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Read. Follow. Verify.Texas establishes income-based assistance fund for retail electric customers during extreme weather emergencies
Last action · May 21, 2025: Referred to Business & CommerceSponsors: Hernandez and 10 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Texas establishes an income-based assistance fund to provide bill payment assistance for low-income electric customers during extreme weather emergencies and one-time assistance for s facing disconnection, taking effect September 1, 2025.
Low-income and critical care residential electric customers gain access to state-funded bill payment assistance, while electric providers receive reimbursement for provided assistance without charging customers processing fees.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Low-income electric customers
Eligible individuals may receive retail electric service bill payment assistance during extreme weather emergencies.
Critical care residential customers
Customers who receive notice of impending service disconnection for nonpayment may qualify for one-time bill payment assistance.
Electric utilities and retail electric providers
Providers participate in automatic identification processes and receive reimbursements from the fund for bill payment assistance provided to eligible customers.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to receive bill payment assistance during an extreme weather emergency?
Can utilities charge a fee to customers for receiving this assistance?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
31 actions- May 21, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Business & Commerce
- May 21, 2025SenateIntroducedRead first time
- May 5, 2025SenateReceived from the House
- May 1, 2025HouseReported engrossed
- May 1, 2025HouseStatement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- May 1, 2025HouseFloorRecord vote (RV#1149)
Show 25 earlier actions
- May 1, 2025HouseFloorPassed
- May 1, 2025HouseLaid out as postponed business
- May 1, 2025HousePostponed
- May 1, 2025HouseFloorRead 3rd time
- Apr 30, 2025HouseStatement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- Apr 30, 2025HouseFloorRecord vote (RV#1079)
- Apr 30, 2025HouseFloorPassed to engrossment as amended
- Apr 30, 2025HouseAmended (1-Hernandez)
- Apr 30, 2025HouseFloorRead 2nd time
- Apr 30, 2025HousePlaced on General State Calendar
- Apr 28, 2025HouseConsidered in Calendars
- Apr 11, 2025HouseCommittee report sent to Calendars
- Apr 10, 2025HouseCommittee report distributed
- Apr 10, 2025HouseComte report filed with Committee Coordinator
- Apr 2, 2025HouseCommitteeReported favorably as substituted
- Apr 2, 2025HouseCommittee substitute considered in committee
- Apr 2, 2025HouseConsidered in public hearing
- Mar 19, 2025HouseLeft pending in committee
- Mar 19, 2025HouseTestimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- Mar 19, 2025HouseCommittee substitute considered in committee
- Mar 19, 2025HouseConsidered in public hearing
- Mar 19, 2025HouseScheduled for public hearing on . . .
- Mar 11, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to State Affairs
- Mar 11, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time
- Nov 15, 2024HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Voting Record
HB 1359 was passed
Total
142
- Yes
- 96
- No
- 44
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
- Other positions
- 2
How they voted (142)
118 more members
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 6 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Creation of Dedicated Income-Based Assistance Fund
The bill integrates utility regulations with health and human services identification mechanisms to fund extreme weather bill relief.
Connected Entities
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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