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Read. Follow. Verify.Texas Bill HB 1953 Enforces Crime Victims' Rights and Sets Penalties for Denying Advocates
Last action · May 9, 2025: Laid on the table subject to callSponsors: Senfronia Thompson and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Texas House Bill 1953 requires prosecutors and courts to give crime victims at least five business days' notice before plea bargain agreements and court proceedings, and penalizes health care facilities $1,000 per violation if they fail to offer sexual assault victims an advocate during s.
Sexual assault victims and health care facilities face new legal requirements and financial penalties, while prosecutors must adhere to strict timelines when notifying victims of case developments and plea negotiations.
- Texas law governs the procedural rights of crime victims and witnesses under Chapter 56A of the Code of Criminal Procedure. context
- SAFE-ready facilities are specialized medical providers designated to perform forensic examinations for sexual assault survivors. context
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.
Sexual assault victims
They are granted explicit rights to have an advocate or attorney present during investigative interviews and forensic medical exams, and must receive advance notice of court proceedings.
Health care facilities
They must document whether forensic advocates were offered and face civil penalties and potential designation removal for failing to provide advocate access.
Attorneys representing the state
They are required to provide five days' advance notice of plea bargains and court dates to victims and confer with them regarding case dispositions.
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
What happens if a hospital does not offer an advocate to a sexual assault survivor?
How far in advance must victims be notified of a plea bargain?
Can a crime victim have an attorney present during an investigative interview?
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 - Tabled in the House.
Procedural history
18 actions- May 9, 2025HouseLaid on the table subject to call
- May 9, 2025HouseCompanion considered in lieu of (SB 761)
- May 9, 2025HousePlaced on General State Calendar
- May 7, 2025HouseConsidered in Calendars
- Apr 17, 2025HouseCommittee report sent to Calendars
- Apr 16, 2025HouseCommittee report distributed
Show 12 earlier actions
- Apr 16, 2025HouseComte report filed with Committee Coordinator
- Apr 8, 2025HouseCommitteeReported favorably as substituted
- Apr 8, 2025HouseCommittee substitute considered in committee
- Apr 8, 2025HouseConsidered in public hearing
- Apr 1, 2025HouseLeft pending in committee
- Apr 1, 2025HouseTestimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- Apr 1, 2025HouseCommittee substitute considered in committee
- Apr 1, 2025HouseConsidered in public hearing
- Apr 1, 2025HouseScheduled for public hearing on . . .
- Mar 14, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Criminal Jurisprudence
- Mar 14, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time
- Jan 17, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
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.
Introduction of Civil Penalties for Advocate Access
The legislation shifts from merely encouraging advocate presence during sexual assaults to attaching direct financial liability and designation loss for non-compliance.
Connected Entities
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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