The Legislative Ranger
HB 185-194
11/25/2026
By: Stephen O’Toole
As I continue to dig through the bills the Texas Legislature prepared for its next session, several bills are vying for attention, each aiming to address critical issues across the state. From mental health innovation to social media restrictions, retroactive child support payments, and faith-based foster care, the range of topics highlights the diversity of legislative priorities. Below, I provide an in-depth look at five proposed bills, analyzing their potential impacts and challenges while offering my thoughts on their viability.
HB185, authored by Rep. Senfronia Thompson [D-Houston], seeks to establish the Mental Health and Brain Research Institute of Texas—referred to in the bill as the "institute." This legislation aims to position Texas at the forefront of mental health and brain research, making it a leader in innovation. The institute’s primary function would be to distribute and regulate grants for universities and research institutions to advance knowledge, treatment, and technology in mental and brain health.
An oversight committee, appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, or house speaker, would provide governance. Additional committees would oversee specific aspects within their scopes. To fund these grants, the bill proposes creating a fund comprised of legislative appropriations, federal grants, private donations, and revenue generated from intellectual property (IP) resulting from research funded by the grants. While the details of IP ownership will be negotiated when grants are awarded, the bill requires that such terms be clearly established in contracts.
The bill also addresses transparency reporting and mandates on economic growth—standard provisions in such legislation. However, it’s crucial to note that the bill requires an amendment to the Texas Constitution and a public vote for approval, a significant hurdle for a health-focused initiative. Despite these challenges, I believe HB185 offers immense potential to drive both health advancements and economic growth through proper management. I rate this bill low danger and moderate priority to pass.
Rep. Jared Patterson [R-Frisco] introduces HB186, a bill that seeks to ban all minors in Texas from accessing social media. This legislation would prohibit residents under 18 from opening accounts, creating profiles, or being identified by a social media platform through unique identifiers. Several issues with the bill merit discussion.
First, the bill fails to define "social media company." While such definitions may exist elsewhere in state law, this omission poses risks of overreach. Does it include kid-friendly educational platforms specifically designed for children? Second, the bill stipulates that social media platforms must use "commercially reasonable" methods relying on public or private transactional data to verify age. This translates to intrusive and potentially ineffective methods, such as credit card verification or government-issued ID checks.
These verification processes also fail to address the reality that children could easily bypass them by using household devices already logged into adult accounts. Additionally, the bill requires social media platforms to delete minors’ accounts upon receiving official requests from parents or guardians and classifies non-compliance as deceptive business practices under existing law.
While the intent of HB186 may be to protect minors, its practical application raises concerns about effectiveness, intrusiveness, and unintended consequences. I view this bill as more of an ineffectual annoyance than a meaningful solution. My rating: low danger and moderate priority to oppose.
Authored by Rep. Ryan Guillen [R-Rio Grande City], HB187 proposes expanding child support responsibilities. Under this bill, fathers would be required to make retroactive payments starting from the earliest possible date of conception. It also mandates reimbursement for a proportionate share of medical expenses related to childbirth, essential baby supplies such as diapers and car seats, and the mother’s lost wages during gestation, delivery, and postpartum recovery.
The bill further stipulates that interest on these payments would not begin accruing until one year after the terms are established—either through a court judgment or acknowledgment of paternity. While I generally support increased child support obligations, I believe this bill risks politicizing the issue by implicitly codifying life as beginning at conception. Regardless of one’s stance on this debate, I believe most would agree that such a determination should not be made through child support legislation.
Moreover, the bill does little to address the real issue of non-compliance among those who evade child support obligations. I rate this bill as moderate danger due to its potential to politicize and moderate priority to oppose.
HB188, proposed by Rep. Brooks Landgraf [R-Odessa], establishes the Texas Severance Tax Revenue and Oil and Natural Gas (Texas STRONG) Defense Fund. This fund would redirect severance tax revenue from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to energy-producing communities, focusing on infrastructure, public services, and environmental cleanup. The bill aims to support counties significantly impacted by oil and gas production, such as those in the Permian Basin.
