A new bill authored by State Rep. Muñoz in the Texas House seeks to clarify statutory interpretation rules and limit courts’ use of legislative intent in enforcement, according to the Texas Legislature website.
The bill on Courts category, introduced as HB 113 during the 89(1) legislative session on Thursday, July 17, was formally listed with the short title: ’Relating to the jurisdiction of a county court at law in Hidalgo County’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill amends the Government Code regarding statutory construction, effective Sept. 1, 2025. It defines “shall” as imposing a duty and “must” as imposing a requirement. The bill prohibits courts from considering legislative intent and history during statute interpretation, mandating the statutory text be enforced based on its clear meaning. It prohibits courts from deferring to a state agency’s interpretation unless reasonable and consistent with the statute’s language. It sets rules for severability, preserving enforceable portions of laws despite some parts being invalidated. Additionally, it clarifies that grammatical or scrivener’s errors do not nullify a law and addresses conflict resolution between general and special legal provisions. It ensures that sovereign immunity isn’t waived without explicit language, specifying jurisdictional requirements for suits against governmental entities. The bill repeals certain existing provisions of the Government Code.
Sergio Munoz Jr., a member of the House Committee on Agriculture & Livestock, proposed one other bill during the 89(1) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on Ways & Means.
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 115 | 07/17/2025 | Relating to the jurisdiction of statutory county courts and creation of an additional statutory probate court in Hidalgo County |
| 89(R) | HB 5660 | 03/31/2025 | Relating to the dissolution of the El Milagro Management District |
| 89(R) | HB 5649 | 03/18/2025 | Relating to the jurisdiction of a county court at law in Hidalgo County |
| 89(R) | HB 5365 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to groundwater production restrictions imposed by certain conservation and reclamation districts for wells used wholly or partly for cemetery irrigation |
| 89(R) | HB 5292 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the collection of delinquent ad valorem taxes |
| 89(R) | HB 5287 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the collection of delinquent ad valorem taxes |
| 89(R) | HB 5268 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the maximum amount of penalties that may be imposed for delinquent taxes and tax reports and the application of taxpayer payments to taxes, penalties, and interest |
| 89(R) | HB 5012 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the maximum amount of penalties that may be imposed for delinquent taxes and tax reports and the application of taxpayer payments to taxes, penalties, and interest |
| 89(R) | HB 4979 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the calculation of the voter-approval tax rate of certain junior college districts |
| 89(R) | HB 4951 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to nonirrigable land in irrigation districts |
| 89(R) | HB 4949 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the calculation of the voter-approval tax rate of certain counties and the procedure for the adoption by such a county of a tax rate that exceeds that rate; making conforming changes |
| 89(R) | HB 4930 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the governing board of certain junior college districts |
| 89(R) | HB 4922 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the standard of proof in certain health care liability claims arising out of the provision of emergency medical care |
| 89(R) | HB 4897 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the time period for municipal approval, conditional approval, or disapproval of a plat |
| 89(R) | HB 4825 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the award of court costs and attorney’s fees in certain actions challenging certain local laws, local regulatory actions, or the failure of an officer of certain political subdivisions to perform certain actions |
| 89(R) | HB 4792 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to authorizing certain municipalities to change the date on which their general election for officers is held |
| 89(R) | HB 4498 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to the creation of additional county courts at law in Hidalgo County |
| 89(R) | HB 4161 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to cost-of-living increases applicable to certain benefits paid by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
| 89(R) | HB 3986 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the designation of a portion of U.S. Highway 83 in Mission as the Corporal Speedy Espericueta Memorial Highway |
| 89(R) | HB 2731 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the regulation of roadside vendors and solicitors in certain counties |
| 89(R) | HB 2401 | 02/04/2025 | Relating to the jurisdiction of the county courts at law in Hidalgo County |
| 89(R) | HB 2175 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to the authority of a municipality to prohibit police or fire department employees from circulating or signing certain employment petitions |
| 89(R) | HB 2174 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to sheriff’s department civil service systems in certain counties |
| 89(R) | HB 2170 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to sheriff’s department civil service systems in certain counties |
| 89(R) | HB 1641 | 12/16/2024 | Relating to the use of extrapolation by a health maintenance organization or an insurer to audit claims |
