SB 2395

bill keeping leftover school bond money on approved purposes

Died in committee

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 general obligation bonds issued by school districts.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Unspent bond money goes to what voters approved, or paying off the bonds.

This bill removes the option for a Texas school district to spend leftover bond money on something other than what voters approved. Unspent proceeds from general obligation bonds could only go to the purposes named at the bond election or to paying off the bonds. The rule covers only bonds approved at elections held on or after September 1, 2025, so older bonds keep the current repurposing option.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on Apr 24, 2025. Died in the House: left pending in the Pensions, Investments & Financial Services committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2395 · 2025-03-12

SOLD BY

Sen. Brandon CreightonRSenate 4

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to general obligation bonds issued by school districts.

WHAT IT DOES

Unspent bond money goes to what voters approved, or paying off the bonds.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 14, 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 12, 2025Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Mar 12, 2025Filed
Mar 25, 2025Read first time
Mar 25, 2025Referred to Education K-16
Apr 3, 2025Co-author authorized
Apr 8, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 8, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 8, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 10, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 10, 2025Vote taken in committee
Apr 14, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendments
Apr 14, 2025Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
Apr 14, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
Apr 24, 2025Placed on local & uncontested calendar
Apr 24, 2025Laid before the Senate
Apr 24, 2025Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
Apr 24, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
Apr 24, 2025Three day rule suspended
Apr 24, 2025Record vote
Apr 24, 2025Read 3rd time
Apr 24, 2025Passed
Apr 24, 2025Record vote
Apr 24, 2025Reported engrossed
Apr 25, 2025Received from the Senate
Apr 28, 2025Read first time
Apr 28, 2025Referred to Pensions, Investments & Financial Services
May 19, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
May 19, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 19, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
May 19, 2025Left pending in committee

FILED UNDER

DEBT AND SPECIAL DISTRICTS

THE TEXT

“A school district may use the unspent proceeds of issued”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill tightens how school districts may spend leftover bond money, limiting it to the voter-approved purposes or paying down the debt.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 30 yea · 1 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · Apr 24, 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

Brandon Creighton

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Brandon Creighton.

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

$0 raised since Jul 1, 2024. Derived sum of published report totals. blank in the state's data, consistent with zero. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026. 4 of 4 filed reports carry a published figure.

Report 101060909: Published total from the filed report. Retrieved Oct 29, 2026. Filed report 101060909

$0 spent Jan 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2026. Published total from the filed report. Flow, Jan 1, 2026 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026. 1 of 1 filed reports carry a published figure.

Report 101060909: Published total from the filed report. Retrieved Oct 29, 2026. Filed report 101060909

$0 cash on hand. Published report total. Stock, as of Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

$0 loans outstanding. Published report total. Stock, as of Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived sum of itemized contributions in regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Unitemized contributions are not included. Flow, Jul 1, 2024 through Jun 30, 2026. State filing data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Money

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

Votes3

Senate Apr 24, 2025

Final passage

Yea: 30
Nay: 1
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

WestNay

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

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records final passage. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

SB 2395 (Creighton) Relating to general obligation bonds issued by school districts. (viva voce vote) (30-1) "Nay" West (30-1) "Nay" West

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

Yea: 30 (published)
Nay: 1 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

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

Senate Apr 24, 2025

Suspension of the three-day rule

Yea: 30
Nay: 1
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

WestNay

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

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records suspension of the three-day rule. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

SB 2395 (Creighton) Relating to general obligation bonds issued by school districts. (viva voce vote) (30-1) "Nay" West (30-1) "Nay" West

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

Yea: 30 (published)
Nay: 1 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

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

Senate Apr 24, 2025

Passage to engrossment

Yea: Not printed
Nay: Not printed
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records passage to engrossment. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

SB 2395 (Creighton) Relating to general obligation bonds issued by school districts. (viva voce vote) (30-1) "Nay" West (30-1) "Nay" West

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

Yea: Not printed
Nay: Not printed
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

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

Witnesses16

For: 11
Against: 4
On: 1

Names

For

Self3 registrations
Self; True Texas Project3 registrations
Self; True texas project3 registrations
Self; True TexasProject1 registration
Texas public policy foundation1 registration

Against

Self1 registration
Self; Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network1 registration
Texas Association Community Schools1 registration
Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Association of Community Schools, Fast Growth Schools Coalition1 registration

On

Texas Education Agency1 registration

Sources

16 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

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

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 14, 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 Senate · Filed Mar 12, 2025

05/19/2025 H Left pending in committee

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed

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

Coauthors

Bob HallRSenate 2

House committee · Pensions, Investments & Financial Services · Final status: Died in committee

Senate committee · Education K-16 · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Education--School Districts

Purchasing--Local

BONDS

Text

The text as introduced · 212 words

89R15973 AMF-D

By: Creighton
S.B. No. 2395

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to general obligation bonds issued by school districts.

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

SECTION 1. Section 45.1105(a), Education Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) A school district may use the unspent proceeds of issued

general obligation bonds only:

(1) for the specific purposes for which the bonds were

authorized; or

(2) to retire the bonds[ ; or

[ (3) for a purpose other than the specific purposes

for which the bonds were authorized if:

[ (A) the specific purposes are accomplished or

abandoned; and

[ (B) the board of trustees at a public meeting

held only for the purpose of considering the use of the unspent bond

proceeds approves in separate votes the use of the proceeds for:

[ (i) a purpose other than to retire the

bonds; and

[ (ii) the purpose specified at the time the

vote is taken ].

SECTION 2. Sections 45.1105(b) and (c), Education Code, are

repealed.

SECTION 3. This Act applies only to a general obligation

bond authorized to be issued at an election held on or after the

effective date of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.