AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) has filed House Bill 3866, legislation designed to protect Texas homeowners from dangerous chemical containers being brought in and stored in their neighborhood. 

The legislation comes in direct response to the July 2024 Permian Basin Container fire in northern Ector County, where a chemical storage facility that recently moved into a residential area went up in flames and sent hazardous smoke into nearby neighborhoods and contaminated groundwater sources relied upon by area residents. Due to the type of materials involved, the fire smoldered for days, prompting local and state agencies—including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)—to coordinate air and water quality monitoring, distribute bottled water to affected residents, and conduct soil testing to protect public health.

“No family should have to fear for their safety because hazardous chemicals are stored just a stone’s throw from their home,” Landgraf said. “This bill establishes a commonsense safety buffer for families living in unincorporated areas where zoning laws don’t exist to provide that protection.”

Under House Bill 3866, outdoor containers holding dangerous chemicals cannot be stored within 2,000 feet of a private residence that existed before the storage facility. To ensure compliance, these containers must be registered with TCEQ and will undergo annual inspections to verify they remain outside the 2,000-foot boundary. The bill also preserves local control, allowing cities to enforce or adopt even stricter regulations if they choose.

“This is about common sense and public safety,” Landgraf added. “I’ve worked closely with the people impacted by the PBC fire in its aftermath. I want to make sure no West Texas family—or any Texas family—has to experience what our community went through last summer.”

ODESSA, TEXAS — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) announced today that he will host an Education-Focused Town Hall to answer questions and address misconceptions about the Texas House’s major education proposals under consideration at the Texas Capitol. The town hall details are as follows:

Date: March 1, 2025
Time:12:00p.m.–2:30p.m. Location: Nimitz Junior High Cafeteria
Address: 4900 Maple Avenue, Odessa, Texas (parking in lot at corner of Maple and JBS Parkway)

“As the Texas House works to strengthen education in the state, I want to make sure West Texans have all the facts about what’s really being proposed when it comes to education savings accounts and school funding,” Landgraf said. “There’s a lot of information floating around — some accurate, some not. This town hall is a chance for parents, teachers, and community members to hear directly from me and get their questions answered.”

Landgraf will provide an overview of key proposals, including:

House Bill 2, which invests more than $7.6 billion into public schools, increases the per-student funding allotment, and provides teacher pay raises, with additional support for rural schools.

House Bill 3, which establishes a statewide Education Savings Account (ESA) program to provide parents with new options for their child’s education.

House Bill 4, which repeals the STAAR test and replaces it with a modernized assessment system that reduces high-stakes testing pressure and provides faster feedback to teachers and families.

House Bill 6, known as the Teachers’ Bill of Rights, which empowers teachers to manage classroom conduct and promotes respect for the teaching profession.

“I’m grateful to Ector County ISD for opening the Nimitz cafeteria to host this important conversation,” Landgraf added. “I want to hear directly from the educators, parents, and students I serve in Ector, Loving, Ward, and Winkler counties. Your voices matter, and I want to make sure West Texas families understand what these bills would actually do for our schools, teachers, and students.”

For those wanting to review the proposals ahead of time, the full text of the key bills can be found here:

HB 2 (Public School Funding): https://tinyurl.com/nb7bh7rd

HB 3 (Education Savings Accounts): https://tinyurl.com/yfd6kjky

HB 4 (Replacing STAAR): https://tinyurl.com/36vuv95h

HB 6 (Teachers’ Bill of Rights): https://tinyurl.com/37cf8r2f

The event is free and open to the public, and all parents, educators, students, and community members from Ector, Loving, Ward counties are encouraged to attend. Complimentary pizza will be provided, and children are welcome to attend with their parents.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) has been reappointed by Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows to serve as Chairman of the influential Texas House Committee on Environmental Regulation. In addition to this key leadership role, Landgraf has also been selected to serve on the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence.

“I am grateful to Speaker Burrows for entrusting me with these responsibilities, and I am honored to continue serving as Chairman of the Environmental Regulation Committee,” Landgraf said. “This is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” Landgraf added. “I look forward to continuing to fight for the needs of the Permian Basin and all of Texas to ensure we maintain a thriving economy while preserving our state’s natural resources for future generations.” 

