PRESS RELEASE
"Most Successful in History" City of Houston Provides Update on 89th Legislative Session
June 25, 2025 -- The City of Houston will benefit from more than $200 million in direct appropriations from the Texas Legislature for parks, water infrastructure, and public safety. Today, Mayor Whitmire and his Intergovernmental Affairs team provided that update following the most successful legislative session in the City of Houston's history.
A few wins for the City include the passage of:
- Senate Bill 1164 by Senator Zaffirini that will assist the City of Houston in providing mental health services to the most vulnerable;
- House Bill 3611 by Representative Curry, increases penalties for repeat offenders placing bandit signs in the public right of way;
- Senate Bill 1620 by Senator Huffman, a bill that creates a Texas Forensic Apprenticeship Pilot Program that will increase forensic analyst workforce capacity in Texas and
- House Bill 1584, introduced by Representative Hull, will codify the requirement that electric utilities prioritize critical, high-impact facilities, such as public safety and water when restoring power during times of disaster.
The City was also successful in securing several state appropriations for the City and supported key appropriations for the region:
- $100,000,000 – Lynchburg Pump Station
- $50,000,000 – Continuation of Lake Houston Dredging
- $5,000,000 – Spring Shadows Drainage Paving Project
- $17,000,000 – Parks
- $10,000,000 – Police Vehicles
- $10,000,000 – Sergio Ivan Rodriguez Memorial Pedestrian Bridge
- $5,000,000 – Railroad Grade Crossing Bridge at Little York and Hirsch
- $5,000,000 – Railroad Grade Crossing Bridge at Tidwell and Hirsch
- $4,832,146 – Forensic Analyst Apprenticeship
- $60,000,000 – Lake Livingston Dam
"In all my time in public service, this has been the most successful legislative session for the City of Houston. Thank you to Josh, the team, and all the city departments that made this happen," said Mayor Whitmire. "At the end of the day, Houstonians will benefit for years to come. My administration will continue to focus on quality of life issues while prioritizing infrastructure and public safety."
From left: Alexa Aragonez, Deputy Chief of Intergovernmental Relations and Josh Sanders, IGR Chief
"I am extremely proud of the work my team has accomplished, thanks to the leadership of Mayor Whitmire, our City Council, and especially our region's delegation. The City is successful because of our bipartisan and strong support by our Houston delegation," said Chief of Intergovernmental Relations, Joshua Sanders.
For more information, please visit www.houstontx.gov/govtrelations.