The state makes exterior camera surveillance a condition for housing that receives tax credits, putting residents' homes under cameras in the name of public safety.
Every tax credit development funded before September 1, 2025 is exempt, so the existing housing stock the purpose statement describes gets no cameras. The caption does say 'certain' developments, so this reads as an ordinary grandfather clause.
Only non-rural projects funded on or after September 1, 2025 get cameras.
The bill requires housing developments that get low income housing tax credits from the state to install and keep working exterior surveillance cameras at appropriate locations throughout the property. It reaches owners and residents of tax credit housing in non-rural areas that receive their credits on or after September 1, 2025. Rural developments and every development that already got its credits before that date are exempt, so cameras will appear only at newly funded urban and suburban tax credit projects.
Labels
Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on Apr 2, 2025. Died in the House: voted out of the Intergovernmental Affairs committee 10-1, no floor vote.
relating to surveillance cameras for certain housing developments
that receive an allocation of low income housing tax credits.
WHAT IT DOES
Only non-rural projects funded on or after September 1, 2025 get cameras.
The bill requires housing developments that get low income housing tax credits from the state to install and keep working exterior surveillance cameras at appropriate locations throughout the property. It reaches owners and residents of tax credit housing in non-rural areas that receive their credits on or after September 1, 2025. Rural developments and every development that already got its credits before that date are exempt, so cameras will appear only at newly funded urban and suburban tax credit projects.
The state makes exterior camera surveillance a condition for housing that receives tax credits, putting residents' homes under cameras in the name of public safety.
Every tax credit development funded before September 1, 2025 is exempt, so the existing housing stock the purpose statement describes gets no cameras. The caption does say 'certain' developments, so this reads as an ordinary grandfather clause.
TOTAL
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The state makes exterior camera surveillance a condition for housing that receives tax credits, putting residents' homes under cameras in the name of public safety.
SIGNED FOR BY
Senate · 23 yea · 8 nay
Sources
Senate: Final passage · Apr 2, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
Senator West moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 578 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 25 (published)
Nay: 6 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)
Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
Senator West moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 578 at this time on its second reading: CSSB 578, Relating to surveillance cameras for certain housing developments that receive an allocation of low income housing tax credits. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 26, Nays 5.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 26 (published)
Nay: 5 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 0 (derived from named list)
Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
House committee · Intergovernmental Affairs · Committee vote 10 aye, 1 nay · Out of committee
Senate committee · Local Government · Committee vote 7 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee
Subjects
Housing--General
Taxation--Property-Exemptions
VIDEO CAMERAS
Text
The text as introduced · 211 words
89R568 JAM-D
By: West
S.B. No. 578
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to surveillance cameras for housing developments that
receive an allocation of low income housing tax credits.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter DD, Chapter 2306, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 2306.6741 to read as follows:
Sec. 2306.6741. SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS REQUIRED. A
development that has received an allocation of low income housing
tax credits under this subchapter must install and maintain
operable exterior surveillance cameras at appropriate locations
throughout the development.
SECTION 2. Section 2306.6741, Government Code, as added by
this Act, applies only to a development that receives an allocation
of low income housing tax credits from an application cycle that is
based on the 2026 qualified allocation plan or a subsequent plan
adopted by the governing board of the Texas Department of Housing
and Community Affairs. A development that receives an allocation
of low income housing tax credits from an application cycle that is
based on an earlier qualified allocation plan is governed by the law
in effect on the date the application cycle began, and the former
law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
Monitoring 