Transcript Highlights:

• We have combined the last civil deed fraud work we need to do with the criminal deed fraud work we need
• Fraud Survey.
• It took another three to see the individual prosecuted and convicted.
• Right now, all deed fraud is prosecuted under traditional theft statutes.
• Relative to deed fraud, you get four things.

Bills: SB15 , SB 15

Committee: Senate Business & Commerce

Keywords: real property, fraud, theft, elderly, disabled, statute of limitations, criminal offense, property rights, law enforcement, department file, employee records, misconduct, confidentiality, Texas occupations code

Transcript Highlights:

• House File 3155 closes the gap by aligning gift card fraud with Minnesota's organized retail crime law
• </c><00:19:51.360><c> with</c><00:19:51.520><c> Minnesota's</c> gift card fraud with Minnesota's gift
• ,</c> along with evidence of broader fraud, along with evidence of broader fraud, including<00:21:44.240
• </c><00:47:28.000><c> of</c> trafficked when they are convicted of trafficked when they are convicted
• </c> were previously convicted of a crime. were previously convicted of a crime.

Bills: HF2354 , HF3407 , HF4359 , HF4192 , HF3356 , HF3695 , HF1597 , HF3155 , HF3871 , HF4437 , HF4446 , HF3990

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Keywords: medical assistance, fraud prevention, subpoena authority, criminal penalties, consumer protection, ghost guns, unserialized firearms, 3D-printed guns, 3D printer firearms, CNC milling, home-built firearms, firearm serialization, serial numbers, unfinished frame, unfinished receiver, ghost gun ban, gun control, firearm design files, CAD files, digital gun blueprints

Transcript Highlights:

• Thank you, Chair Moller. about fraud and it's why I introduced about fraud and it's why I introduced
• It had Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
• </c> intentional fraud schemes we see. intentional fraud schemes we see.
• </c> million dollar fraud scheme. million dollar fraud scheme.
• </c> Obviously, we all want to fight fraud. Obviously, we all want to fight fraud.

Bills: HF2354 , HF3407 , HF4359 , HF4192 , HF3356 , HF3695 , HF1597 , HF3155 , HF3871 , HF4437 , HF4446 , HF3990

Committee: House Public Safety Finance and Policy

Keywords: medical assistance, fraud prevention, subpoena authority, criminal penalties, consumer protection, ghost guns, unserialized firearms, 3D-printed guns, 3D printer firearms, CNC milling, home-built firearms, firearm serialization, serial numbers, unfinished frame, unfinished receiver, ghost gun ban, gun control, firearm design files, CAD files, digital gun blueprints

Transcript Highlights:

• Concord Estates was approved for an audit by J-LAC back in November after gross negligence and fraud
• Right now, individuals often leave the courtroom unsure of how their conviction affects their voter eligibility
• I've never been convinced of fraud. It's just a conspiracy talking point.

Bills: S0460 , S0748 , S1180 , S1334

Committee: Senate Ethics and Elections

Keywords: special elections, vacancy, Governor authority, election timeframe, judicial determination, voting rights, felony, sentencing, civil rights, criminal justice, rehabilitation, elections, voter registration, citizenship, provisional ballots, election fraud

Bills: HF729 , HF728

Committee: House Human Services Finance and Policy

Keywords: human services, provider enrollment, medical assistance, healthcare, housing stabilization, substance use disorder, vulnerable adults, fraud prevention, respite care, children, licensed settings, home and community-based services

Bills: SB1767 , SB1859 , SB1767 , SB1859

Committees: House Public Safety , House A&B Public Safety Subcommittee

Keywords: alcoholic beverages, shipping, retailers, legal compliance, civil penalties, interstate regulation, enforcement, cyber crime, fraud unit, digital evidence, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, investigative powers, financial deception, ransomware

Transcript Highlights:

• Allowing individuals who have been convicted of sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, forced labor
• The bill establishes an additional assessment of $200 to be levied on each person convicted of paying
• So by narrowing protections and shifting the burden on the victims after arrest and conviction...
• So by narrowing protections and shifting the burden on the victims after arrest and conviction, which
• in deed fraud.

