The bill, H.B. No. 3146, proposes amendments to various sections of the Agriculture, Human Resources, Labor, and Transportation Codes regarding hearings conducted by the State Office of Administrative Hearings. Key changes include the removal of the phrase "in cooperation with" from the headings of several sections, which will now simply refer to "HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY STATE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS." Additionally, the bill clarifies that the administrative law judge conducting a contested case hearing will enter the final decision after the hearing's completion, rather than the previous language that implied a different process.

Furthermore, the bill amends provisions related to the scheduling of hearings, specifying that a hearing must be rescheduled if a request for a continuance is received by the State Office of Administrative Hearings at least five days before the scheduled date. It also repeals several existing provisions across the mentioned codes, streamlining the legal framework governing these hearings. The bill is set to take effect on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Agriculture Code 12.032, Human Resources Code 40.066, Labor Code 402.073, Transportation Code 524.032 (Agriculture Code 12, Labor Code 402, Human Resources Code 40, Transportation Code 524)