Monitoring the Session

SB 461

bill widening local conflict-of-interest disclosures

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Mayes MiddletonRSenate 11

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 disclosure of certain relationships with local government officers and vendors.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Subcontractors count, and family reaches the third degree.

This bill widens the conflict-of-interest disclosure rules that local government officers and vendors must follow. It pulls more people into the definitions by counting subcontractors and employees as agents, extending family members to the third degree of blood relation, and adding trust income to investment income. It also deletes the old exclusions for regulated-rate deals, public-price purchases, and loans from chartered institutions, so more business ties must be disclosed starting January 1, 2026.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R SB 797 (Died in committee) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R SB 797 (Died in committee). 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.NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Nov 22, 2024 and referred to the Senate State Affairs committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB461 · 2024-11-22

SOLD BY

Sen. Mayes MiddletonRSenate 11

ITEM

relating to disclosure of certain relationships with local government officers and vendors.

WHAT IT DOES

Subcontractors count, and family reaches the third degree.

This bill widens the conflict-of-interest disclosure rules that local government officers and vendors must follow. It pulls more people into the definitions by counting subcontractors and employees as agents, extending family members to the third degree of blood relation, and adding trust income to investment income. It also deletes the old exclusions for regulated-rate deals, public-price purchases, and loans from chartered institutions, so more business ties must be disclosed starting January 1, 2026.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to State Affairs
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Mayes Middleton

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$1.14MRussell Gordy$300,000Kenneth Fisher$215,000

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 6, 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.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$1,140,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$1,140,000.00

Cash
$1,140,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$1,140,000.00

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 · Dec 12, 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: 101009502, 101012383, 101061137, 101072395, 101072779.

Russell Gordy$300,000.00
Kenneth Fisher$215,000.00
Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$1,140,000.00

Cash
$1,140,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$1,140,000.00

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 · Dec 12, 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: 101009502, 101012383, 101061137, 101072395, 101072779.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

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

88R SB 797

by Sen. Middleton, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Mar 1, 2023: Referred to State Affairs

Relating to disclosure of certain relationships with local government officers and vendors.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Nov 22, 2024

02/03/2025 S Referred to State Affairs

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

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

Senate committee · State Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

County Government--General

Ethics

Text

The text as introduced · 405 words

89R589 AMF-D

By: Middleton
S.B. No. 461

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to disclosure of certain relationships with local

government officers and vendors.

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

SECTION 1. Sections 176.001(1), (1-a), (2), and (2-d),

Local Government Code, are amended to read as follows:

(1) "Agent" means a third party who undertakes to

transact some business or manage some affair for another person by

the authority or on account of the other person. The term includes

a subcontractor and an employee.

(1-a) "Business relationship" means a connection

between two or more parties based on commercial activity of one of

the parties. [ The term does not include a connection based on:

[ (A) a transaction that is subject to rate or fee

regulation by a federal, state, or local governmental entity or an

agency of a federal, state, or local governmental entity;

[ (B) a transaction conducted at a price and

subject to terms available to the public; or

[ (C) a purchase or lease of goods or services

from a person that is chartered by a state or federal agency and

that is subject to regular examination by, and reporting to, that

agency. ]

(2) "Family member" means a person related to another

person within the third [ first ] degree by consanguinity or the

second degree by affinity, as determined under [ described by ]

Subchapter B, Chapter 573, Government Code.

(2-d) "Investment income" means dividends, capital

gains, or interest income generated from:

(A) a personal or business:

(i) checking or savings account;

(ii) share draft or share account; or

(iii) other similar account;

(B) a personal or business investment; [ or ]

(C) a personal or business loan ; or

(D) a trust .

SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

an event requiring disclosure that occurs on or after January 1,

2026. An event requiring disclosure that occurs before that date is

governed by the law applicable to the event immediately before that

date, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the 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.