Bills: HB2028 , HB2047 , HB2136 , HB2244 , HB2364 , HB2406 , HB2415 , HB2557 , HB2573 , HB2589 , HB2720 , HB2749 , HB2825 , HB2861 , HB2862 , HB2870 , HB2970 , HB4070 , HB4117 , HCR2004 , HCR2051

Committee: Senate Judiciary and Elections

Keywords: community restitution, homelessness, indigence, court assessments, monetary obligations, forcible entry, detainer, writ of restitution, criminal trespass, judgment enforcement, civil terrorism, disorderly conduct, vandalism, political activism, public order, subversion, government security, evictions, judgment satisfaction, tenant rights

Bills: HB3803 , HB3804 , HB3805 , HB3806 , HB3833 , HB4134 , HB4233 , HB4238 , HB4243

Committee: House Pensions, Investments & Financial Services

Keywords: HB 3803, Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 712, perpetual care cemetery, perpetual care trust fund, cemetery regulation, financial confidentiality, confidential records, regulatory examination, Texas Department of Banking, commissioner disclosure, interagency information sharing, state agency enforcement, federal agency disclosure, trust fund oversight, burial services, cemetery trust, consumer protection, state banks, Texas Finance Code

Bills: HR9 , HR15 , HB202 , HB206 , HB338 , HB379 , HB547 , HB691 , HB843 , HB861 , HB908

Committee: House House and Governmental Affairs

Keywords: human rights, individual liberties, Magna Carta, constitutionalism, free speech, voter identification, election integrity, federal elections, public confidence, election security, SAVE America Act, Louisiana, election fraud, job advertisement, salary transparency, civil service, employment notification, applicant rights, legislative attendance, task force

Transcript Highlights:

• illegal</c><02:43:50.640><c> immigrants</c> Second one, fraud by illegal immigrants Second one, fraud
• </c> everything that we can to reduce fraud everything that we can to reduce fraud is<02:50:18.640><c
• </c> of cutting $9 billion of waste and fraud of cutting $9 billion of waste and fraud through<02:51:
• ,</c> cutting $1.4 trillion of waste, fraud, cutting $1.4 trillion of waste, fraud, and<02:51:59.520>
• ,</c> the the Republicans trying to cut fraud, the the Republicans trying to cut fraud, waste,<02:55:

Bills: HR1115 , SB3971 , HB4294

Keywords: rules resolution, special rule, House procedure, floor consideration, lead ammunition, lead tackle, fishing tackle, hunting, wildlife management, federal lands, federal waters, Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, immigration and nationality act, inadmissible, deportable, public benefits fraud, fraud against the United States, alien deportation, law enforcement animals

Bills: S0888 , S1516 , S1562

Committee: Senate Commerce and Tourism

Keywords: professional services, design professionals, contracting parties, indemnification, public policy, caller identification, telecommunications, fraud prevention, STIR/SHAKEN, telecom regulations, call blocking, consumer protection, motor vehicle, franchise, dealership, distribution, licensee, successor, franchise agreement

Transcript Highlights:

• Members, Texas ranks eighth in credit card fraud with 45,206 reports made in 2022.
• Other states have had convicted criminals involved as licensees, and that doesn’t go well for their programs

Bills: HB46 , HB272 , HB551 , HB1661 , HB2820 , HB3181 , HB4145 , HB4157 , HB46 , HB272

Committee: Senate State Affairs

Keywords: low-THC cannabis, dispensing organization, Texas Compassionate-Use Program, medical use, patient access, registration, healthcare, legislation, credit card fraud, debit card fraud, prosecution, illegal possession, state law, political contributions, address privacy, Texas Ethics Commission, election transparency, campaign finance, election supplies, ballots

Summary: The Senate Committee on State Affairs heard several House bills and took no final votes, leaving each bill pending after testimony. HB 272 would align venue and evidentiary rules for fraudulent use or possession of credit/debit card information with existing credit card abuse law; the sponsor said it would improve prosecutions, and the Texas Financial Crimes Intelligence Center supported it. HB 1661 would increase penalties for certain election-related offenses, including failure to distribute election supplies and early release of election results; no substantive opposition was heard. HB 551 would protect the residential addresses of people who receive campaign expenditures on public Texas Ethics Commission reports, similar to donor privacy protections, and a witness from Texas Eagle Forum later indicated support for the privacy change. The committee also heard HB 2820, which would raise the amount charitable bingo organizations may keep in operating capital from $50,000 to $100,000. The sponsor and a Texans for Charitable Bingo representative said inflation and operating costs have made the current cap too low and that the bill would help charities maintain stable operations without expanding gaming. HB 3181 would impose stronger consequences for repeated denial of court-ordered child possession and access, including limiting probation and requiring attorney’s fees after multiple contempt findings; a family court judge and a parent testified in support, while another witness argued the bill should be paired with stronger criminal enforcement and that parents already face high costs. HB 4157 would update Texas law for commercial spaceflight by recognizing liability waivers and preserving workers’ compensation rights; no one testified against it. The committee also heard HB 4145, which would let health care providers satisfy a timely billing requirement by sending bills to a patient’s legal representative in a personal injury case, closing what supporters described as a loophole in letter-of-protection situations. Finally, HB 46, relating to the Texas Compassionate Use Program, drew the most extensive discussion: supporters said it should expand access for legitimate medical cannabis patients and add more delivery methods and conditions, while opponents warned against broader marijuana expansion and questioned adding chronic pain and other conditions. The sponsor said he still supports the program and wants a balanced, regulated expansion, but noted the bill is still being worked on. All bills were left pending at the close of the hearing.

