A new bill authored by State Rep. Shaheen seeks to establish an office aimed at coordinating and expanding violence intervention and prevention efforts across Texas, according to the Texas Legislature website.
The bill on County Government category, introduced as HB 230 during the 89(1) legislative session on Wednesday, July 30, was formally listed with the short title: ’Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying activities’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill establishes the office of community violence intervention and prevention within the Texas Department of State Health Services, to be operational by Dec. 1, 2025, with the goal of coordinating and expanding violence intervention and prevention activities. It authorizes the office to develop collaborative relationships with state agencies and local organizations to address various forms of violence, including child abuse, elder abuse, family violence, and gun violence. The office will integrate prevention education into state-funded programs and conduct public awareness campaigns about violence. A grant program will be administered to support effective violence reduction strategies in communities heavily impacted by violence, with a focus on evidence-based initiatives such as hospital-based programs and community outreach. Recipients must use grant funds to support these initiatives and report progress to the office. The act takes effect Sept. 1, 2025.
Matt Shaheen, the chair of the House Committee on Elections, proposed one other bill during the 89(1) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on Higher Education.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Legislative Session | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89(1) | HB 11 | 07/28/2025 | Relating to the duty of the attorney general to prosecute criminal offenses prescribed by the election laws of this state |
| 89(R) | HB 5393 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the reporting and investigation of misconduct by public and private school employees; creating a criminal offense; providing a civil penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 5366 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the contract requirements for a contract between a single source continuum contractor and the Department of Family and Protective Services |
| 89(R) | HB 5364 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the receivership of a single-source continuum contractor providing child welfare services |
| 89(R) | HB 5361 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to certain requirements regarding a contract between a single source continuum contractor and the Department of Family and Protective Services |
| 89(R) | HB 5252 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the authority of a municipality to adopt, increase or decrease the rate of, or repeal an additional sales and use tax for property tax relief by ordinance or resolution of the governing body of the municipality |
| 89(R) | HB 5169 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to limitations applicable to certain agreements providing for a rebate of municipal sales and use taxes or a grant or loan based on those taxes |
| 89(R) | HB 1555 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the creation of a select interim committee to review and make recommendations for substantive changes to ethics laws |
| 89(R) | HB 1510 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the functions and duties of the Texas Ethics Commission |
| 89(R) | HB 5138 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the duty of the attorney general to prosecute criminal offenses prescribed by the election laws of this state |
| 89(R) | HB 5116 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to requirements and procedures in the contest of an election on a proposed constitutional amendment |
| 89(R) | HB 5115 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the penalty for the crime of election fraud; increasing a criminal penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 5112 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to a policy prohibiting antisemitism at public institutions of higher education |
| 89(R) | HB 5049 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the composition and authority of certain subregional boards of regional transportation authorities |
| 89(R) | HB 4500 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to unconscionable prices charged by health care providers for health care services |
| 89(R) | HB 4499 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to the governance of public institutions of higher education, including review of curriculum and certain degree and certificate programs, the powers and duties of a faculty council or senate, training for members of the governing board, and the establishment of the Office of Excellence in Higher Education |
| 89(R) | HB 4300 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to the exemption of certain motor vehicle sales, gifts, and exchanges from motor vehicle sales and use taxes |
| 89(R) | HB 4299 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to the unauthorized occupancy of real property, including the removal of certain unauthorized occupants; creating a criminal offense |
| 89(R) | HB 4298 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to parental controls and filters for certain explicit material on electronic devices; providing a civil penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 4297 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to prohibiting the advertisement of illegal goods or services |
| 89(R) | HB 4296 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to interests of certain foreign governments in real property |
| 89(R) | HB 4295 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to the authority of a political subdivision to issue a public security if the debt-to-asset ratio of the political subdivision exceeds a certain percentage |
| 89(R) | HB 4294 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to the regulation of platforms for the sale and distribution of software applications for mobile devices; authorizing a civil penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 4292 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to appeals regarding school laws and a school district’s grievance procedure regarding complaints concerning violation of state education law or school district board of trustees policy |
| 89(R) | HB 4133 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to the offense of criminal mischief involving the damage or destruction of a monument or memorial |
| 89(R) | HB 4132 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to the definition of a bet for gambling criminal offenses purposes |
| 89(R) | HB 4128 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to accelerated instruction for public school students who fail to achieve satisfactory performance on certain assessment instruments |
| 89(R) | HB 3871 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the audit of the financial records of certain property owners’ associations |
| 89(R) | HB 3187 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to powers of regional transportation authorities |
| 89(R) | HB 2918 | 02/18/2025 | Relating to the abolishment of the state lottery |
| 89(R) | HB 2915 | 02/18/2025 | Relating to the criminal penalty for rigging a publicly exhibited contest; increasing a criminal penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 2846 | 02/14/2025 | Relating to parental rights in public education and prohibiting instruction regarding sexual orientation or gender identity for public school students |
| 89(R) | HB 2845 | 02/14/2025 | Relating to the designation of controlled substance overdose for purposes of the death certificate |
| 89(R) | HB 2575 | 02/07/2025 | Relating to the elimination of certain tax proceeds deposited to and the allocation of the horse industry escrowed purse account |
| 89(R) | HB 2354 | 02/03/2025 | Relating to charter schools, including the admission, enrollment, and employment policies of and the applicability of certain laws to open-enrollment charter schools |
| 89(R) | HB 2323 | 02/03/2025 | Relating to the cessation of tolls by toll project entities in certain circumstances |
| 89(R) | HB 2181 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to increasing the criminal penalty for certain conduct constituting the offense of solicitation of prostitution |
| 89(R) | HB 2173 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to a warning label on social media platforms concerning the association between a minor’s social media usage and significant mental health issues |
| 89(R) | HB 2162 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to the classification of certain sales of firearms as occasional sales for purposes of sales and use taxes |
| 89(R) | HB 2155 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to a prohibition on the sale, transfer, or delivery of consumable hemp products; creating a criminal offense |
| 89(R) | HB 2154 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to the definition of private place for gambling criminal offense purposes |
| 89(R) | HB 2144 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to access to certain information in the adoption process |
| 89(R) | HB 2079 | 01/24/2025 | Relating to repeal of provisions requiring a school district to reduce its local revenue level in excess of entitlement |
| 89(R) | HB 1830 | 01/13/2025 | Relating to tenure and employment status at public institutions of higher education in this state |
| 89(R) | HB 1829 | 01/13/2025 | Relating to the establishment of a limitation on the total amount of ad valorem taxes that certain taxing units may impose on the residence homesteads of individuals who are disabled or elderly and their surviving spouses |
| 89(R) | HB 997 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the provision of telehealth and telemedicine medical services by certain health professionals located outside of this state; requiring registration to engage in an occupation; authorizing fees |
| 89(R) | HB 906 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to a temporary teaching certificate for certain military service members and first responders |
| 89(R) | HB 758 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the requirement that an armed security officer be present at a school district campus |
| 89(R) | HB 725 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the permissible uses of the bilingual education allotment provided under the Foundation School Program |
| 89(R) | HB 671 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying and certain other activities |
