S.B. No. 971 amends the Texas Water Code by repealing the existing definition of a rural political subdivision as outlined in Section 15.001(14), which was added by S.B. 469 during the 88th Legislature. This change aims to clarify or update the criteria used to define rural political subdivisions for the purposes of the Texas Water Assistance Program, although the specific new definition is not provided in the text of the bill.

The bill is set to take effect immediately upon receiving a two-thirds majority vote from both houses of the Texas Legislature. If it does not achieve this majority, the bill will take effect on September 1, 2025. The bill passed the Senate with a unanimous vote of 30-0 and the House with a vote of 126-20, indicating strong legislative support for the changes proposed.