A new bill authored by State Rep. McLaughlin in the Texas House seeks to assign the attorney general responsibility for prosecuting certain human trafficking offenses and improve law enforcement reporting procedures, according to the Texas Legislature website.
The bill, introduced as HB 45 during the 89(2) legislative session on Friday, Aug. 15, was formally listed with the short title: ’Relating to a guide on preparing for and responding to a flooding disaster’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill amends Chapter 402 of the Government Code to establish the duty of the attorney general to prosecute human trafficking offenses under Chapter 20A of the Penal Code. It requires that law enforcement agencies simultaneously submit reports to both local prosecuting attorneys and the attorney general when there is probable cause to believe a person has committed such an offense. Upon request, law enforcement agencies and local prosecutors must provide investigation information to the attorney general. The attorney general gains jurisdiction to prosecute if six months have passed since a report submission and the local prosecutor has not initiated proceedings. The changes apply only to offenses committed on or after Sept. 1, 2025.
Don McLaughlin, a member of the House Committee on Agriculture & Livestock, proposed another two bills during the 89(2) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Legislative Session | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 89(2) | HB 69 | 08/15/2025 | Relating to creating the Texas Flash Flood Alley Interoperability Council and a grant program administered by the council |
| 89(2) | HB 44 | 08/15/2025 | Relating to the jurisdiction and operation of the County Court at Law in Atascosa County |
| 89(1) | HB 182 | 07/23/2025 | Relating to creating the Texas Flash Flood Alley Interoperability Council and a grant program administered by the council |
| 89(1) | HB 124 | 07/18/2025 | Relating to building standards for youth camps located within or near certain floodplains |
| 89(1) | HB 93 | 07/14/2025 | Relating to the jurisdiction and operation of the County Court at Law in Atascosa County |
| 89(R) | HB 5600 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to incentives for the development of the clean hydrogen industry in this state, including tax benefits, loans, and grants for clean hydrogen projects, clean hydrogen workforce development, hydrogen powered motor vehicles, and certain items used to produce clean hydrogen |
| 89(R) | HB 4476 | 03/12/2025 | Relating to the waiver of jurisdiction by a juvenile court for certain children who are accused of committing certain offenses involving the use or exhibition of a firearm, the mandatory transfer of jurisdiction for those children to a criminal court, and an order of expunction issued with respect to those offenses |
| 89(R) | HB 4416 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to disorderly or threatening behavior and measures by public schools and institutions of higher education to prevent that behavior; increasing criminal penalties; creating a criminal offense |
| 89(R) | HB 4341 | 03/11/2025 | Relating to critical infrastructure facility emergency response maps and the critical infrastructure emergency response map grant program |
| 89(R) | HB 4255 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to the regulation of physicians and the disciplinary authority of the Texas Medical Board |
| 89(R) | HB 4186 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to student loan repayment assistance for certain physicians employed as county medical examiners |
| 89(R) | HB 3793 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to procedures for a commissioners court to close, abandon, or vacate certain county roads |
| 89(R) | HB 3781 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the provision of financial assistance by the Texas Water Development Board for the development of certain projects in economically distressed areas |
| 89(R) | HB 3587 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to firearm safety instruction in public schools and certain private schools |
| 89(R) | HB 3586 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to the authority of a taxing unit to enter into an agreement under the Property Redevelopment and Tax Abatement Act to exempt from ad valorem taxation a portion of the value of property on which a solar power facility is located or is planned to be located |
| 89(R) | HB 3580 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to renewable energy generation facilities |
| 89(R) | HB 3578 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to the authority of a county that borders the United Mexican States to regulate residential land use; creating a criminal offense |
| 89(R) | HB 3573 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to certain prohibited considerations in contracting by governmental entities and the elimination of the state’s historically underutilized business program |
| 89(R) | HB 33 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to active shooter incidents at primary and secondary school facilities and other emergencies |
| 89(R) | HB 3310 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to the authority of certain counties to adopt noise regulations; creating a criminal offense; authorizing fees |
| 89(R) | HB 3278 | 02/25/2025 | Relating to the study of and incentives for the use of solar and wind energy |
| 89(R) | HB 3104 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to the appointment and compensation of a bailiff appointed by the judges of certain district courts in Webb County |
| 89(R) | HB 3075 | 02/20/2025 | Relating to a prohibition on the provision of state money to entities that promote certain ideological programs and the establishment of a division in the Legislative Budget Board to ensure such entities do not receive state money; authorizing the imposition of a civil penalty |
| 89(R) | HB 3009 | 02/19/2025 | Relating to the qualifying offenses and related information included in the Department of Public Safety’s computerized central database of offenders who have committed certain violent offenses |
| 89(R) | HB 2965 | 02/18/2025 | Relating to the applicability of a hotel occupancy tax in and the use of hotel occupancy tax revenue by certain counties |
| 89(R) | HB 2956 | 02/18/2025 | Relating to a central database containing information about certain persons who have been convicted of or received a grant of deferred adjudication community supervision for certain offenses involving family violence and related notice requirements; creating a criminal offense |
| 89(R) | HB 2947 | 02/18/2025 | Relating to truancy and the offense of a parent contributing to nonattendance |
| 89(R) | HB 2776 | 02/13/2025 | Relating to the criminal and licensing consequences for the commission of certain offenses by massage establishments, massage schools, massage therapists, and massage therapy instructors |
| 89(R) | HB 2661 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the jurisdiction and operation of the County Court at Law in Atascosa County |
| 89(R) | HB 2660 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the requirement to obtain certification and continuing education for certain public information officers |
