2025 · Regular session · House bill
HB1708
HB1708 designates the stretch of State Highway 302 in Ector County from Farm-to-Market Road 2019 to the Ector–Winkler County line as the Trooper Kevin Ramirez Vasquez Memorial Highway.
Official caption: Relating to the designation of a portion of State Highway 302 in Ector County as the Trooper Kevin Ramirez Vasquez Memorial Highway.
Official report lists House author(s): Landgraf. This does not identify sponsors or amendment drafters.
Bill explanation published · Version and amendment review scope is stated below · Individual amendment records may not be separately annotated.
Bill highlights
Selected points from the published explanation. Follow each point to its source-linked context; conditions and limits may matter.
- HB1708 designates the stretch of State Highway 302 in Ector County from Farm-to-Market Road 2019 to the Ector–Winkler County line as the Trooper Kevin Ramirez Vasquez Memorial Highway.
- The Department of Public Safety's memorial records that Ramirez Vasquez died September 24, 2024, from injuries sustained when a vehicle struck him while he was investigating a traffic crash a week earlier.
- TxDOT is directed to design and erect memorial markers at both ends and appropriate intermediate locations, but only after a grant or donation covers their design, construction and installation costs.
What does it do?
HB1708 designates the stretch of State Highway 302 in Ector County from Farm-to-Market Road 2019 to the Ector–Winkler County line as the Trooper Kevin Ramirez Vasquez Memorial Highway. The designation took effect September 1, 2025. It is a memorial name for that defined segment, not all of Highway 302 and not a new road-construction project. Final law.
The Department of Public Safety’s memorial records that Ramirez Vasquez died September 24, 2024, from injuries sustained when a vehicle struck him while he was investigating a traffic crash a week earlier. He was stationed in Odessa and was an Army veteran. DPS memorial.
TxDOT is directed to design and erect memorial markers at both ends and appropriate intermediate locations, but only after a grant or donation covers their design, construction and installation costs. That funding condition comes from the existing statute expressly incorporated into the bill. The law’s effective date does not establish that signs were already installed. Final law; Transportation Code 225.021(c).
What changed along the way?
The official amendment index states the bill has no amendments. Comparison of the five available versions shows one numbering change: the introduced and House committee texts used 225.243, while the House-passed, Senate committee and final texts use 225.246. The honoree, highway endpoints, marker requirement and effective date did not change. There was no conference rewrite. Versions; amendment index; history.
For the full amendment record, open the official amendment index.
Official bill versions
Compare the published text versions in the official text index. A change is not attributed to a specific amendment here without a verified record.
Who could benefit—and who could bear the costs?
The designation honors the trooper’s service and gives the community and travelers a lasting public memorial. Donors or grant providers must cover the initial marker costs. Existing law assigns TxDOT responsibility for marker repair, replacement and grounds maintenance; HB1708 does not establish a new toll or local tax.
The May 2, 2025 fiscal note anticipates no significant state fiscal impact, with costs absorbable in existing resources, and no local-government fiscal impact. It supplies no dollar estimate or quantified two-year or five-year projection. No claim is made here that funding has been raised or installation completed.
Official sources
- Bill history and latest recorded action
- Bill versions, analyses and fiscal notes
- Action history and votes
- Amendment index
Catalog report retrieved 2026-10-25. Check the official record for corrections or later changes.
