obligation.

Caption from analyzed text · version H.

Summary

Voters said no? Under $5M in debt service, the project can still be financed this way.

The bill stops a local government from using anticipation notes to pay for a project when voters rejected a bond for the same purpose within the past five years, or when anticipation-note debt would exceed five percent of its budget. It also stretches the existing lookback for certificates of obligation from three years to five years after a failed bond vote. Cities, counties and other local issuers keep exceptions for emergencies, disasters, court orders, notices of legal noncompliance, and any anticipation note with total debt service under $5 million.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R SB 2035 (Vetoed) and this bill (Did not pass). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R SB 2035 (Vetoed). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on Mar 31, 2025. Died in the House: voted out of the Pensions, Investments & Financial Services committee 5-3, no floor vote.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1024 · 2025-01-30

SOLD BY

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to the issuance of certain anticipation notes and certificates of obligation.

WHAT IT DOES

Voters said no? Under $5M in debt service, the project can still be financed this way.

The bill stops a local government from using anticipation notes to pay for a project when voters rejected a bond for the same purpose within the past five years, or when anticipation-note debt would exceed five percent of its budget. It also stretches the existing lookback for certificates of obligation from three years to five years after a failed bond vote. Cities, counties and other local issuers keep exceptions for emergencies, disasters, court orders, notices of legal noncompliance, and any anticipation note with total debt service under $5 million.

CHARGES

[x] THE HOLEanalysis confidence 50%

THE TEXT

…“less than $5 million.”

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

Subsection (e)(5) lets any anticipation note with total debt service under $5 million skip both the failed-bond-vote ban and the five percent cap. A smaller project that voters already rejected can still be financed this way, which cuts against the stated goal of honoring the voters' choice.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 24, 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. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Local Government
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  10. Vote taken in committee
  11. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  12. Committee report printed and distributed
  13. Placed on intent calendar
  14. Co-author authorized
  15. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  16. Record vote
  17. Read 2nd time
  18. Amendment(s) offered FA1 Sparks
  19. Amended
  20. Vote recorded in Journal
  21. Passed to engrossment as amended
  22. Record vote
  23. Three day rule suspended
  24. Record vote
  25. Read 3rd time
  26. Passed
  27. Record vote
  28. Reported engrossed
  29. Received from the Senate
  30. Read first time
  31. Referred to Pensions, Investments & Financial Services
  32. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  33. Considered in public hearing
  34. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  35. Left pending in committee
  36. Considered in formal meeting
  37. Committee substitute considered in committee
  38. Failed to receive affirmative vote in comm.
  39. Considered in formal meeting
  40. Reported favorably as substituted
  41. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  42. Committee report distributed
  43. Committee report sent to Calendars
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 22 yea · 8 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · Mar 31, 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

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Paul Bettencourt.

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 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.

Money

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

Votes4

Senate Mar 31, 2025

Yea
22
Nay
8
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 22, Nays 8.

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

  • Yea: 22 (published)
  • Nay: 8 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 31, 2025

Yea
24
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Bettencourt moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 1024 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 24, Nays 6.

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

  • Yea: 24 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 31, 2025

Yea
22
Nay
8
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

SB 1024 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 22, Nays 8.

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

  • Yea: 22 (published)
  • Nay: 8 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 31, 2025

Yea
22
Nay
8
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Bettencourt moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration SB 1024 at this time on its second reading: SB 1024, Relating to the issuance of certain anticipation notes and certificates of obligation. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 22, Nays 8.

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

  • Yea: 22 (published)
  • Nay: 8 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses30
For
10
Against
16
On
4
Names

For

  • Self1 registration
  • Self; Americans for prosperity2 registrations
  • Self; The LIBRE Inititative1 registration
  • Self; True texas project1 registration
  • Texas Apartment Association1 registration
  • Texas Public Policy Foundation2 registrations
  • Texas Taxpayers and Research Association1 registration
  • Texas Taxpayers and Research Association - (TTARA)1 registration

Against

  • City of Dallas1 registration
  • City of Fort Worth1 registration
  • City of Garland1 registration
  • City of Houston1 registration
  • City of Leander1 registration
  • City of McAllen1 registration
  • City of McKinney1 registration
  • Conference of Urban Counties1 registration
  • County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas2 registrations
  • El Paso County2 registrations
  • Harris County Commissioners Court1 registration
  • Hilltop Securities Inc1 registration
  • Self1 registration
  • Travis County Commissioners Court1 registration

On

  • Conference f urban counties1 registration
  • Self; Town of Flower Mound1 registration
  • Self; Town of flower mound/gfoat1 registration
  • Texas Municipal League1 registration
Sources

30 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.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 24, 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 H by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R SB 2035

by Sen. Bettencourt, same lead author · Vetoed · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Jun 13, 2023: Vetoed by the Governor

Relating to the issuance of certain anticipation notes and certificates of obligation.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Jan 30, 2025

05/25/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Nov 1, 2026 at 3:16 PM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
Sponsors

House committee · Pensions, Investments & Financial Services · Committee vote 5 aye, 3 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Local Government · Committee vote 6 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

City Government--Finance

County Government--Finance

Disaster Preparedness & Relief

Political Subdivisions

Taxation--General

BONDS

Text

The text as introduced · 497 words

89R1775 AMF-D

By: Bettencourt
S.B. No. 1024

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the issuance of certain anticipation notes and

certificates of obligation.

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

SECTION 1. Section 1431.002, Government Code, is amended by

adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:

(d) Except as provided by this subsection, the governing

body of an issuer may not authorize an anticipation note to pay a

contractual obligation to be incurred if a bond proposition to

authorize the issuance of bonds for the same purpose was submitted

to the voters during the preceding five years and failed to be

approved. The governing body of an issuer may authorize an

anticipation note that the governing body is otherwise prohibited

from authorizing under this subsection:

(1) in a case described by Section 271.056(1), (2), or

(3), Local Government Code;

(2) to finance the cleanup, mitigation, or remediation

of a natural disaster;

(3) to comply with a federal court order; and

(4) to comply with a state or federal law, rule, or

regulation if the issuer has been officially notified of

noncompliance with the law, rule, or regulation.

SECTION 2. Section 1431.003(b), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(b) Notwithstanding anything in this chapter to the

contrary and except as provided by Section 1431.002(d) , the

governing body may exercise the authority granted to the governing

body of an issuer with regard to issuance of obligations under

Chapter 1371, except that the prohibition in that chapter on the

repayment of an obligation with ad valorem taxes does not apply to

an issuer exercising the authority granted by this section.

SECTION 3. Section 271.047(d), Local Government Code, is

amended to read as follows:

(d) Except as provided by this subsection, the governing

body of an issuer may not authorize a certificate to pay a

contractual obligation to be incurred if a bond proposition to

authorize the issuance of bonds for the same purpose was submitted

to the voters during the preceding five [ three ] years and failed to

be approved. A governing body may authorize a certificate that the

governing body is otherwise prohibited from authorizing under this

subsection:

(1) in a case described by Section 271.056(1), (2), or

(3) [ Sections 271.056(1)-(3) ]; and

(2) to comply with a state or federal law, rule, or

regulation if the political subdivision has been officially

notified of noncompliance with the law, rule, or regulation.

SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

an anticipation note or certificate of obligation authorized to be

issued on or after the effective date of this Act. An anticipation

note or certificate of obligation authorized to be issued before

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

immediately before the effective date of this Act, and the former

law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.