Speaker Burrows announced the committee assignments Wednesday morning, marking the start of an important chapter for the 89th Texas Legislature. As Chairman of the Environmental Regulation Committee, Landgraf will oversee matters related to air, land, and water pollution, industrial regulation, and environmental oversight by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

“My commitment to the people of West Texas remains steadfast,” Landgraf said. “Whether it’s ensuring regulatory policies support our state’s energy independence or defending the rights of Texans in our legal system, I will continue to work tirelessly to make sure West Texas has a strong voice in the legislature.”

The Texas House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence is responsible for legislation concerning the judicial branch, civil procedure, and legal matters that affect the rights of Texans. Landgraf’s appointment to this committee will strengthen his role as an advocate for a fair and efficient legal system.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) took the oath of office at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, marking the beginning of a new term serving the Ector, Loving, Ward and Winkler counties in the Texas House of Representatives.

Landgraf joined his colleagues in the Texas House and Senate as the 89th Texas Legislature convened on January 14, 2025. The legislature will meet for 140 days, during which lawmakers will pass a balanced budget and consider legislation on a wide range of issues impacting Texans.

“Representing West Texas in the Texas House is one of the greatest honors of my life,” Landgraf said. “The hardworking men and women of West Texas deserve strong, principled leadership, and I’m ready to fight for their values and priorities at the state Capitol.”

This session, lawmakers will allocate a budget surplus of $23 billion. Landgraf emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility and advancing a conservative agenda that supports Texas families and strengthens the state’s energy independence.

“Our economy is strong, but we must continue to safeguard the principles that made Texas prosperous. That means cutting wasteful spending, protecting taxpayers, and making smart investments in education and infrastructure,” Landgraf said.

Landgraf’s legislative priorities for the 89th session include reforming education to eliminate STAAR testing in favor of more effective student assessments and replacing attendance-based school funding with enrollment-based finance to provide equitable resources for public schools. He also aims to champion his Texas STRONG initiative to reinforce the state’s energy infrastructure and ensure the Permian Basin remains the backbone of American energy independence. Additionally, Landgraf will advocate for stronger voter registration requirements to verify citizenship upon registering to vote.

“From reducing burdens on our schools to fortifying our energy infrastructure and ensuring the integrity of our elections, I am committed to enacting policies that enhance freedom, strengthen communities, and secure the future of Texas,” Landgraf concluded.

The 89th Texas Legislature will adjourn on June 2, 2025.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf has introduced House Bill 221 ahead of the 2025 legislative session, proposing significant reforms to reduce standardized testing in Texas schools. The bill aims to limit high-stakes testing to the minimum requirements mandated by federal law, reclaiming valuable classroom time for teaching and learning.

“Students, parents, and teachers are tired of the overwhelming emphasis on standardized tests,” Landgraf said. “This bill cuts back on excessive testing, reduces unnecessary stress, and ensures students get the support they need to excel in core subjects.”

House Bill 221 would eliminate unnecessary state-mandated end-of-course exams, known as STAAR tests, retaining only those required by federal law. The legislation prioritizes essential subjects like reading and math while offering students alternative ways to demonstrate college or career readiness, such as through performance in preparatory coursework. Importantly, schools will continue to be accountable for how well they educate their students.

“It’s time to stop letting high-stakes standardized tests dominate the classroom and instead allow teachers to teach and students to learn,” Landgraf explained. “Our students deserve an education that challenges and prepares them for the future, not one constantly interrupted by high-stakes exams. House Bill 221 keeps the focus on what’s best for Texas students.”

The legislation addresses longstanding frustrations from students, educators, and families burdened by the overuse of standardized testing. If passed, the reforms would refocus Texas schools on education and future preparation. The bill is set to be considered during the 2025 legislative session, with changes taking effect in the 2025-2026 school year if enacted.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) has filed House Bill 268 to address the alarming rise in false emergency threats targeting schools and critical infrastructure. This legislation seeks to deter these dangerous hoaxes by increasing penalties and requiring offenders to reimburse the public for wasted emergency resources.

