Bill > HB1223

This bill requires school districts and municipalities to publish their proposed and adopted budgets in line-item form on their respective websites, replacing previous less detailed budget publication requirements. Specifically, school districts must now post their proposed budget in line-item format concurrently with publishing budget notice, and after final board approval, they must maintain the full line-item budget on their website for three years. For municipalities, the bill mandates that proposed budgets be available in line-item form for public inspection, and that when a budget is finally approved, a complete line-item copy must be posted on the municipal website along with the record of the vote that approved it. The term "line-item form" means a detailed budget breakdown that shows specific expenditures in granular categories, as opposed to the previous summary-level reporting. The bill will take effect on September 1, 2025, giving local governments time to prepare for the new transparency requirements. The goal appears to be increasing public access to and understanding of local government and school district financial planning by providing more comprehensive budget information.

Government Affairs

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB1223