Rep. John Bucy III introduced HB 679, a bill on Elections, to the Texas House on Tuesday, Nov. 12 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’relating to a local option election on the sale of certain alcoholic beverages on Sunday’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
The bill amends the Alcoholic Beverage Code to allow for a local option election on the sale of liquor for off-premise consumption on Sundays in certain areas. If such a sale is approved by local election, package store permit holders can sell liquor between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Sundays, wholesalers can sell to retailers anytime on Sundays, and local distributors can sell to retailers between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. Additionally, the bill amends the Election Code to enable local option elections for legalizing or prohibiting Sunday liquor sales for off-premise consumption. The act becomes effective on Sept. 1, 2025.
John Bucy III, the vice chair of the House Committee on Elections and the vice chair of the House Committee on S/C on Disease Prevention & Women’s & Children’s Health, proposed another 42 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on Local & Consent Calendars and a member of the House Committee on Public Health.
IIII graduated from Austin College in 2006 with a BA.
John Bucy IIII is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state’s 136th House district. He replaced previous state representative Tony Dale in 2019.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Legislative Session | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89(R) | HB 744 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to daylight saving time |
| 89(R) | HB 722 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the disclosure of appraisal methods by automobile insurers |
| 89(R) | HB 708 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the sale of distilled spirits to ultimate consumers by the holder of a distiller’s and rectifier’s permit |
| 89(R) | HB 670 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the authority of a taxing unit other than a school district to establish a limitation on the amount of ad valorem taxes that the taxing unit may impose on the residence homesteads of individuals who are disabled or elderly and their surviving spouses |
| 89(R) | HB 665 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the secretary of state posting on the secretary of state’s Internet website databases containing certain information about elections |
| 89(R) | HB 657 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to requirements for counties posting election information on an Internet website |
| 89(R) | HB 649 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the electronic transmission of a ballot to a voter voting early by mail on the ground of absence from the county of residence |
| 89(R) | HB 633 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the days and hours during which the polls are open for early voting by personal appearance |
| 89(R) | HB 632 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the regulation of the practice of pharmacy |
| 89(R) | HB 616 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to health benefit plan coverage for certain at-home testing kits |
| 89(R) | HB 614 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the procedures for voting after changing residence to another county |
| 89(R) | HB 590 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to notification by the secretary of state when a person convicted of a felony may register to vote |
| 89(R) | HB 586 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to expedited credentialing for licensed behavior analysts providing services under a managed care plan |
| 89(R) | HB 577 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the notice period for certain evictions |
| 89(R) | HB 569 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to an opportunity to correct certain defects in an early voting ballot voted by mail |
| 89(R) | HB 566 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to required proof of lawful presence in the United States for issuance of a driver’s license |
| 89(R) | HB 555 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to improvements to the Texas Information and Referral Network |
| 89(R) | HB 542 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the use of certain money transferred to and deposited in the state highway fund as required by the Texas Constitution |
| 89(R) | HB 509 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the authority of certain entities and individuals to prevent individuals from accessing private property for the purpose of registering voters or communicating political messages |
| 89(R) | HB 505 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the issuance of a certified birth record, driver’s license, or personal identification certificate to a homeless individual |
| 89(R) | HB 486 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to prohibiting the publication of certain criminal record information of individuals involved in the criminal justice system |
| 89(R) | HB 483 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the use of state money for high-speed rail operated by a private entity and to the construction of certain high-speed rail |
| 89(R) | HB 476 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the maximum permitted rate of interest, sum of fees, and other amounts that may be charged in connection with deferred presentment transactions; creating a criminal offense |
| 89(R) | HB 458 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the discipline of students enrolled in certain grade levels or receiving special education services in a public school |
| 89(R) | HB 454 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to abolishing the death penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 433 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the establishment of the Higher Education and Corrections Council |
| 89(R) | HB 425 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the registration of voters at a polling place and related procedures |
| 89(R) | HB 417 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to early voting by mail by any qualified voter and to the repeal of certain criminal offenses concerning the solicitation and distribution of an application to vote by mail |
| 89(R) | HB 409 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to requirements regarding certain behavior management for a student enrolled in a special education program of a public school |
| 89(R) | HB 393 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the repeal of certain requirements regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at public institutions of higher education |
| 89(R) | HB 374 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the designation of certain election days as state holidays |
| 89(R) | HB 358 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to providing free full-day prekindergarten for certain children |
| 89(R) | HB 343 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to providing a cost-of-living adjustment applicable to certain benefits paid by the Employees Retirement System of Texas |
| 89(R) | HB 332 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to acceptable forms of identification for voting |
| 89(R) | HB 321 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to implementing an express lane option under Medicaid and the child health plan program |
| 89(R) | HB 311 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to electronic voter registration |
| 89(R) | HB 297 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to eliminating certain state-required end-of-course assessment instruments not required by federal law and eliminating graduation requirements based on satisfactory performance on certain end-of-course assessment instruments |
| 89(R) | HB 276 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the use of average enrollment for purposes of the public school finance system |
| 89(R) | HB 262 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid to certain individuals under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act |
| 89(R) | HB 237 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to a pay raise for certain state employees |
| 89(R) | HB 197 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid to certain individuals under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act |
| 89(R) | HB 1229 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to requiring fine arts as part of the foundation curriculum for public schools |
| 88(4) | HB 28 | 11/07/2023 | Relating to a cost-of-living adjustment applicable to certain benefits paid by the Employees Retirement System of Texas and a biennial study on providing additional adjustments based on the effects of increased inflation |
| 88(4) | HB 30 | 11/07/2023 | Relating to implementation of an express lane option for determining eligibility and enrolling certain individuals in Medicaid or the child health plan program |
| 88(4) | HB 31 | 11/07/2023 | Relating to electronic voter registration |
| 88(3) | HB 18 | 10/06/2023 | Relating to the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid to certain individuals under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act |
| 88(3) | HB 51 | 10/06/2023 | Relating to requiring fine arts as part of the foundation curriculum for public schools |
| 88(3) | HB 52 | 10/06/2023 | Relating to the use of average enrollment for purposes of the public school finance system |
| 88(3) | HB 53 | 10/06/2023 | Relating to providing free full-day prekindergarten for certain children |
| 88(3) | HB 54 | 10/06/2023 | Relating to the establishment of the School Psychologists Shortage Task Force |
