by Amanda Gage, Deputy Director, TDCJ Victim Services Division
During the Texas 89th Legislative Session, 11,503 bills were introduced, and 3,562 bills were passed.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice Victim Services Division tracked bills impacting victim services and the criminal justice system.
Below is a summary of House Bills (HB) and Senate Bills (SB) passed during the regular legislative session. The full text of the bills can be found on the Texas Legislature Online.
HB 47
Topic: Enhancement of safety measures for sexual assault survivors
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Entitles a victim to receive information about compensation for any prescribed continuing medical care that is related to the sexual assault that is provided to the victim in the 30-day period following a forensic medical examination. It allows a health care provider who provides the continuing medical care to apply for reimbursement. And it requires a law enforcement agency who investigates the sexual assault to provide the victim with a written notice containing this information.
Prohibits Registered Sex Offenders from being employed as a rideshare driver/digitally prearranged ride.
Expands the requirement for a health care facility that has an emergency department to provide one hour of basic sexual assault response training to contracted employees who provide patient admission functions, patient-related administrative support functions, or direct patient care.
Requires the Health and Human Services Commission to add the contact information of legal aid services providers statewide to the standard information form for sexual assault survivors.
Requires a physician and physician assistant whose practice includes treating patients in an emergency room setting to complete at least two hours of continuing medical education related to trauma-informed care to sexual assault survivors, appropriate community referrals and prophylactic medications, the rights of a sexual assault survivor under Chapter 56A, including the opportunity to request the presence of an advocate, forensic evidence collection methods, and applicable state law pertaining to the custody, transfer, and tracking of forensic evidence.
Removes the requirement for a sexual assault to have occurred on the property to allow a victim to break a lease and relocate for safety within six months of the assault.
HB 793
Topic: Confidentiality of personal information for protective order applicants and protected persons
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
The bill requires the court, on request by an applicant of a protective order, to protect the applicant’s mailing address and county of residence.
Requires the court, on request by a person protected by an order or an adult member of the family or household of a person protected by an order, to exclude certain information from a protective order.
Requires the court, in a hearing on an application for a protective order, to inform each person protected by the order of their right to have their personal information excluded from the protective order upon their request.
Requires the court clerk to maintain a confidential record of the personal information and exclude that information from the notification of a protective order. The person protected by the order shall disclose their mailing address and county of residence to the court, designate a person to receive any notice or documents filed with the court related to the order, and provide the designated person’s mailing address.
HB 1024
Topic: The execution of a parole warrant issued for certain releasees who violate a condition of parole or mandatory supervision related to the electronic monitoring of the releasee
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
The bill requires law enforcement agencies to execute parole warrants as soon as practicable for offenders in the Super-Intensive Supervision Program (SISP).
HB 1422
Topic: A comprehensive bill on sexual assault and sex offenses that addresses victim rights, continuous sexual abuse, increasing criminal penalties, and changes to the eligibility for post-conviction supervision related to certain sex offenses
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Creates the offense “Continuous Sexual Abuse” and is defined as a person 17 years of age or older who commits two or more acts of sexual abuse against two or more victims over a period of 30 or more days.
Adds continuous sexual abuse and burglary with the intent to commit continuous sexual abuse to offenses ineligible for community supervision/probation. Adds continuous sexual abuse as a reportable offense. Adds continuous sexual abuse as an offense ineligible for intensive supervision parole, release on parole, or mandatory supervision.
Allows survivors of sexual assault, without regard to whether the offense was reported to a law enforcement agency, to provide limited consent which only permits the testing of forensic DNA by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) of the biological evidence contained in the evidence collection kit.
Requires the DPS to adopt a form by December 1, 2025, for survivors to provide their consent, to provide the survivor the results of the forensic DNA testing and prohibits DPS from notifying any other entity of the results without written consent from the survivor, and provide information to the survivor regarding how to report an offense to a law enforcement agency in order to have the DNA results compared to DNA profiles maintained in the DNA database used in a criminal investigation or trial.
Requires the DPS to develop procedures for the testing of forensic evidence collected during a forensic medical examination for a sexual assault that was not reported to a law enforcement agency, including procedures for notifying the survivor before the planned destruction of evidence from the examination, and procedures for a forensic DNA test performed with the limited consent of a survivor or other authorized person.
Allows a judge the discretion to stack sentences for sexual assault charges for cases involving adult victims, establishes a 25-year minimum sentence for aggravated sexual assault of a child under the age of 10, and requires a sentence of life imprisonment for defendants who have previously been convicted of specific sex offenses to include continuous sexual abuse.
