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Read. Follow. Verify.Texas restricts public access to sexual assault evidence and prohibits unconsented broadcast of certain court proceedings
Last action · April 28, 2025: Laid on the table subject to callSponsors: Lacey Hull and 6 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Texas prohibits the use of evidence to prosecute misdemeanor offenses or certain health and safety violations, restricts public access to and copying of related visual materials, and bars electronic broadcasting of certain sexual offense court proceedings without express consent from the victim, prosecutor, and defendant starting September 1, 2025.
The measure changes how courts and law enforcement handle sensitive materials from sexual offense cases by sealing forensic examination evidence, limiting the public dissemination of visual recordings, and requiring written consent before broadcasting specific courtroom proceedings.
- Texas criminal procedure governs how forensic medical examination evidence and victim protection orders are handled in state courts. 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.
Victims of sex offenses and human trafficking
Victims receive enhanced confidentiality protections, mandatory notification of rights by peace officers, and restrictions on the public disclosure or broadcast of their examination materials.
Criminal defendants
Defendants and their attorneys receive discovery materials under strict protective orders that prohibit copying or dissemination of sensitive visual recordings.
Peace officers
Officers must provide updated written notices containing specific victim rights and hotline information when responding to sexual assault incidents.
Courts and judges
Judges are required to place certain forensic and visual evidence under seal, issue protective orders during discovery, and obtain express consent before allowing electronic broadcasts of specified proceedings.
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
Can forensic medical examination evidence from a sexual assault be used in misdemeanor prosecutions?
Are court proceedings involving sexual offenses allowed to be broadcasted or electronically transmitted?
What happens to unadmitted visual recordings produced during discovery in a case?
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- Apr 28, 2025HouseLaid on the table subject to call
- Apr 28, 2025HouseCompanion considered in lieu of (SB 836)
- Apr 28, 2025HousePlaced on General State Calendar
- Apr 24, 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 12, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Criminal Jurisprudence
- Mar 12, 2025HouseIntroducedRead first time
- Dec 20, 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.
Stricter Control Over Sexual Offense Evidence and Media Access
The legislation establishes comprehensive protections by sealing medical exam evidence, mandating protective orders for visual discovery materials, and requiring multi-party consent for courtroom broadcasts.
Connected Entities
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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