Transcript Highlights:

• It said laws against election fraud are based on the Ten Commandments.

Bills: SB 10 , SB 11

Committees: Senate Education K-16 , Senate Education

Keywords: human trafficking, trafficking victim, compelling prostitution, affirmative defense, criminal defense, coercion, force fraud or coercion, sexual exploitation, victim protection, Penal Code, Texas criminal law, prosecution, party liability, affirmative defense statute, survivor rights

Transcript Highlights:

• After his release, Banks was arrested in August on fraud and gun charges.
• not convict him of second-degree murder, because intentional intoxication is a defense, right?
• Current law already charges the inspector general with identifying fraud, waste, and abuse.
• Current law already charges the inspector general with identifying fraud, waste, and abuse.
• What this All already charges the inspector general with identifying fraud, waste, and abuse.

Bills: HB1011 , SCR11 , SB41 , SB49 , SB107 , SB123 , SB224 , SB292 , SB425 , SB479

Committee: House House and Governmental Affairs

Keywords: tax credits, higher education, workforce development, brain drain, economic incentives, public meeting minutes, transparency, government accountability, publication deadlines, open meetings, SB49, Louisiana elections, party primary, primary elections, BESE, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, school board elections, election law, candidate qualification, ballot access

Transcript Highlights:

• Texas has taken the lead on tackling organized financial fraud.
• Our initial mandate revolved around card fraud and skimming.
• Now, you and I both know that for decades, fraud has been around.
• I actually have some gift card fraud cases within our office.
• So is the jurisdiction where it's purchased, or where the fraud happens?

Bills: HB3014 , HB3109 , HB3126 , HB3474 , HB3594

Committee: House Pensions, Investments & Financial Services

Keywords: gift card fraud, counterfeit gift card, gift card tampering, gift card theft, prepaid card, stored value card, retail fraud, financial crimes, consumer protection, organized retail crime, gift card skimming, magnetic stripe, chip card, redemption information, gift card packaging, Penal Code, felony theft, state jail felony, third-degree felony, second-degree felony

Transcript Highlights:

• If they commit the crime and get convicted, that's enough for us to deport, and I'm all about that.
• So, like retired law enforcement officers, they may become targets for retaliation from convicted criminals
• can publicly carry firearms once someone is eligible. and not otherwise prohibited because of a conviction
• Examples of these categories include perpetrators of family violence offenses and convicted felons.
• They get convicted, that's enough for us to deport, and I'm all about that.

Bills: HB259 , HB259 , HB 1128 , HB1337 , HB1506 , HB1794 , HB2215 , HB2470 , HB2771 , HB2882 , HB2993 , HB3053 , HB3428 , HB3669 , HB3789 , HB3924 , HB4201 , HB4675

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: redistricting, Independent Citizen Redistricting Commission, Texas Legislature, elections, district boundaries, voter representation, healthcare, insurance, patient rights, medical expenses, access to care, affordability, legislation, firearms, penal code, regulation, short-barrel firearms, ammunition, gun control, public safety

Transcript Highlights:

• I am a convicted felon. I was convicted of possessing less than a gram of methamphetamine in 1977.
• don't necessarily always follow the laws after those convictions.
• John Doe has been convicted of stalking.
• And being a felon, even if you did like Representative Canales, if you got convicted of a drug conviction
• Fraud might be an example.

