The Texas State Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would require voter approval before an unincorporated area is annexed by a city.

Senate Bill 6 is part of the legislature’s ongoing special session and was sponsored by Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels. During the regular session, Campbell's annexation bill died in a filibuster, but Gov. Greg Abbott decided to include it in the special session.

Rep. Paul Workman, R-Austin, added an amendment to the bill during the regular session, allowing the bill to apply to residents in the River Place Municipal Utility District, which is scheduled for full-purpose annexation by the city of Austin on Dec. 15. Language from Workman's amendment was included in the version of the bill passed by the Senate Wednesday.

The bill was received by the Texas House of Representatives on July 27. If the bill passes through the House, Abbott has the ability to approve or veto it through Sept. 1, when it would otherwise be automatically signed into law.

“We now are looking for the House to act quickly​ in scheduling hearings and the necessary votes to move the legislation forward,” said Tim Mattox, board member for the River Place homeowners association. “We can't let opponents of strong property rights for Texans to delay the ending of forced annexation any longer.”

Learn more about the bill and how it may affect River Place’s scheduled annexation here. Explore the bill’s steps during the special session at Texas Legislature Online.