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County staff briefs court on pending state bills, flags third‑party review and building‑code changes
Summary
A county staff member told the Collin County Commissioners Court that state bills including HB 23, SB 1450 and HB 19 remain in play and could change county permitting authority, require third‑party engineering reviews and alter local adoption of building codes.
Collin County staff member Mr. Shoffner briefed the Commissioners Court on an update about multiple Texas legislative measures, saying several bills remain under active consideration and could affect county permitting and review processes.
Shoffner told the court that the legislative calendar is compressing and described the current period as one in which many bill amendments and attachments occur. He flagged HB 23 and SB 1450 as measures the court has monitored closely. "A couple of bills that we've been concerned about HB 23, as an example, has had substantial rewrites," Shoffner said. He added that SB 1450 is currently in the House and that lawmakers are discussing ways to restore elements of the original HB 23.
Why it matters: Court members were warned that the measures could change how counties handle permitting and reviews. Shoffner said SB 1450 would, among other things, create a role for third‑party engineering reviews and could require use of the International Residential Code rather than the International Building Code in some circumstances. "They want to limit those types of [natural gas] appliances," Shoffner said, summarizing language he said was in parts of the bill. He also expressed concern that newly created third‑party engineering panels could become "a rubber stamp" that would weaken local oversight.
Discussion and questions centered on preserving local government authority and ensuring engineering reviews prevent watershed and flooding problems in neighboring areas. When a commissioner asked about HB 19, Shoffner said that bill was left in committee and had not found a vehicle for revival as of the briefing. "HB 19 was left in committee. It never got the votes to get out of House Ways and Means," Shoffner said, and he added that components of the bill had not yet been attached to another measure.
Court members did not take formal action on any state bills during the meeting. Shoffner said staff would continue to monitor negotiations and share information with the court.
The legislative update followed routine business and came before an executive‑session recess; court members later returned to open session for separate agenda items.