Bills: HB259 , HB 1128 , HB1337 , HB1506 , HB1794 , HB2215 , HB2470 , HB2771 , HB2882 , HB2993 , HB3053 , HB3428 , HB3669 , HB3789 , HB3924 , HB4201 , HB4675 , HB259

Committee: House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Keywords: healthcare, insurance, patient rights, medical expenses, access to care, affordability, legislation, firearms, penal code, regulation, short-barrel firearms, ammunition, gun control, public safety, Texas law, short-barrel, law enforcement, election judges, concealed handgun, polling places

Bills: HB242 , HB342 , HB392 , HB493 , HB521 , HB614 , HB631 , HB 1090 , HB 1091 , HB1477 , HB242

Committee: House Elections

Keywords: voter registration, elections, Election Code, registrar, county clerk, application rejection, rejection notice, voter eligibility, ballot access, transparency, administrative procedure, Texas, voting rights, election administration, notice of rejection, election, poll watcher, conviction, ineligibility, Texas election code

Bills: SB6084 , SB6044 , SB5950 , SB6046 , SB5763 , SB6215 , SB6160 , SB6123 , SB6049 , SB6164 , SB6313 , SB5784 , SB5046 , SB5489

Committee: Senate State Government, Tribal Affairs & Elections

Keywords: elections, double voting, voting twice, multiple voting, same-day election, primary election, general election, special election, cross-state voting, ballot fraud, election fraud, voter misconduct, RCW 29A.84.660, State v. Padilla, civil infraction, class C felony, Secretary of State, Washington elections, election law, voter eligibility

Transcript Highlights:

• codes for real property theft and real property fraud.
• codes for real property theft and real property fraud.
• My grandmother was a victim of deed fraud.
• It took another three years, until last May, to get the perpetrator convicted.
• It took another three years to last May to get the perpetrator convicted. It was convicted.

Bills: SB127 , SB456 , SB482 , SB659 , SB739 , SB816 , SB1234 , SB1666 , SB1886 , SB1980 , SB2580 , SB2611 , SB2693 , SB2776

Committee: Senate Criminal Justice

Keywords: child abuse, reporting obligation, statute of limitations, negligence, legal professionals, human organs, criminal penalties, physician license, medical ethics, illegal trade, smuggling, human trafficking, felony offenses, law enforcement, authorized peace officer, peace officer definition, tracking equipment, communications access, electronic surveillance, cell phone records

Summary: The committee heard and laid out a series of criminal justice bills, with public and invited testimony on restitution, juvenile justice, child abuse reporting, public-safety protections, organ trafficking, property fraud, disaster-response worker protections, fentanyl exposure, emergency data disclosure, insurance-fraud investigations, blood warrant execution, human smuggling, and TJJD advocacy access. Several measures drew support from prosecutors, clerks, law enforcement, utility companies, and victims who described real-world harms and delays in current law; opposition or caution came from civil-rights and advocacy groups on bills involving expanded criminal liability, data disclosure, and juvenile-facility access. Most bills were left pending after testimony, with the committee later voting out SB 127 favorably and placing it on the local and uncontested calendar. SB 1666 would streamline restitution payments for parole or mandatory supervision cases by requiring TDCJ to include victim information when forwarding payments, shortening the period before unclaimed funds go to the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund, and clarifying confidentiality and contact procedures; county clerks supported it as an efficiency measure. SB 2776 would let TJJD disclose certain information, with written consent, to support the Credible Messengers Program, and SB 127 would extend limitations periods for failure-to-report child abuse and concealment offenses, with testimony emphasizing delayed discovery of abuse and the need for accountability. SB 1980 would increase penalties for assaulting or interfering with peace officers, parole officers, and community supervision officers, and SB 456 would raise penalties for organ purchasing/trafficking and create a more specific criminal framework for the offense; both drew strong support from law enforcement and victims. The committee also heard SB 2611 on real property theft and deed fraud, which would create separate offenses for real property theft and fraud, add a ten-year limitations period, require criminal judgments to be filed in county property records, and expand restitution and title-clearing remedies. Witnesses described forged deeds, stolen church and family properties, and long, costly efforts to restore title; county clerks and prosecutors said the bill would help victims and streamline civil remedies. SB 482 would increase penalties for offenses against utility workers during declared disasters or evacuation orders, prompted by reports of threats and assaults during Hurricane Beryl; utility representatives said the bill is needed to keep mutual-aid crews coming to Texas. SB 1234 would add fentanyl to the endangerment statute for vulnerable people, while SB 816 would allow providers to disclose electronic data in immediate life-threatening situations; both drew support from prosecutors and criticism from civil-rights advocates concerned about overbreadth and liability protections.