Texas 2027 Legislative Session Watch (90th Texas Legislature)
The 90th Texas Legislature convenes January 12, 2027. This page follows filed bills affecting autonomous vehicles, drones, robots, safety, data, government use, and related subjects. Before a bill is filed, an issue appears only as a subject to watch. A filed bill receives its number, official text, latest action, companion links, and a dated status record.
90th Texas Legislature Session Calendar
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Bill prefiling begins Texas Legislative Council Dates of Interest, citing House Rule 8 section 7 and Senate Rule 7.04(a). | |
| 90th regular session convenes at noon Texas Government Code 301.001 and Texas Constitution Article III section 5(a). | |
| Projected 60th day filing deadline Subject to the rules adopted for the 90th Legislature and their exceptions. | |
| 140th and last day of regular session Texas Constitution Article III section 24(b); ordinary 140-day calendar. | |
| Projected final postadjournment veto deadline Assumes May 31 adjournment; Texas Constitution Article IV section 14 governs the postadjournment period. | |
| Projected default effective date Assuming May 31 adjournment, this is the 91st day, after 90 full days. Article III section 39 controls. |
Subject Matter Watchlist
The 2027 session watch organizes prospective legislation across six core subject areas.
Category A: Autonomous Vehicles and Freight Trucking
Target statutory codes: Texas Transportation Code Chapter 545, Subchapter J (§§ 545.451-545.459); Chapter 644A (§§ 644A.001-644A.002).
Key watch subjects:
- Proposed statutory refinements to commercial driverless authorization parameters
- State agency enforcement oversight under 43 TAC Chapter 220
- Highway access assessment fees
- First responder interaction updates
- Statutory preemption boundaries governing local municipal ordinances
Category B: Drones and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems
Target statutory codes: Texas Government Code Chapter 423 (§§ 423.001-423.009).
Key watch subjects:
- Potential expansions to critical infrastructure overflight restrictions under § 423.0045
- Statutory revisions to lawful image capture exceptions following appellate judicial rulings
- Municipal preemption adjustments under § 423.009
- Public agency drone reporting mandates under § 423.008
Category C: Personal Delivery Devices and Sidewalk Right-of-Way
Target statutory codes: Texas Transportation Code Chapter 552A (§§ 552A.0001-552A.0010).
Key watch subjects:
- Statutory speed, weight, or dimension modifications for ground-based personal delivery devices operating in pedestrian areas or roadside margins
- Local government authority limits under § 552A.0009
- Financial responsibility threshold reviews under § 552A.0010
Category D: Workplace Safety, Industrial Automation, and Employee Injury
Target statutory codes: Texas Labor Code Chapter 406 (§§ 406.002, 406.033) and Chapter 408 (§ 408.001).
Key watch subjects:
- Legislative proposals addressing employee safety standards around collaborative industrial robotics
- Non-subscriber liability defense restrictions involving automated machinery injuries
- Teleoperator workforce classification rules
Category E: Data Privacy, Biometrics, and Physical AI Governance
Target statutory codes: Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 503 (§ 503.001), Chapter 541 (§§ 541.001-541.107), and Chapters 551-554 (TRAIGA).
Key watch subjects:
- Statutory updates to CUBI biometric identifier definitions regarding spatial or gait tracking
- Texas Data Privacy and Security Act telemetry processing exceptions
- Implementation adjustments to the Texas Responsible AI Governance Act as applied to embodied physical systems
Category F: State Procurement and Foreign Component Restrictions
Target statutory codes: Texas Government Code Chapter 620, Chapter 2155 (§ 2155.061), and Chapter 2157.
Key watch subjects:
- Proposed additions to prohibited foreign technology lists maintained by the Department of Information Resources (DIR)
- Public agency drone purchasing restrictions
- State funding prohibitions for covered foreign robotics equipment
Verification and Record Entry Architecture
About bill records. Each bill record links to the Texas Legislature Online history and text. The record distinguishes filing, committee action, passage, enactment, and effective dates. Companion bills are linked separately. An unsuccessful bill does not establish that the same subject failed to become law through another measure.
| Record field | Content |
|---|---|
| Record Identifier | TLO Bill Number (e.g., HB [Number] or SB [Number]) |
| Primary Authors and Sponsors | Member name(s) and chamber (House or Senate) |
| Caption Title | Official legislative caption text |
| Target Code and Sections | Amends or adds specific statutory chapter and sections |
| Current Status | Filed, In Committee, Passed House, Passed Senate, Enrolled, or Signed |
| Key Event Dates | Filing date, committee referral, public hearing, floor vote, governor action |
| Effective Date | Stated statutory date or 90 days post-adjournment |
| Official Primary Link | Direct URL to Texas Legislature Online (TLO) bill history |
| Linked Guides and Hubs | Mapped topic hubs and evergreen guides affected |
Public Verification Policy
Record Verification Control: The session view displays filed bills only after an official bill number and caption are published on Texas Legislature Online. Speculative draft proposals, news rumors, and unfiled legislative requests remain excluded from the database index until official filing occurs.
Filed Bills
| Bill | Status |
|---|---|
| No bills filed yet. Prefiling for the 90th Regular Session opens November 9, 2026. | |