The bill proposes the abolishment of the state lottery in Texas, making significant amendments to the Government Code. It includes the repeal of Chapter 466, which pertains to the lottery, and removes references to the lottery in various sections of the code. Notably, the eligibility criteria for commission members will no longer consider individuals involved in the lottery, and the commission will focus solely on overseeing bingo operations. The bill establishes a timeline for the transition, with the lottery division of the Texas Lottery Commission set to be abolished by January 1, 2026, and all related powers and duties transferred to the commission. Additionally, it mandates that no lottery tickets may be sold after the bill's effective date, and funds previously allocated for lottery operations will be redirected to the Foundation School Program.
Furthermore, the bill introduces amendments related to financial assistance programs, including a requirement for the vital statistics unit to match death records with individuals receiving financial or supplemental nutrition assistance to ensure timely termination of assistance for deceased individuals. It updates the definition of key state officials, replacing the "Banking Commissioner of The Banking Department of Texas" with the "banking commissioner of the Texas Department of Banking," and removes references to the lottery division from certain sections. The changes will take effect on September 1, 2025, and any offenses committed before this date will be governed by the previous laws.
Statutes affected: Introduced: Government Code 467.002, Government Code 467.024, Government Code 467.025, Government Code 467.031, Government Code 467.035, Government Code 467.101, Government Code 467.108, Government Code 467.111, Government Code 221.011, Government Code 434.017, Government Code 572.003, Government Code 2113.102, Penal Code 47.02, Penal Code 47.09 (Government Code 467, Government Code 2113, Government Code 572, Penal Code 47, Government Code 221, Government Code 434)