Increases penalties for voyeurism and public lewdness and enhances it for repeat offenses and those involving child victims.
HB 1778
Topic: Relating to human trafficking, prostitution, child pornography, and to the prosecution of sexual or assaultive offenses or the prosecution of a failure to stop or report those offenses; amending and harmonizing certain statute of limitations provisions; creating a criminal offense; increasing a criminal penalty
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Requires courts to include in their monthly report submitted to the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System the number of cases filed for promotion of prostitution, online promotion of prostitution, aggravated promotion of prostitution, and aggravated online promotion of prostitution.
Adds the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System to the Human Trafficking Prevention Coordinating Council.
Adds an addendum comprised of the findings and recommendations submitted to the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in the report that is submitted to the governor, lieutenant governor, and the legislature each even-numbered year, beginning after July 1, 2027.
Adds the Department of Family and Protective Services, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to the list of entities that collect and report data involving human trafficking that is submitted to the attorney general at least once every six months, beginning after July 1, 2026 and removes county and district attorney’s offices. Adds more information to be collected and reported regarding the offender and the victim and makes the report confidential and not public information.
Directs the OAG to create a Statewide Human Trafficking Data Repository and annual report to evaluate and make recommendations to improve efficacy.
Adds body piercing studio to the entities that are required to post signs created by the OAG relating to human trafficking.
Requires tattoo studio and body piercing studio employees to complete a human trafficking training course on identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking after January 1, 2026. The bill also requires them to post signs in the studio created by the OAG relating to human trafficking.
Directs the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation to adopt rules requiring barbers, cosmetologists, and related occupations to complete continuing education on human trafficking.
Adds the offense of continuous promotion of prostitution and adds the offense included in the definition of “trafficking of persons” and to which require no contact conditions be added to a defendant’s release on bond.
Prevents a person ineligible for a license or revokes their license as a massage therapist or instructor if the person has been convicted of, pled guilty to, or received deferred adjudication for offenses related to human trafficking, prostitution, or sexual assault.
Increases the penalties for possession and promotion of child pornography and reduces the number of depictions of visual materials, which, if possessed or accessed by a person constitute a third-, second-, or first-degree felony.
Added new offenses to the list of felonies with no statute of limitations, including trafficking of a child or continuous trafficking, compelling prostitution, failure to stop or report sexual/assaultive offenses against a child, and continuous promotion of prostitution. Expanded limitation periods on other sexual and assaultive offenses against a child rather than a person to 20 years from the victim's 18th birthday.
Increased the offense of Failure to Stop or Report Sexual or Assaultive Offense Against Child from a Class A misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.
HB 2355
Topic: Disclosure or release of certain information received by the attorney general regarding an application for compensation from the crime victims' compensation fund
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Adds reports (e.g., police report) to the list of information and documents that are provided to the OAG’s Crime Victims’ Compensation Program and deemed confidential by law.
HB 2596
Topic: Protective orders for certain burglary offenses
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Expands the eligibility to apply for a protective order to victims of first- and second-degree burglary of a habitation.
Expands the rights to victims of first- and second-degree burglary of a habitation to be informed of their right to file a protective order, who may file the protective order for them, the right to request that the attorney representing the state file the application for a protective order on their behalf, and to be informed by the court or the prosecutor of the right to file for a protective order after the defendant has been convicted or placed on community supervision/probation.
HB 2854
Topic: Required approval of certain hospital visits as a condition of release on parole or to mandatory supervision for certain releasees and to the hospital's liability for damages resulting from those visits
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Requires an offender on parole that is serving a sentence for a 3G offense that is on an electronic monitor to receive approval from a parole officer to visit a hospital for visits not related to their medical treatment.
Requires the parole officer to notify the chief law enforcement officer of the hospital of the offender’s intended visit. If a hospital does not employ peace officers, the parole officer must notify the local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over the location of the hospital.
The Department of State Health Services must create and maintain an electronic database containing the contact information for the law enforcement responsible for each general hospital to facilitate these notifications.
Removes liability from the state for damages resulting from a releasee's approved visit, provided the parole officer attempted to notify the appropriate law enforcement using the database.
Removes liability from the general hospital for damages resulting from an approved visit, except in cases of gross negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct.
