Rep. Drew Darby introduced HB 4011, a bill on Courts and Property Interests, to the Texas House on Thursday, March 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 partition or voluntary sale of real property owned by certain cotenants; amending the Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill modifies the Uniform Partition of Heirs’ Property Act, making amendments to the partition or voluntary sale of real property owned by specific cotenants. It establishes detailed requirements for petitions, introduces a right of first refusal for heir cotenants in certain sales, and specifies due diligence measures for notifying cotenants. The bill mandates settlement conferences for partition actions involving heirs’ property, emphasizes the necessity of clear notifications, and sets out procedures for appraisal and sale allocations. Additionally, a new prohibition is introduced preventing non-heir cotenants with less than 50% interest from initiating a partition action for 10 years from their acquisition. The bill requires the Office of Court Administration to create standardized forms to inform heirs of their rights. These changes are set to take effect Sept. 1, 2025.
Drew Darby, the chair of the House Committee on Energy Resources, proposed another 42 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on House Administration and a member of the House Committee on State Affairs.
Drew Darby is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state’s 72nd House district. He replaced previous state representative Scott Edward Campbell in 2007.
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 3970 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the interconnection and operation of large loads |
| 89(R) | HB 3911 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to the plugging or replugging of certain inactive wells subject to the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas |
| 89(R) | HB 3901 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to an exemption of the transfer of certain rights in water from certain disclosure requirements applicable to the transfer of certain interests in real property |
| 89(R) | HB 3809 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the removal of battery energy storage facilities |
| 89(R) | HB 3794 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the licensing and regulation of advanced practice registered nurses and the payment of independent advanced practice registered nurses in certain government employee health plans |
| 89(R) | HB 3746 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the exemption of certain gas and electricity from sales and use taxes |
| 89(R) | HB 3710 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the effect of a tax certificate accompanying a transfer of certain property |
| 89(R) | HB 3503 | 02/27/2025 | Relating to the Social Work Licensure Compact; authorizing fees |
| 89(R) | HB 3448 | 02/26/2025 | Relating to the access by a certificated telecommunications provider to the rights-of-way and poles of an electric cooperative |
| 89(R) | HB 3445 | 02/26/2025 | Relating to the access by a certificated telecommunications provider to the rights-of-way and pole charges of an electric cooperative |
| 89(R) | HB 3265 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to discriminatory practices by a health benefit plan issuer, pharmacy benefit manager, and third-party payor and certain prescription drug manufacturers, distributors, and related persons with respect to certain entities participating in a federal drug discount program; providing a civil penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 3250 | 02/24/2025 | Relating to the regulation of real estate appraisers and appraisal management companies |
| 89(R) | HB 3249 | 02/24/2025 | Relating to rules providing for certification of issues to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in contested cases referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings by the commission |
| 89(R) | HB 3190 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to school personnel and public school operations, including the eligibility of certain employees for unemployment compensation benefits |
| 89(R) | HB 3159 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to a severance tax exemption for oil and gas produced from certain restimulation wells; providing a civil penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 3158 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to imposition of application fees for certain permits and permit amendments for the disposal of oil and gas waste |
| 89(R) | HB 3157 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to interim rates charged by electric utilities during a rate suspension period |
| 89(R) | HB 3156 | 02/21/2025 | Relating to fluid oil and gas waste and products and byproducts of that waste |
| 89(R) | HB 3126 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the election of certain school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to participate in the uniform group coverage program for active school employees |
| 89(R) | HB 3100 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to a limit on the number of athletic scholarships that may be awarded to foreign students by a public institution of higher education |
| 89(R) | HB 3078 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to manufacturer fees for operation of a real-time electronic logging system to track over-the-counter sales of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, or norpseudoephedrine; imposing a fee; authorizing an administrative penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 3069 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the approval of a certificate of convenience and necessity for certain transmission projects |
| 89(R) | HB 3044 | 02/19/2025 | Relating to the periodic elimination of generic transmission constraints in the ERCOT power region |
| 89(R) | HB 3035 | 02/19/2025 | Relating to the creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Department of Public Safety |
| 89(R) | HB 2790 | 02/13/2025 | Relating to liability for capturing and storing carbon dioxide |
| 89(R) | HB 2730 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the authority of the chief appraiser of an appraisal district to require a person allowed an exemption from ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead to file a new application or confirm the person’s current qualification for the exemption |
| 89(R) | HB 2713 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to the repeal of a municipal civil service system for firefighters and police officers in certain municipalities |
| 89(R) | HB 2712 | 02/12/2025 | Relating to test years used for ratemaking purposes by certain water and sewer utilities |
| 89(R) | HB 2678 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Authority and a Texas nuclear permitting officer |
| 89(R) | HB 2663 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the affirmation required to be made by an operator as part of an application to the Railroad Commission of Texas for an extension of the deadline for plugging an inactive well; providing an administrative penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 2525 | 02/06/2025 | Relating to the exemption from ad valorem taxation of certain property owned by a charitable organization that is engaged in providing housing and related facilities and services to persons who are at least 62 years of age |
| 89(R) | HB 2438 | 02/05/2025 | Relating to the operations and administration of the Concho County Hospital District |
| 89(R) | HB 2379 | 02/04/2025 | Relating to the selection by the board of directors of the West Coke County Hospital District of a depository bank for the district |
| 89(R) | HB 2349 | 02/03/2025 | Relating to exempting certain transactions from regulation by the Texas Real Estate Commission |
| 89(R) | HB 2037 | 01/23/2025 | Relating to repairs made pursuant to a residential or manufactured home tenant’s notice of intent to repair and the provision of notice regarding a residential or manufactured home tenant’s security deposit |
| 89(R) | HB 2002 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to the eligibility of an organization to receive surplus agricultural products under certain grants awarded by the Department of Agriculture |
| 89(R) | HB 1971 | 01/22/2025 | Relating to an exemption for drillers or operators of closed-loop geothermal injection wells from certain requirements applicable to persons involved in activities under the jurisdiction of the Railroad Commission of Texas |
| 89(R) | HB 1926 | 01/16/2025 | Relating to organization of, meetings of, and voting by condominium unit owners’ associations and property owners’ associations |
| 89(R) | HB 1769 | 01/08/2025 | Relating to the classification of certain entities as primarily engaged in retail trade for purposes of the franchise tax |
| 89(R) | HB 1749 | 01/07/2025 | Relating to the jurisdiction of municipal courts over health and safety and nuisance abatement ordinances |
| 89(R) | HB 1748 | 01/07/2025 | Relating to the appointment of spoken language interpreters for certain court proceedings |
| 89(R) | HB 1716 | 12/30/2024 | Relating to the provision of counseling services by certain providers under Medicaid and reimbursement for those services |
| 88(R) | HB 1000 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the composition of districts for the election of members of the Texas House of Representatives |
| 88(R) | HB 4775 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the operations of certain local health care provider participation programs |
| 88(R) | HB 4856 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the jurisdiction of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality over certain recharge injection wells |
| 88(R) | HB 4910 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the access by a certificated telecommunications provider to the rights-of-way and pole charges of an electric cooperative |
| 88(R) | HB 4970 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to guardianship matters |
| 88(R) | HB 5015 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the disposition of surplus real property no longer needed for state highway purposes |
| 88(R) | HB 5160 | 03/10/2023 | Relating to the authority of the board of directors to select a depository bank for the West Coke County Hospital District |
| 88(R) | HB 4557 | 03/09/2023 | Relating to liability for capturing and storing carbon dioxide |
