SB 2603

bill making development program employers call the workforce board

Did not pass

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 cooperation by economic development program participants with local workforce development boards.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Hiring? Check with the board and consider its participants first.

Employers in a county or city economic development program who are hiring must contact the local workforce development board to see if any career center participants are qualified, and must consider those people for the jobs. These employers must also give extra consideration to applicants who get state or federal public assistance, such as unemployment benefits or cash assistance. The bill sets no penalty or enforcement method, and it takes effect September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the Senate Economic Development committee 5-0 on May 13, 2025. Placed on the local & uncontested calendar on May 25, 2025. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2603 · 2025-03-13

SOLD BY

Sen. César BlancoDSenate 29

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to cooperation by economic development program participants with local workforce development boards.

WHAT IT DOES

Hiring? Check with the board and consider its participants first.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · May 4, 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 13, 2025Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Mar 13, 2025Filed
Apr 3, 2025Read first time
Apr 3, 2025Referred to Economic Development
May 5, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
May 5, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 5, 2025Testimony taken in committee
May 5, 2025Left pending in committee
May 13, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 13, 2025Vote taken in committee
May 14, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendments
May 14, 2025Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
May 14, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
May 16, 2025Placed on intent calendar
May 25, 2025Co-author authorized
May 25, 2025Placed on local & uncontested calendar
May 25, 2025Removed from local & uncontested calendar
May 25, 2025Not again placed on intent calendar

ALSO NOTED · NOT CHARGED (1)

CAPTION MISMATCH · analysis confidence 35%

THE TEXT

“An employer shall give additional consideration when filling vacancies under this section to an applicant for employment who receives state or federal public assistance”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The caption only mentions cooperation with local workforce development boards. This subsection adds a hiring preference for people on public assistance, which the caption does not name.

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

César Blanco

Donors

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund$26K Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$25K Border Health PAC$25K

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 · Jul 10, 2024 to Jun 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.

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund$25,750.00

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

$25,750.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $750.00
Total: $25,750.00

consulting $750.00

Also funds 5 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 22, 2024 to Oct 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 25, 2024 to Dec 13, 2024. 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: 100989095.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$25,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

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 · Oct 3, 2024 to Jan 26, 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: 100989095, 101009709, 101033590, 101060872.

Border Health PAC$25,000.00

Border Health PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 17 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 28, 2024 to Aug 26, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 14, 2024. 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: 100989095.

Money

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

Agave Democratic Infrastructure Fund

$25,750.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $750.00
Total: $25,750.00

consulting $750.00

Also funds 5 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Nov 22, 2024 to Oct 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 25, 2024 to Dec 13, 2024. 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: 100989095.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

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 · Oct 3, 2024 to Jan 26, 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: 100989095, 101009709, 101033590, 101060872.

Border Health PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

Also funds 17 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 28, 2024 to Aug 26, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Dec 14, 2024. 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: 100989095.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses4

For: 2
Against: 0
On: 2

Names

For

City of San Antonio1 registration
Schneider Electric1 registration

On

Self; Workforce Solutions Borderplex1 registration
Texas Workforce Commission1 registration

Sources

4 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 significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · May 4, 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 13, 2025

05/25/2025 S Not again placed on intent calendar

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report

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

Coauthors

Juan "Chuy" HinojosaDSenate 20

Senate committee · Economic Development · Committee vote 5 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

HB 5390 by Ordaz (identical)

Subjects

Economic & Industrial Development--General

Labor--Workforce Development

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS

Text

The text as introduced · 216 words

89R15046 SCR-D

By: Blanco
S.B. No. 2603

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to cooperation by economic development program

participants with local workforce development boards.

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

SECTION 1. Subtitle C, Title 12, Local Government Code, is

amended by adding Chapter 399A to read as follows:

CHAPTER 399A. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO PLANNING AND

DEVELOPMENT OF MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Sec. 399A.001. COOPERATION WITH LOCAL WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT BOARDS. (a) An employer who is participating in an

economic development program administered by a county or

municipality and is hiring one or more employees to fill vacancies

in the employer's open positions shall contact the local workforce

development board established under Chapter 2308, Government Code,

for the employer's workforce development area to determine whether

any participants in a career development center established by the

board under Section 2308.312, Government Code, are qualified to

fill the vacancies and consider those qualified participants when

filling the vacancies.

(b) An employer shall give additional consideration when

filling vacancies under this section to an applicant for employment

who receives state or federal public assistance, including:

(1) unemployment insurance benefit payments; and

(2) assistance under Chapter 31, Human Resources Code.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.