“In the last few years, our schools have faced a disturbing rise in hoax threats, including false reports of school shootings and bomb threats,” Landgraf said. “These acts are not harmless—they disrupt classrooms, traumatize communities, and place a financial burden on our law enforcement and emergency responders.”

HB 268 updates the Texas Penal Code by elevating the penalty for hoax threats involving schools to a third-degree felony. It also empowers emergency responders to seek restitution for the resources expended in responding to false reports.

“These hoaxes not only create chaos in our schools but also risk desensitizing the public to genuine threats,” Landgraf added. “This legislation has a clear objective: to deter hoax calls, protect public safety, and ensure that our emergency responders can focus on real threats, not false alarms.”

This proposal comes in response to a series of false emergency reports targeting Texas schools, including incidents in the Permian Basin that caused widespread panic and disrupted class days. By imposing stricter penalties and holding offenders financially accountable, HB 268 aims to safeguard students, educators and communities from the harmful consequences of these baseless threats.

The Texas Legislature will convene in January 2025, where HB 268 will be considered as part of Rep. Landgraf’s ongoing efforts to enhance public safety and strengthen communities in West Texas.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) has introduced House Joint Resolution 47 and House Bill 188, collectively known as Texas STRONG, to be considered in the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature. This initiative proposes the creation of the Texas Severance Tax Revenue and Oil and Natural Gas (STRONG) Defense Fund, designed to modernize the distribution of severance tax revenues to address critical infrastructure, education, healthcare, and public safety needs in major energy-producing communities like those in the Permian Basin.

Since 2014, severance taxes have funneled over $35 billion to key state priorities, contributing $9 billion to public education, $13.3 billion to the state highway fund, and $13.3 billion to the rainy day fund. Of that total, nearly 80% of these funds—around $40 billion—originated from just 32 Texas counties, many located in the Permian Basin.

“The Permian Basin has fueled America for decades, powering homes and industries, generating billions in tax revenue, and driving Texas forward,” Landgraf said. “Our region deserves a reinvestment that reflects its contributions to our state.”

Under Texas STRONG, severance tax revenue that would typically flow into the state’s “rainy day fund”—which is projected to hit its constitutional cap in 2025—would be redirected to dedicated accounts benefiting energy-producing communities. These funds will support long-term investments in infrastructure, public services, and environmental cleanup efforts, such as orphaned well plugging and groundwater protection. Additionally, the initiative would contribute to statewide property tax relief, benefiting all Texans.

“The Permian Basin is the backbone of Texas’ energy sector, yet it faces ongoing infrastructure and public service demands,” Landgraf added. “Texas STRONG is the practical solution to ensure our community has the resources it needs to meet these demands and ultimately thrive.”

The Texas legislature will convene at the Capitol for the 89th Legislative Session on January 14, 2025. Representative Landgraf is set to work closely with lawmakers across the aisle to advance Texas STRONG, which enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support in the previous legislative session, passing the Texas House with a decisive 144-1 vote.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) has filed House Bill 219, known as the “Verified Citizen Voting Act,” to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in Texas.  U.S.  citizenship has long been a requirement to vote in Texas, but voters have been on the honor system. Landgraf’s bill would simply make documented proof of citizenship part of the state’s voter-registration process on a go-forward basis.

“Voting is one of our most fundamental rights as Americans, and it must be protected,” Landgraf said. “The Verified Citizen Voting Act will give Texans peace of mind that their votes are not being diluted by ineligible voters, protecting our elections from potential abuse and preserving the integrity of every ballot cast.”

Under HB 219, individuals registering to vote would be required to present simple proof of citizenship as part of the application process. Landgraf's bill makes it easy for voters to prove citizenship by presenting  a Texas REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, a U.S. passport, a naturalization document or a birth certificate.

“Election integrity depends on the trust we place in our voting system, and ensuring only eligible voters can register is essential to that trust,” Landgraf said. “If U.S. citizenship is a requirement to vote, it makes perfect sense to require proof that they comply with the requirement.”

Landgraf and the other members of the Texas legislature will convene for the 89th Texas Legislative Session on January 14, 2025. Members of the Texas House and Texas Senate may file bills for the 2025 legislative session as early as November 12, 2024. The Texas legislature meets at the Texas Capitol building for a 140-day regular session beginning the second Tuesday in January every odd-numbered year to vote on proposed legislation and pass a balanced state budget.

