Recent Texas regulations affecting small businesses

Texas Department of Insurance updates title insurance rate manual with a 6.2% reduction in basic premium rates effective March 1, 2026.

Texas Public Utility Commission allows water and sewer utilities to recover infrastructure investment costs through a system improvement charge mechanism for projects placed in service after 2019, filed during designated quarters.

Public Utility Commission of Texas repeals prior water and sewer utility rate rules and establishes procedures for utilities to file system improvement charges outside base rate proceedings to recover infrastructure costs.

Texas Workforce Commission updates unemployment insurance rules to require five weekly job search contacts instead of three, add identity verification requirements, and exempt disaster-affected individuals and furloughed federal employees from work …

Texas Workforce Commission JET grants fund workforce training programs in high-demand fields, with awards based on state economic benefit and requirements for matching funds and industry-relevant credentials.

Texas Workforce Commission JET Grant Program funds career and technical education in high-demand fields at eligible institutions, with noncompliance resulting in loss of funding and future eligibility.

Texas Health and Human Services Commission updates definitions for child care licensing regulations under 26 TAC §745.21, effective May 24, 2026.

Texas Department of State Health Services removes permitting fees for mobile food units and roadside vendors, requiring compliance with separate mobile food vendor licensing regulations instead.

Texas Funeral Service Commission updates definitions in anatomical facilities and willed body program regulations under 22 TAC §206.31 and §206.33 to clarify terminology and maintain regulatory standards for non-transplant donation organizations.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board amends community college funding forecasts by removing outcome prediction caps to improve appropriation accuracy for public junior colleges.

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles updates administrative sanctions for motor vehicle industry violations by consolidating penalty options under Occupations Code and Transportation Code authority.

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles amends sanctions rules for vehicle lessors and lease facilitators to strengthen enforcement of Motor Vehicle Records Disclosure Act compliance, business location documentation, record-keeping, and timely change not…

Texas Department of Motor Vehicles requires motor carriers to submit electronic registration applications with USDOT numbers, owner/operator data, vehicle details, insurance proof, and drug-testing certifications; effective May 1, 2026.

Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation establishes updated standards for driver education programs under Senate Bill 1366, affecting education providers and content delivery requirements.

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs aligns contractor protest procedures with Texas Comptroller rules to standardize processes across state agencies.