Governor signs three bills to speed permitting and loosen local rules aimed at boosting Texas housing supply

At a press event, the Governor announced he will sign three bills intended to increase housing supply and lower costs in Texas, saying, "I'm gonna sign 3 laws that help to achieve that goal." The package named by the governor includes Senate Bill 15, Senate Bill 40 and House Bill 24.

The effort aims to remove local regulatory barriers and speed approvals. "It cuts local red tape that hinders housing construction," the governor said of Senate Bill 15, and he described Senate Bill 40 as a measure that "slashes regulations and speeds up the permitting process." He called House Bill 24 "central to increasing housing supply and affordability," saying it "makes it easier to get approval to build more housing."

Senator Bettencourt, one of the event speakers, framed the measures as urgent to match job-driven population growth, saying Texas needs to build "340,000 units" and praising the legislative session for advancing housing policies. "The average homeowner now is 54 years old. The first time home buyers are 36," Bettencourt added, arguing those demographics underline the need for more housing and policies to make homeownership attainable.

Representative Gates Orr said HB24 removed an outdated, century-old mandate that "got in the way of housing development" and raised construction costs, thanking colleagues for shepherding the bill through the Legislature. Senator Hughes said SB40 would help convert vacant office and retail space into housing without burdensome rezoning, noting that rezoning can be "expensive, time consuming, complicated" and that those added costs raise the price of housing.

Event participants also highlighted broader economic arguments. Bettencourt praised state job growth and connected housing policy to workforce needs, saying many new residents will need places to live so they can work in Texas. The governor closed by saying the laws "do more to contain the cost of living than any suite of laws in the entire United States Of America" and thanking lawmakers and staff for their work.

The announcements at the event describe policy intent and legislative changes; the remarks presented claims about effects on supply, costs and conversions of commercial space. No formal vote tallies or implementation deadlines were provided at the event. The bills named at the event are Senate Bill 15, Senate Bill 40 and House Bill 24; the text, implementation timeline and administrative rules for those bills were not specified during the remarks.