U.S. Supreme Court will hear Biden administration’s request to overturn lower courts’ rulings to stop high-level radioactive waste from being sent to Texas, in violation of law passed by Landgraf

ODESSA — As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a case concerning the storage of high-level radioactive waste in Texas, State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) reaffirmed his commitment to keeping the state free from becoming a repository for the nation’s nuclear waste. In 2021, Landgraf authored House Bill 7, which was signed into law to outlaw high-level radioactive waste from being sent to Texas for storage, particularly Andrews County. 

“Texas is not the Biden administration’s dumping ground,” Landgraf said. “In 2021, I worked to pass House Bill 7 to protect our state from high-level radioactive waste. Despite that, the federal government is going to great lengths to disregard state law and force this high-level radioactive waste upon Texans.”

House Bill 7, which passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by Governor Abbott, effectively bans high-level radioactive waste storage across Texas, except for the handful of sites where such waste is actually generated. The legislation came, in part, in response to the Andrews County Commissioners Court’s unanimous opposition to plans for their county to become the site for the rest of America’s high-level radioactive waste. At the time Landgraf’s bill was passed into law, he was the state representative for Andrews County. 

Nevertheless, the Biden administration’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has continued pushing the plan forward in clear violation of state law. Last year, a Texas-led lawsuit blocked the NRC’s federal license for the storage site, with a federal court ruling the plan unlawful. That ruling was upheld by an appeals court earlier this year, but the NRC have urged the Supreme Court to reconsider.

“The people of Texas have made it clear they don’t want this high-level radioactive waste in their communities. This issue is about state sovereignty and respecting the consent of the governed. I’m confident the Supreme Court will recognize Texans’ rights and uphold the law we passed to protect our state from spent nuclear fuel rods and other forms of high-level radioactive waste,” Landgraf added. 

Although Andrews County is no longer part of Rep. Landgraf’s house district, the 2021 law he passed remains crucial for all of Texas. The Supreme Court’s decision will have significant and lasting implications, likely setting key precedents on federal intervention and state authority over environmental regulation.

AUSTIN — State Representative Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) hosted a virtual meeting between Odessa city officials and leadership at the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) on Thursday to identify state funding assistance for city water infrastructure following the recent water outages in Odessa.

“During my time as state representative, I’ve voted to support multiple initiatives to provide funding for new water infrastructure projects and assist municipalities with the process of upgrading aging water infrastructure,” Landgraf said. “Today’s meeting was all about ensuring city officials are aware of the resources available to update Odessa’s aging water system and avoid future outages and boil notices. I’ll continue doing everything I can until Odessans can rest easy with confidence that they will have access to safe, clean water for generations to come.”

Joining Representative Landgraf for the meeting were the top brass from the Texas Water Development Board, Odessa City Councilman Steve Thompson, Odessa City Manager John Beckmeyer, and representatives from the City of Odessa utilities department, Odessa Development Corporation, and the office of State Senator Kevin Sparks (R-Midland). 

While water infrastructure is a local responsibility, TWDB staff noted that Odessa may be eligible for grant funding from the state and that TWDB staff will be available to answer any questions and provide assistance as the city works to identify its greatest needs and apply for state funding.

“TWDB staff were incredibly helpful and provided an excellent overview of the funding available and processes and deadlines the city must follow to access these resources as quickly as possible. I appreciate the important work they are doing to address this most basic of all human needs. The Rainy Day Fund, which is of course mostly funded by oil and gas production taxes, has been tapped on several occasions to fund these statewide water initiatives, and TWDB is an effective steward of those funds. I look forward to continuing to work with TWDB and the city to bring some of those production taxes back to Odessa in the form of grants for our water system.”

In 2023, Landgraf sponsored Proposition 6, a landmark initiative allocating $1 billion to the Texas Water Fund, a critical investment in addressing Texas water needs. This fund, administered by the TWDB provides financing for essential water projects. With this significant infusion of funding, communities like Odessa have access to the resources needed to modernize aging and dilapidated water systems, enhance conservation efforts, and bolster resilience against drought and other water-related challenges.