However, several areas in the bill require clarification. For one, it necessitates a constitutional amendment to create the fund, adding a significant hurdle. Additionally, while the Rainy Day Fund’s cap is mentioned, the bill does not address how redirecting funds might impact the state’s financial flexibility during economic downturns. The criteria for fund distribution are also specific—only counties collecting at least 0.5% of state oil and gas production taxes qualify—but the report overlooks these details. Lastly, the bill’s timeline for implementation is tied to voter approval of the constitutional amendment, which could delay its enactment beyond Fall 2025.
Despite these complexities, HB188 offers a promising opportunity for reinvestment in Texas communities. Further discussion and refinement are needed to ensure its success.
Rep. Steve Toth [R-Conroe] introduces HB194, a bill with significant implications for foster care. Known as the Faith-Based Foster Care Enhancement Act, it allows religious organizations to open foster care facilities without licensing, raising serious concerns about oversight and the potential for religious indoctrination. While fostering children in a supportive, faith-based environment can be positive, this bill fails to safeguard the liberties and religious freedoms of the children it aims to help.
One glaring issue is the lack of guarantees that children won’t be placed in facilities teaching religions they or their families do not practice. Imagine a Christian child placed in a Muslim foster home, or vice versa. Moreover, the bill exempts these facilities from licensing requirements, leaving oversight to the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)—whose social workers lack expertise in areas like building inspections. An oversight committee is established but lacks defined duties, powers, or roles. Alarmingly, the bill allows members of the religious organization being overseen to serve on the committee, potentially undermining its impartiality.
I am all for allowing religious institutions to use their resources towards charity and even fostering children in need, however I feel there needs to be protections in place to either ensure that the fostering does not come with mandatory religious teachings or the children can choose to either choose their facility or opt out in some way. Given the absence of meaningful oversight and protections, this bill represents a high danger to children’s religious and personal freedoms. I rate it as a top priority to oppose.
These five bills showcase a range of legislative priorities, from innovation to controversy. HB185 presents an exciting opportunity to position Texas as a leader in mental health and brain research, offering both public health and economic benefits. HB186, aimed at banning minors from social media, raises concerns over practicality, intrusiveness, and effectiveness. HB187, expanding child support retroactively, risks politicizing sensitive issues without addressing core enforcement gaps. HB188 offers a promising reinvestment plan for severance taxes but requires refinement to address constitutional hurdles and fiscal impacts. Lastly, HB194 poses significant risks to the freedoms and well-being of foster children by allowing faith-based orphanages without adequate oversight or protections, making it a high-priority bill to oppose. Together, these bills reflect the need for thoughtful review and active public engagement to ensure legislation aligns with Texas’ best interests. Below you will find a few more, less impactful bills:
HB189 – authored by Rep. Cody Vasut [R-Angleton] is simply seeking to standardize reporting of campaign treasurer filing and reporting for people running for office.
HB190 – authored by Rep. Ray Lopez [D-San Antonio] is a bill to direct Texas Education Commissioner to establish and administer free or reduced cost Pre-K. While this may be partisan or divisive, the bill is straight forward. Does have a supermajority trigger to start immediately, but would only apply in 2025-2026 school year regardless.
HB191 – authored by Rep. David Spiller [R-Brownsville] is a bill to prohibit government entities or organizations under control of government entities of nations rated as threats to national security the last three years in the national Annual Threat Assessment. It does specify property owned prior to this law going into effect will be immune, and if a property is found to be in violation a receiver will oversee the sale of the property.
HB192 – authored by Rep. Cecil Bell [R-Magnolia] is a bill aimed at standardizing training by chief appraisers of each county by shifting the responsibility from the districts to train.
HB193 – authored by Rep. Armando Walle [D-Houston] is a bill that will never pass that simply raises the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Rep. Walle needs to balance dreams with reality.
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