SB 971: bill repealing the rural definition in the water program

Caption

relating to the definition of a rural political subdivision for purposes of the Texas Water Assistance Program.

Summary

Section 15.001(14), added in 2023, goes away.

The bill repeals one definition, Section 15.001(14) of the Water Code, which an earlier law added in 2023 and which defines a rural political subdivision for the Texas Water Assistance Program. It touches the program's definitions and any rural local governments whose eligibility is read through that subdivision. On the ground, that numbered definition comes out of the Water Code, and the text supplied does not show any other change to the program.

Labels

Labels: INSTANT LAW. Took effect immediately, on Jun 20, 2025. 833 of the 1,185 graded 89R laws took effect Sep 1, 2025 (derived from the bill histories, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).QUICK READ: 115 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 115 words, counting the existing law it amends and the text it strikes. The median 89R bill as filed runs 441 words (derived, 8,702 graded bills, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB971 · 2025-01-29

SOLD BY

Sen. Kevin SparksRSenate 31

+ 2 coauthors

ITEM

relating to the definition of a rural political subdivision for purposes of the Texas Water Assistance Program.

WHAT IT DOES

Section 15.001(14), added in 2023, goes away.

The bill repeals one definition, Section 15.001(14) of the Water Code, which an earlier law added in 2023 and which defines a rural political subdivision for the Texas Water Assistance Program. It touches the program's definitions and any rural local governments whose eligibility is read through that subdivision. On the ground, that numbered definition comes out of the Water Code, and the text supplied does not show any other change to the program.

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 · February 26, 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

Jan 29, 2025Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Jan 29, 2025Filed
Feb 13, 2025Read first time
Feb 13, 2025Referred to Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs
Mar 3, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Mar 3, 2025Considered in public hearing
Mar 3, 2025Testimony taken in committee
Mar 3, 2025Vote taken in committee
Mar 4, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendments
Mar 4, 2025Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
Mar 4, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
Mar 5, 2025Co-author authorized
Mar 12, 2025Placed on intent calendar
Mar 13, 2025Rules suspended-Constitutional 60-Day
Mar 13, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
Mar 13, 2025Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
Mar 13, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
Mar 13, 2025Three day rule suspended
Mar 13, 2025Record vote
Mar 13, 2025Read 3rd time
Mar 13, 2025Passed
Mar 13, 2025Record vote
Mar 13, 2025Reported engrossed
Mar 18, 2025Received from the Senate
Apr 9, 2025Read first time
Apr 9, 2025Referred to Natural Resources
Apr 30, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 30, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 30, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 30, 2025Left pending in committee
May 2, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 2, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 8, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 8, 2025Committee report distributed
May 9, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 16, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 20, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
May 20, 2025Read 2nd time
May 20, 2025Passed to 3rd reading
May 20, 2025Record vote RV#3098
May 20, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 21, 2025Read 3rd time
May 21, 2025Passed
May 21, 2025Record vote RV#3147
May 21, 2025House passage reported
May 21, 2025Reported enrolled
May 22, 2025Signed in the Senate
May 22, 2025Signed in the House
May 22, 2025Sent to the Governor
Jun 20, 2025Signed by the Governor
Jun 20, 2025Effective immediately

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 126 yea · 20 nay

Senate · 30 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 21, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Mar 13, 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

Kevin Sparks

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$60KKyle & Jamie Stallings$25,000Tim Dunn$25,000

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 25, 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 · Oct 15, 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: 101012623, 101029380, 101072732.

Kyle & Jamie Stallings$25,000.00

Tim Dunn$25,000.00

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 · Oct 15, 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: 101012623, 101029380, 101072732.

Votes5

House May 21, 2025

Yea: 126
Nay: 20
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 0
Excused: 2

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 3147

SB 971 was passed by (Record 3147): 126 Yeas, 20 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 126 (published)
Nay: 20 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
Excused: 2 (derived from named list)

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

House May 20, 2025

Yea: 125
Nay: 18
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 1
Excused: 4

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 3098

SB 971 was passed to third reading by (Record 3098): 125 Yeas, 18 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 125 (published)
Nay: 18 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 1 (derived from named list)
Excused: 4 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 13, 2025

Yea: 30
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: 1

Names

KingExcused

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.

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

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: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 13, 2025

Yea: 30
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: 1

Names

KingExcused

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.

Sources

Senator Sparks moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 971 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 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: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 13, 2025

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

Names

KingExcused

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.

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

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

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: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses11

For: 9
Against: 0
On: 2

Names

For

County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas1 registration
Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club1 registration
Self; Cass County1 registration
Self; County Judges and Commissioners Association, McMullen County1 registration
Texas 20362 registrations
Texas Association of Business1 registration
Texas Rural Water Association2 registrations

On

Texas Water Development Board2 registrations

Sources

11 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

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

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

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 · February 26, 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 Jan 29, 2025

06/20/2025 E Effective immediately

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

César BlancoDSenate 29

Adam HinojosaRSenate 27

Companion

HB 2302 by Gerdes (identical)

Subjects

Economic & Industrial Development--General

Economic & Industrial Development--Rural

Political Subdivisions

Water--Development

Water--General

RURAL

Text

The text as introduced · 115 words

89R3553 ANG-F

By: Sparks
S.B. No. 971

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the definition of a rural political subdivision for

purposes of the Texas Water Assistance Program.

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

SECTION 1. Section 15.001(14), Water Code, as added by

Chapter 1064 (S.B. 469), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular

Session, 2023, is repealed.

SECTION 2. 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.

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

House May 21, 2025

House May 20, 2025

Senate Mar 13, 2025

Senate Mar 13, 2025

Senate Mar 13, 2025

For

On

Companion