Cole Hefner, Texas State Representative from the 5th district | Facebook
Cole Hefner, Texas State Representative from the 5th district | Facebook
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’Relating to parental rights and required notification in public education; authorizing an administrative penalty’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill requires the Texas education agency to create a document detailing parental rights related to their children's health in schools, including opting out of health-related activities, accessing health records, and exempting children from screenings or immunizations for specific reasons. The document must be in plain language, available in English and Spanish, and updated yearly. Schools must distribute the document annually online and in enrollment materials. The bill mandates training for school staff on these rights, establishes a complaint process for violations, and outlines potential penalties for noncompliance. It also requires schools to report complaints publicly and undergo agency audits. If passed, the act would apply from the 2025-26 school year and take immediate effect upon receiving a two-thirds majority vote; otherwise, it would be effective Sept. 1, 2025.
Cole Hefner, chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs and member of the House Committee on S/C on Transportation Funding, proposed another seven bills during the 89(R) legislative session.
Cole Hefner is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state's 5th House district. He replaced previous state representative Bryan Hughes in 2017.
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.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| HB 4375 | 04/01/2025 | Relating to broadcast coverage agreements for postseason activity of students representing a University Interscholastic League member school |
| HB 3642 | 03/25/2025 | Relating to the designation of portions of the state highway system as memorial highways and bridges |
| HB 3327 | 03/21/2025 | Relating to repealing the affirmative defense to prosecution for the criminal offense of sale, distribution, or display of harmful material to a minor |
| HB 3291 | 03/20/2025 | Relating to the public purpose designation and taxation of certain projects of Type A economic development corporations |
| HB 3285 | 03/20/2025 | Relating to requiring operators of smart devices to provide information to users about the collection of personal data |
| HB 3274 | 03/20/2025 | Relating to the unauthorized entry, occupancy, sale, rental, lease, advertisement for sale, rental, or lease, or conveyance of real property, including the removal of certain unauthorized occupants of a dwelling; creating criminal offenses; increasing a criminal penalty; authorizing a fee |
| HB 1849 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the purchase of or acquisition of title to real property by certain aliens or foreign entities; creating a criminal offense |
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