---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to rates established by municipalities for water or sewer service for certain entities."
description: "Relating to rates established by municipalities for water or sewer service for certain entities."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "89R"
identifier: "HB 685"
citation: "Texas HB 685 (89R)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["City Government--Utilities (I0068)", "Taxation--Property-Exemptions (I0793)", "Utilities--Water & Sewer (I0002)", "WATER & SEWER SERVICE (S0443)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bell, Cecil", "Creighton"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 45
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2024-11-12"
last_action: "2025-06-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/2b82b5b3-a039-4510-af37-aa873c66be92"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/89R/billhistory/house_bills/HB00600_HB00699/HB 685.xml"
source_hash: "efd6419b9100bd2c2cefd23203e146f8305ebff6b04a7d4078009baeee788c18"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tx"]
---

# Texas HB 685 (89R) — Relating to rates established by municipalities for water or sewer service for certain entities.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00685I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00685E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00685H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00685S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00685F.HTM)

## Votes

- passage — **145–0** (pass) · lower
- passage — **145–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Bell, Cecil — primary (person)
- Creighton — primary (person)
- Kolkhorst — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-11-12** Filed `filing`
- **2025-03-04** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-03-04** Referred to Natural Resources `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-26** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-03-26** Left pending in committee
- **2025-04-02** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-04-02** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-08** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator `filing`
- **2025-04-08** Committee report distributed
- **2025-04-08** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2025-04-17** Considered in Calendars
- **2025-04-22** Placed on General State Calendar
- **2025-04-22** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-22** Passed to engrossment
- **2025-04-22** Record vote
- **2025-04-23** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-23** Passed `passage`
- **2025-04-23** Record vote
- **2025-04-23** Reported engrossed
- **2025-04-24** Received from the House `introduction`
- **2025-04-24** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-04-24** Referred to Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2025-05-12** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2025-05-12** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-05-12** Vote taken in committee
- **2025-05-13** Co-sponsor authorized
- **2025-05-13** Reported favorably w/o amendments `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-13** Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
- **2025-05-13** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2025-05-25** Placed on local & uncontested calendar
- **2025-05-25** Laid before the Senate `receipt`
- **2025-05-25** Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading `reading-2`
- **2025-05-25** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2025-05-25** Three day rule suspended
- **2025-05-25** Record vote
- **2025-05-25** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-05-25** Passed `passage`
- **2025-05-25** Record vote
- **2025-05-25** Senate passage reported `passage`
- **2025-05-26** Reported enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-05-27** Signed in the House `passage`
- **2025-05-27** Signed in the Senate `passage`
- **2025-05-28** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-06-20** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-06-20** Effective on 9/1/25 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/2b82b5b3-a039-4510-af37-aa873c66be92`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).