North Coastal News

Rep. A.J. Louderback introduced HB 3778, a bill on Utilities, to the Texas House on Wednesday, April 9 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.

More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’Relating to the use of geothermal energy as a dispatchable generation resource’’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

This bill amends specific sections of the Texas Utilities Code to classify geothermal energy as a dispatchable generation resource, meaning its output can be primarily controlled by human forces. It allows for the use of an established fund to provide loans for upgrading existing dispatchable electric generating facilities or constructing new ones in the ERCOT power region, each with a capacity increase of at least 100 megawatts, excluding electric energy storage facilities from eligibility. Additionally, the bill mandates the provision of completion bonus grants for constructing new dispatchable electric generating facilities, again excluding energy storage facilities. The act is set to take effect Sept. 1, 2025.

A.J. Louderback, member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs, proposed another 26 bills during the 89(R) legislative session.

Louderback graduated from Texas A&M University in 1999 with a BS.

A.J. Louderback is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state's 30th House district. He replaced previous state representative Geanie Morrison in 2025.

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 4158	04/09/2025	Relating to the compensation of the directors of the Texana Groundwater Conservation District
HB 3602	04/08/2025	Relating to the execution of a search warrant for taking a blood specimen from certain persons in certain intoxication offenses
HB 1886	04/08/2025	Relating to the exemption of certain municipalities and counties from requirements regarding the use of lifeguards on public beaches
HB 5528	04/07/2025	Relating to the establishment of the Texas Law Enforcement Crisis Prevention Task Force
HB 5507	04/07/2025	Relating to truancy and the offense of a parent contributing to nonattendance; creating a criminal offense; increasing a criminal penalty
HB 5318	04/07/2025	Relating to the authority of the attorney general to prosecute certain criminal offenses against public order
HB 5170	04/07/2025	Relating to increasing the minimum term of imprisonment and changing the eligibility for community supervision and parole for certain felony offenses in which a firearm is used or exhibited and to certain consequences on conviction of certain offenses
HB 5168	04/07/2025	Relating to the location of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association headquarters
HB 5144	04/07/2025	Relating to prohibiting certain deceptive trade practices by businesses assisting veterans with Department of Veterans Affairs claims
HB 5040	04/03/2025	Relating to the operation of a motor vehicle while another person rides in or on a portion of the vehicle not for passenger use; creating a criminal offense
HB 5039	04/03/2025	Relating to driving off the roadway
HB 5038	04/03/2025	Relating to motor vehicle windshield sunscreening devices
HB 4436	04/02/2025	Relating to certain images captured by an unmanned aircraft for purposes of news-gathering
HB 3780	03/26/2025	Relating to the application of nepotism prohibitions to a person appointed or employed by a school district as a teacher or other employee
HB 3779	03/26/2025	Relating to the imposition of concurrent or consecutive sentences for certain convictions
HB 3613	03/25/2025	Relating to the number of unexcused absences from school that constitute truant conduct or parental contribution to nonattendance of school and a school district's discretion to refer a student to truancy court
HB 3612	03/25/2025	Relating to the filing of a petition for truant conduct
HB 3519	03/24/2025	Relating to a prohibition against the cultivation of castor beans; creating a criminal offense
HB 2823	03/19/2025	Relating to establishing a grant program for qualified medical expenses of retired law enforcement dogs
HB 2257	03/14/2025	Relating to required agreements between county sheriffs and the United States to enforce federal immigration law
HB 2185	03/14/2025	Relating to a tuition exemption for the children of certain law enforcement officers
HB 1688	03/12/2025	Relating to a local option exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the appraised value of the residence homesteads of certain peace officers
HB 1623	03/12/2025	Relating to the eligibility of certain foreign individuals or entities for a limitation on the taxable value of property for school district maintenance and operations ad valorem tax purposes under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation Act
HB 1488	03/11/2025	Relating to employment practices of governmental entities, state contractors, and private employers in this state regarding the legal status of employees, including requiring participation in the federal electronic verification of employment authorization program, or E-verify program, and authorizing the suspension of certain licenses held by private employers for certain conduct in relation to the employment of persons not lawfully present; providing an administrative penalty
HB 1487	03/11/2025	Relating to the removal of a fee for the issuance of an original, duplicate, modified, or renewed license to carry a handgun
HB 1486	03/11/2025	Relating to dedicatory instruments prohibiting or restricting the display of Thin Blue Line flags by a property owners' association