HB 3745
Topic: Crime Victims' Compensation
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Authorizes the OAG’s Crime Victim’s Compensation Program to make an emergency award in cases involving a deceased victim and criminal conduct that resulted in a proclaimed state of emergency to claimants who have anticipated financial losses if the claimant will suffer undue hardship if immediate economic relief is not obtained. Awards in these cases are exempted from certain limitations generally applicable to emergency awards.
SB 487
Topic: Confidentiality of identifying information of victims of certain offenses
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Expands confidentiality protections and the definition of “victim” to include victims of invasive visual recording and indecent assault in addition to stalking victims, protecting confidential identifying information in legal proceedings.
SB 761
Topic: Relating to the offense of sexual assault and to the rights of crime victims, including the enforcement of certain rights of sexual assault victims; authorizing a civil penalty
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Requires the court, before accepting a plea agreement, to confer with the victim, guardian of a victim, or close relative of a deceased victim regarding the disposition of the case.
Adds the right to be informed at least five business days before the date of each proceeding or otherwise as soon as reasonably practicable and to inform the victim as soon as possible by the attorney representing the state of a plea bargain hearing being set, rescheduled, or canceled, and of any relevant court proceedings.
Clarifies that victims have the right to assert their rights themselves or through an attorney.
Requires the attorney representing the state to inform the victim that they do not represent the victim and clarifies that the victim has the right to have an attorney represent them.
Requires Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE)-Ready facilities to offer survivors of sexual assault the opportunity to have an advocate present during the forensic exam. Failure to follow the law could result in the facility losing their SAFE-Ready designation and a civil penalty.
Allows victims to have an advocate or an attorney present during investigative interviews that take place with law enforcement or outside of a law enforcement agency with an adult forensic interviewer.
SB 835
Topic: The enforceability of certain nondisclosure or confidentiality provisions with respect to an act of sexual abuse
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Prevents a person or party liable for the sexual abuse of a child, sexual assault of a person, trafficking of persons, or compelling prostitution from applying any nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement or a nondisclosure or confidentiality provision of an employment agreement, settlement agreement, or any other agreement to a person or party. The bill makes the agreement or provision void and unenforceable. The bill applies to an agreement entered into before, on, or after the bill’s effective date.
SB 836
Topic: The confidentiality of records and materials concerning victims and offenses involving sexual assault or sex-based human trafficking
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Requires evidence from a forensic medical examination to be placed under seal and prevents courts from publicly disseminating evidence during proceedings. A court may issue an order to lift the seal if the court finds that it is in the best interest of the public.
Adds other sex offenses to the offenses that prevent courts from prosecuting a victim for certain misdemeanors or drug offenses.
Expands the restriction of public access of invasive visual recording material during court proceedings to include all persons, not just children under 14.
Allows a court discovery of evidence depicting invasive visual recording of a person 14 years of age or older and discovery of property or material from forensic medical examination performed on victims of sexual assault or other sex offenses and requires the court to enter a protective order to prevent copying and dissemination to the defendant and requires the return of the property or material to the state or it must be destroyed at the time of the final disposition of the case.
Expands the contents of the written notice regarding information about victims’ rights provided by a responding or investigating peace officer to an adult sexual assault victim to include Chapter 58, Confidentiality of Identifying Information and Medical Records of Certain Crime Victims. To include in the written notice is information regarding the procedures a victim can use to request a pseudonym to be used in all public files and records concerning the offense.
Expands the entities a victim can provide a completed pseudonym form to, including the prosecutor’s office and requires the law enforcement agency or the prosecuting office receiving the form to send a copy of the form to each other agency or office investigating or prosecuting the offense. Directs the Sexual Assault Prevention and Crisis Services Program of the OAG to provide the form to each prosecutor's office.
Requires a court to provide notice and receive consent from the victim before allowing the electronic transmission or broadcasting court proceedings in which evidence or testimony is offered that depicts or describes acts of sexual nature in criminal or civil court proceedings and court proceedings related to a protective order involving sexual and trafficking offenses.
SB 958
Topic: Eligibility of certain victims of trafficking of persons or compelling prostitution for an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Expands the list of sealed offenses for trafficking survivor records to include all misdemeanor drug offenses, forgery of government documents, criminal trespass, and public intoxication.
SB 1021
Topic: Eligibility for community supervision of a person convicted of stalking and the offense of improper contact with the person's victim
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Adds stalking to the offenses that are ineligible for Judge-Ordered Community Supervision (probation), also known as 3G1 offenses.
Prevents a person convicted of stalking from holding a medical services provider license.
Expands improper contact by an inmate to include victims of stalking.
