Morales Abandoned Puerto Verde Port Bill
State Representative Eddie Morales confirmed he will not refile the legislation for the 90th Texas Legislative Session.
Updated on Sept. 27, 2026 in Legislative Policy
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State Representative Eddie Morales has decided against reintroducing House Bill 74 in the upcoming 90th Texas Legislature. The proposed legislation, which sought to establish the Port Authority of Puerto Verde District, failed to pass during the 89th legislative session.
Why it matters
The bill stalled in the Texas Senate Committee on Transportation after initially clearing the House. Without the legislation, the effort to create a regional port authority with powers to issue bonds and exercise eminent domain remains unfinished.
The proposed authority would have been managed by five elected voting directors with four-year staggered terms, supplemented by two nonvoting ex officio seats held by Maverick County commissioners.
The players
Eddie Morales
He is a Texas State Representative who authored House Bill 74.
The details
House Bill 74 was referred to the Texas Senate Committee on Transportation on May 12, 2025, where it ultimately died. The district would have possessed the specific authority to issue bonds and exercise eminent domain, a measure that requires a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber.
Timeline
May 12, 2025: House Bill 74 was referred to the Senate Transportation Committee.
January 12, 2027: The 90th Texas Legislative Session is scheduled to begin.
Political Context
Opponents of similar port authority bills often raise concerns regarding the granting of eminent domain powers to unelected or specialized regional boards. This legislative outcome reflects the difficulty in securing the required two-thirds majority vote necessary to authorize such broad regional governance powers in the Texas Senate.
Residents of Maverick County will not see the creation of the proposed Port Authority of Puerto Verde District or its associated taxing and eminent domain powers for the upcoming session. This legislative decision maintains the status quo for land use and regional governance in the area.
The takeaway
Legislative efforts to establish new regional authorities often face significant hurdles when requiring supermajority support for eminent domain. This case underscores how proposed local infrastructure projects can be delayed or permanently shelved when they fail to clear all chambers of the state legislature.
What happens next
The 90th Texas Legislative Session is set to convene on January 12, 2027, at which point new legislative filings may be introduced by other representatives.
Further reading
Learn more about the state lawmaking process in the Texas Legislative Policy section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Eagle Pass Business Journal.
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