Monitoring the Session

SB 304

bill lets municipal courts hear nuisance and junk vehicle cases

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Charles PerryRSenate 28

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 the jurisdiction of municipal courts over health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

City councils can hand their courts health, safety and nuisance cases.

The bill lets a city council pass an ordinance giving its municipal court power over local health, safety and nuisance cases, including civil cases over substandard buildings and junked vehicles. It touches property owners inside city limits and on city-owned land in the area just outside the city, along with the cities and municipal courts that handle these cases. Once a city opts in, its municipal court can hear these cases alongside district and county courts and can issue search warrants to investigate violations and seizure warrants to secure, remove or demolish offending property.

Labels

Labels: NO AUTOGRAPH. Became law without the governor's signature on May 15, 2025.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB304 · 2024-11-12

SOLD BY

Sen. Charles PerryRSenate 28

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to the jurisdiction of municipal courts over health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances.

WHAT IT DOES

City councils can hand their courts health, safety and nuisance cases.

The bill lets a city council pass an ordinance giving its municipal court power over local health, safety and nuisance cases, including civil cases over substandard buildings and junked vehicles. It touches property owners inside city limits and on city-owned land in the area just outside the city, along with the cities and municipal courts that handle these cases. Once a city opts in, its municipal court can hear these cases alongside district and county courts and can issue search warrants to investigate violations and seizure warrants to secure, remove or demolish offending property.

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 · March 8, 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. Left pending in committee
  8. Considered in public hearing
  9. Vote taken in committee
  10. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  11. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  12. Committee report printed and distributed
  13. Co-author authorized
  14. Placed on local & uncontested calendar
  15. Laid before the Senate
  16. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  17. Vote recorded in Journal
  18. Three day rule suspended
  19. Record vote
  20. Read 3rd time
  21. Passed
  22. Record vote
  23. Reported engrossed
  24. Received from the Senate
  25. Read first time
  26. Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
  27. Considered in formal meeting
  28. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  29. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  30. Committee report distributed
  31. Committee report sent to Calendars
  32. Laid out in lieu of companion HB 1749
  33. Read 2nd time
  34. Passed to 3rd reading
  35. Record vote RV#1069
  36. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  37. Read 3rd time
  38. Passed
  39. Record vote RV#1112
  40. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  41. House passage reported
  42. Reported enrolled
  43. Signed in the Senate
  44. Signed in the House
  45. Sent to the Governor
  46. Filed without the Governor's signature
  47. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 115 yea · 19 nay

Senate · 30 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 1, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Apr 10, 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

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Charles Perry

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$60KRyan Texas PAC$35KFort Stockton Holdings LP$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 1, 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.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$60,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$60,000.00

Cash
$60,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$60,000.00

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 · Nov 13, 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.

Report IDs: 100983698, 101007598, 101030579, 101072377.

Ryan Texas PAC$35,000.00

Ryan Texas PAC

$35,000.00

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

Also funds 25 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 23, 2024 to Oct 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 13, 2024 to Mar 12, 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: 100983698, 101057700.

Fort Stockton Holdings LP$25,000.00

Fort Stockton Holdings LP

$25,000.00

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

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Nov 23, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Nov 23, 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: 100983698.

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$60,000.00

Cash
$60,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$60,000.00

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 · Nov 13, 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.

Report IDs: 100983698, 101007598, 101030579, 101072377.

×

Ryan Texas PAC

$35,000.00

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

Also funds 25 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 23, 2024 to Oct 22, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 13, 2024 to Mar 12, 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: 100983698, 101057700.

×

Fort Stockton Holdings LP

$25,000.00

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

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · on Nov 23, 2024. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Nov 23, 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: 100983698.

Votes5

House May 1, 2025

Yea
115
Nay
19
Present, not voting
1
Absent
14
Excused
1
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 1112

SB 304 was passed by (Record 1112): 115 Yeas, 19 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 115 (published)
  • Nay: 19 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 1 (published)
  • Absent: 14 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

House Apr 30, 2025

Yea
109
Nay
25
Present, not voting
4
Absent
3
Excused
9
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 1069

SB 304 was read second time and was passed to third reading by (Record 1069): 109 Yeas, 25 Nays, 4 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 109 (published)
  • Nay: 25 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 4 (published)
  • Absent: 3 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 9 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Apr 10, 2025

Final passage

Yea
30
Nay
0
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 final passage. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

SB 304 (Perry) Relating to the jurisdiction of municipal courts over health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances. (viva voce vote) (30-0) (30-0)

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

  • Yea: 30 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

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

Senate Apr 10, 2025

Suspension of the three-day rule

Yea
30
Nay
0
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 suspension of the three-day rule. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

SB 304 (Perry) Relating to the jurisdiction of municipal courts over health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances. (viva voce vote) (30-0) (30-0)

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

  • Yea: 30 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

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

Senate Apr 10, 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 304 (Perry) Relating to the jurisdiction of municipal courts over health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances. (viva voce vote) (30-0) (30-0)

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.

Witnesses2
For
2
Against
0
On
0
Names

For

  • City of Garland1 registration
  • City of Houston1 registration
Sources

2 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 · March 8, 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 Nov 12, 2024

05/15/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25

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

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

Coauthors
Royce WestDSenate 23
Sponsors
Drew DarbyRHouse 72

House committee · Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

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

Companion

HB 1749 by Darby (identical)

Subjects

City Government--General

Courts--Municipal

Safety

NUISANCES

SEARCH WARRANTS

Text

The text as introduced · 200 words

89R857 JTZ-D

By: Perry
S.B. No. 304

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the jurisdiction of municipal courts over health and

safety and nuisance abatement ordinances.

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

SECTION 1. Section 29.003, Government Code, is amended by

adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:

(a-1) The governing body of a municipality by ordinance may

provide that the court has:

(1) civil jurisdiction for the purpose of enforcing

municipal ordinances enacted under Subchapter A, Chapter 214, Local

Government Code, or Subchapter E, Chapter 683, Transportation Code;

(2) concurrent jurisdiction with a district court or a

county court at law under Subchapter B, Chapter 54, Local

Government Code, within the municipality's territorial limits and

property owned by the municipality located in the municipality's

extraterritorial jurisdiction for the purpose of enforcing health

and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances; and

(3) authority to issue:

(A) search warrants for the purpose of

investigating a health and safety or nuisance abatement ordinance

violation; and

(B) seizure warrants for the purpose of securing,

removing, or demolishing the offending property and removing the

debris from the premises.

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