SB 1120
Topic: Rights of a victim, guardian of a victim, or close relative of a deceased victim in certain criminal cases involving family violence, sexual or assaultive offenses, stalking, or violation of a protective order or condition of bond and to the duration of certain protective orders
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Adds a definition of family violence to the Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 56A.001.
Expands the definition of a statutory victim by including family violence, stalking, and victims of violation of a protective order where an element of the violation occurred through the commission of an assault, aggravated assault, or sexual assault or the offense of stalking, regardless of whether the violation occurred with respect to a person’s relationship to the defendant.
Expands victims’ right to be notified in the manner they have requested of the offender’s release on parole; the county in which the offender is required to reside; nonconfidential conditions of the offender’s parole, including prohibiting the defendant from going near the victim’s home or work or requiring the defendant to complete a battering intervention and prevention program; any offense with which the offender is charged while released on parole, if the department is aware of the offense; the issuance of any parole warrant; and any revocation of the defendant’s parole.
Expands the rights of victims who are younger than 17 years of age to have the court consider the impact on the victim of a continuance requested by the defendant to include victims of aggravated assault.
Provides the right for a victim advocate to obtain information on the victim’s behalf.
Expands crime victims’ rights by removing stalking from the Art. 56A.052, Additional Rights of Victims of Sexual Assault, Indecent Assault, or Trafficking and adds Art. 56A.0521, Additional Rights of Victims of Certain Family Violence, Stalking, and Violation of Protective Order or Condition of Bond.
Increases the duration of a protective order to stay in effect until two years after the date of a final divorce decree involving the offender, after the date of a final order rendered in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship, or after a final disposition of a criminal case involving family violence.
Allows crime victims the right to confidential information related to their protest letters or other correspondence, their victim impact statement, inmates eligible for release on parole, and an arrest record of an inmate.
SB 1506
Topic: The frequency with which the Board of Pardons and Paroles reconsiders inmates for release on parole
Status:Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Allows the Board of Pardons and Paroles to set off the next parole review up to five years.
Inmates serving on certain drug offenses continue to be reviewed annually.
The Board continues to have the option of a 10-year set off for inmates serving an aggravated sexual assault offense.
SB 1559
Topic: Conflicts between a protective order and certain other orders and the transfer of a protective order
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Allows a protective order, including a temporary ex-parte order, to prevail over any other order when there is a conflict between the orders.
Requires a statement to be included in a protective order or temporary ex-parte order stating that during the time in which this order is valid and subject to transfer, the order prevails over any other order rendered in a suit for dissolution of a marriage or a suit affecting the parent-child relationship to the extent of any conflict between the orders.
Requires a court that renders a protective order to transfer the order to the court with jurisdiction over a divorce or suit affecting the parent-child relationship that is filed after the rendition of the protective order, if the court finds that the transfer will not negatively impact the safety of any person protected by the order.
Revises the process for the transfer of a protective order.
SB 1804
Topic: Restitution and compensation paid to victims of certain offenses for tattoo removal related to the offense
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Allows a court to order restitution to victims of trafficking of persons or prostitution related offenses for the expenses for tattoo removal for when the tattoos were applied through force, fraud or coercion related to the offense, regardless of age, and adds tattoo removal to the list of expenses covered by Crime Victims Compensation Program with the amount not to exceed $3,000.
SB 1896
Topic: The provision of information regarding an arrested person and the victim of the offense to a magistrate for purposes of an order for emergency protection
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Requires the person making the arrest or the person having custody of a person arrested for a qualifying offense for the issuance of a magistrate’s order for emergency protection to provide information regarding the arrested person that is necessary and to aid the magistrate in issuing the emergency protective order.
Recommends the victim of the offense to include information regarding the arrested person that is necessary for the issuance of the emergency protective order. If not provided, it will not affect the sufficiency of the complaint.
SB 2196
Topic: The period during which an order for emergency protection remains in effect
Status: Effective September 1, 2025
Discussion:
Increases the duration of an emergency protective order by 30 days. The effective period is up to 91 days and not less than 61 days, and offenses involving a deadly weapon are up to 121 days and not less than 61 days.
1 In Texas, the term "3G" refers to specific felony offenses where the offender must serve at least half of their prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole. It originates from an old section of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure: 42.12(3)(g) which enumerated those criminal offenses.
For years, attorneys referred to the crimes listed in this section as "3G" offenses. Today, the code has been restructured, and 3G offenses are found elsewhere in the code. However, the term "3G offenses" remains and is still widely used in Texas.
