The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Texas HB 1459 excludes HIV transmission via bodily fluid from qualifying as use of a deadly weapon in assault prosecutions
Last action · March 11, 2025: Referred to Criminal JurisprudenceSponsor: Venton Jones
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What This Bill Proposed
Texas HB 1459 specifies that transmitting bodily fluid while infected with HIV does not constitute the use of a for or aggravated sexual assault charges, effective September 1, 2025.
Changes how prosecutors can charge certain offenses involving HIV transmission, removing the enhancement for those specific cases.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Individuals infected with HIV
Prosecutors
Prosecutors must adhere to the new restriction preventing the use of a deadly weapon enhancement based solely on HIV bodily fluid transmission for offenses committed on or after the effective date.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this bill apply to offenses committed before September 1, 2025?
Which specific offenses are affected by this bill?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Mar 11, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Criminal Jurisprudence
- Mar 11, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time
- Nov 22, 2024HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Exclusion of HIV Transmission from Deadly Weapon Enhancements
The bill explicitly removes HIV bodily fluid transmission from the scope of deadly weapon enhancements in aggravated assault and aggravated sexual assault prosecutions.
Connected Entities
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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