Rep. John W. Bryant introduced HB 5426, a bill on Vehicles & Traffic, to the Texas House on Friday, March 14 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 regulation of automated motor vehicles’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill introduces new regulations for the operation of automated motor vehicles in Texas, mandating that vehicles can only operate without a human operator if a permit has been issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. To qualify for a permit, applicants must have tested their automated driving system with a human operator on public roads for at least three years. Permit holders are required to record and report traffic collisions and system errors annually. The bill specifies that automated vehicles must display a sticker indicating automation and provide a contact number for traffic incidents. It prohibits local governments from imposing additional regulations and allows automated vehicles to operate autonomously, provided specific conditions are met. The Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation is charged with adopting relevant rules by Dec. 1, 2025, with full compliance required by Jan. 1, 2026. The Act takes effect on Sept. 1, 2025, unless immediate enactment is achieved with a supermajority vote.
John W. Bryant, a member of the House Committee on Pensions, Investments & Financial Services, proposed another 31 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on Public Education.
Bryant graduated from Southern Methodist University, Dallas in 1969 with a BA and again in 1972 from Southern Methodist University School of Law with a JD.
John W. Bryant is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state’s 114th House district. He replaced previous state representative John Turner in 2023.
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 5598 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the minimum wage and a requirement for a biennial study and report on the living wage in this state, expanding access to childcare, and providing paid parental leave |
| 89(R) | HB 5585 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the authority of certain persons to bring an action for declaratory judgment under the open meetings law or public information law regarding compliance or action by a governmental body |
| 89(R) | HB 5535 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to types of benefits offered by the retirement system |
| 89(R) | HB 5494 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the determination of parentage of a child conceived by assisted reproduction |
| 89(R) | HB 5457 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the relationship between a pharmacy benefit manager and a pharmacist or pharmacy |
| 89(R) | HB 5429 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to salary deductions for certain benefits approved by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas for certain public educational entity employees |
| 89(R) | HB 5428 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to payroll deductions for employees of a public university system or institution of higher education |
| 89(R) | HB 5416 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to a prohibition on carrying a firearm across the international border of this state into Mexico; creating a criminal offense |
| 89(R) | HB 5350 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to notice and opportunity for public comment for certain policies adopted or implemented by a state agency |
| 89(R) | HB 5166 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to housing; providing property tax exemptions and relief relating to housing; providing a civil penalty; authorizing a fee |
| 89(R) | HB 5164 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to parental leave for certain employees paid by employers or insurance policies maintained by employers |
| 89(R) | HB 5163 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the minimum wage and a requirement for a biennial study and report on the living wage in this state |
| 89(R) | HB 5162 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to repealing the authority to create a school district by detachment of territory from an existing school district |
| 89(R) | HB 5159 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to providing inmates with state-issued identification on release or discharge |
| 89(R) | HB 5156 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to cost-of-living adjustments applicable to certain benefits paid by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
| 89(R) | HB 4974 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the exclusion of a social worker license from the automatic revocation or denial of health care professional licenses for certain criminal offenses |
| 89(R) | HB 4680 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to the licensing and regulation of barber instructors and cosmetology instructors by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and to the composition of the Barbering and Cosmetology Advisory Board |
| 89(R) | HB 4039 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to eligibility of certain children for the subsidized child care program administered by the Texas Workforce Commission |
| 89(R) | HB 3247 | 02/24/2025 | Relating to electronic voter registration |
| 89(R) | HB 2997 | 02/18/2025 | Relating to the temperature at which certain facilities operated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice are maintained |
| 89(R) | HB 2758 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to certain statutory changes to reflect and address same-sex marriages and parenting relationships and to the removal of provisions regarding the criminality or unacceptability of homosexual conduct |
| 89(R) | HB 2606 | 02/10/2025 | Relating to the unlawful acquisition, purchase, and transfer of certain weapons; creating a criminal offense; increasing a criminal penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 2570 | 02/07/2025 | Relating to extreme risk protective orders and certain other protective orders prohibiting possession of a firearm; creating criminal offenses |
| 89(R) | HB 2167 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to the creation of a gas inventory system by the independent organization certified for the ERCOT power region, the Public Utility Commission of Texas, and the Railroad Commission of Texas |
| 89(R) | HB 2166 | 01/28/2025 | Relating to the establishment of an independent market monitor for the natural gas market by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and an independent organization certified for a power region |
| 89(R) | HB 2127 | 01/27/2025 | Relating to a study of electricity demand response |
| 89(R) | HB 2126 | 01/27/2025 | Relating to the definition of drug paraphernalia and the criminal offense of possession or delivery of drug paraphernalia |
| 89(R) | HB 1924 | 01/16/2025 | Relating to employment restrictions for certain former county or municipal officers and employees |
| 89(R) | HB 1919 | 01/16/2025 | Relating to state liability for denial of health care services arising from laws limiting or prohibiting reproductive health care |
| 89(R) | HB 1355 | 11/15/2024 | Relating to the expansion of eligibility for Medicaid to certain individuals under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act |
| 89(R) | HB 1257 | 11/12/2024 | Relating to the compensation of public school educators, the public school finance system, public school prekindergarten and kindergarten programs, and the school health and related services program |
| 88(2) | HB 62 | 07/06/2023 | Relating to providing school district property tax relief through rent-relief and through adjusting entitlements, compression, and exemptions under the public school finance system |
| 88(R) | HB 4706 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the establishment of an independent market monitor for the natural gas market by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and an independent organization certified for a power region |
| 88(R) | HB 4708 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to gas supply information provided to the independent organization certified for the ERCOT power region |
| 88(R) | HB 5026 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the definition of abuse of a child |
| 88(R) | HB 5029 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to imposing a surcharge on certain electric generators and gas producers |
| 88(R) | HB 5031 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to certain statutory changes to reflect and address same-sex marriages and parenting relationships and to the removal of provisions regarding the criminality or unacceptability of homosexual conduct |
| 88(R) | HB 5109 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the funding of prekindergarten |
| 88(R) | HB 5292 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to special education funding |
| 88(R) | HB 5297 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the interconnection of the ERCOT power grid to grids outside the ERCOT power region |
| 88(R) | HB 4394 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to increasing warehouse worker protections |
| 88(R) | HB 4678 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to establishing a social work recruitment and retention program administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
| 88(R) | HB 4681 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to the requirement that a public employer give notice to employees of the right to join certain labor organizations |
| 88(R) | HB 3996 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to regulating certain firearm transfers, possession of certain firearms, and protective orders prohibiting possession of a firearm; creating criminal offenses; increasing criminal penalties |
| 88(R) | HB 4032 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to the reporting of depositions by court reporters and the deposition transcripts |
| 88(R) | HB 4228 | 03/08/2023 | Relating to the system for appraising property for ad valorem tax purposes |
| 88(R) | HB 3869 | 03/07/2023 | Relating to the retirement eligibility of certain peace officers who are members of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas |
| 88(R) | HB 3930 | 03/07/2023 | Relating to grant programs established to support nursing education and training |
| 88(R) | HB 3700 | 03/06/2023 | Relating to an annual adjustment to the basic allotment and the guaranteed yield under the Foundation School Program to reflect inflation |
| 88(R) | HB 3710 | 03/06/2023 | Relating to the advertisement of prices by persons selling motor fuel |
