Sen. Sarah Eckhardt introduced SB 710, a bill on City Government, to the Texas Senate on Monday, Jan. 6 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 the establishment and use of a written electronic communications system accessible to the public by certain municipal entities’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
The bill amends the Government Code to establish guidelines for the use of written electronic communications systems, such as online message boards, by certain municipal entities. It permits a municipality’s governing body to authorize a commission or entity organized under specific local government codes to create and use an online message board or similar application for communication purposes. Such authorization can be granted for up to two years and may be renewed as needed. The bill requires that any online message board be easily accessible from the municipality’s primary website and must comply with existing regulations. A municipal employee must monitor the message board for compliance. The act takes effect Sept. 1, 2025.
Sarah Eckhardt, a member of the Senate Committee on Administration, proposed another 55 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. She is also a member of the Senate Committee on Border Security, a member of the Senate Committee on Committee of the Whole Senate, a member of the Senate Committee on Nominations, and a member of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs.
Eckhardt graduated from New York University in 1986 with a BA and again in 1998 from University of Texas with a JD.
Sarah Eckhardt is currently serving in the Texas State Senate, representing the state’s 14th Senate district. She replaced previous state senator Kirk Watson in 2020.
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.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB 719 | 01/06/2025 | Relating to a study regarding available beds at inpatient mental health facilities providing acute psychiatric treatment |
| SB 709 | 01/06/2025 | Relating to exempting textbooks purchased, used, or consumed by university and college students from sales and use taxes for limited periods |
| SB 691 | 01/02/2025 | Relating to the registration of firearms; creating a criminal offense; authorizing a fee |
| SB 656 | 12/18/2024 | Relating to the solicitation and distribution of an application to vote by mail |
| SB 634 | 12/17/2024 | Relating to the authority of the governing body of a taxing unit to adopt an exemption from ad valorem taxation of a portion, expressed as a dollar amount, of the appraised value of an individual’s residence homestead |
| SB 633 | 12/17/2024 | Relating to certain offenses associated with possessing, carrying, exhibiting, or using a firearm on or within 1,000 feet of school property |
| SB 632 | 12/17/2024 | Relating to consequences arising from a failure by appointed counsel in a criminal case to timely meet and confer with the defendant after the defendant is found competent to stand trial |
| SB 631 | 12/17/2024 | Relating to qualifications and registration of certain voters convicted of a felony |
| SB 630 | 12/17/2024 | Relating to allowing a person who will be 18 years of age on the date of the general election for state and county officers to vote in the preceding primary elections |
| SB 574 | 12/12/2024 | Relating to an annual adjustment for inflation to the monthly amount of longevity pay for state employees |
| SB 573 | 12/12/2024 | Relating to providing a cost-of-living adjustment applicable to certain benefits paid by the Employees Retirement System of Texas |
| SB 572 | 12/12/2024 | Relating to a pay raise for certain state employees |
| SB 561 | 12/10/2024 | Relating to the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice within the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality |
| SB 526 | 12/04/2024 | Relating to the use of green stormwater infrastructure in new state buildings |
| SB 424 | 11/21/2024 | 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 |
| SB 423 | 11/21/2024 | Relating to conducting certain contested case hearings under the Texas workers’ compensation system by remote communication |
| SB 422 | 11/21/2024 | Relating to the award of library construction grants by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission |
| SB 421 | 11/21/2024 | Relating to training for peace officers on acquired and traumatic brain injuries and trauma-affected veterans |
| SB 368 | 11/14/2024 | Relating to certain occupancy preferences given by developments supported with a low income housing tax credit allocation |
| SB 367 | 11/14/2024 | Relating to the implementation by public schools of certain communicable disease public health orders issued by a health authority |
| SB 366 | 11/14/2024 | Relating to the consideration of ownership interests of certain persons in determining whether a business is a historically underutilized business for purposes of state contracting |
| SB 365 | 11/14/2024 | Relating to the period for which an applicant for admission as an undergraduate student to a public institution of higher education is entitled to an academic fresh start |
| SB 364 | 11/14/2024 | Relating to eligibility for tuition and fee exemptions at public institutions of higher education for certain students who were under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services |
| SB 363 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the assessment of damages resulting from the condemnation of property that is subject to a conservation easement |
| SB 362 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the use, possession, delivery, or manufacture of testing equipment that identifies the presence of a substance listed in Penalty Group 1-B |
| SB 361 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to a prohibition of employment discrimination on the basis of reproductive decisions and certain employment agreements limiting reproductive decisions |
| SB 360 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to an advance directive and do-not-resuscitate order of a pregnant woman and information provided for an advance directive |
| SB 359 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the coverage and provision of abortion, contraception, and sterilization under Medicaid and certain health benefit plans |
| SB 358 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the prosecution of the criminal offense of indecency with a child |
| SB 357 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the reporting of lost or stolen firearms |
| SB 356 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the prosecution of the offense of unlawful transfer of a firearm |
| SB 355 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the notice given by a property owner prohibiting certain persons from carrying certain firearms on the property |
| SB 354 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns on the campuses of and certain other locations associated with institutions of higher education |
| SB 353 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to requiring a national instant criminal background check in connection with private firearm transfers; creating a criminal offense |
| SB 352 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to certain proceedings or procedures involving the disposition of certain contraband or abandoned or unclaimed property |
| SB 351 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to covered benefits under the child health plan |
| SB 350 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to prioritization of a pregnant individual’s health when providing health care treatments; authorizing an administrative penalty |
| SB 349 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to requiring public schools to make reasonable accommodations for lactating students |
| SB 348 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the capacity of certain minors to consent to examination and postpartum or contraception-related medical treatment |
| SB 347 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to lobbying by former members of the legislature; creating a criminal offense |
| SB 346 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the availability on the Internet of certain registrations and reports filed by lobbyists |
| SB 345 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the prohibition on lobbying by certain elected officers |
| SB 344 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the content of detailed reports filed by lobbyists and to monetary limits on expenditures by lobbyists |
| SB 343 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to abolishing the death penalty |
| SB 342 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the use of preferential voting in certain elections |
| SB 341 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the use of preferential voting in certain elections |
| SB 340 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to screening by a landlord of applicants for residential tenancies |
| SB 339 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to authorization for a county or municipality to establish a local minimum wage |
| SB 338 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to required provision of workers’ compensation insurance coverage for employees of building and construction contractors and subcontractors |
| SB 337 | 11/13/2024 | Relating to the establishment and implementation by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs of the Texas Tenant Readiness and Landlord Incentive Pilot Program |
