Monitoring the Session

HB 1970

bill requiring landowners to let cemetery visitors cross

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Nicole CollierDHouse 95

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to access to certain cemeteries.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day of the year.

The bill requires owners of land surrounding a cemetery or private burial ground to let visitors cross their land between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day of the year. It touches landowners whose property surrounds cemeteries with no public road access, and people who want to visit graves there. Owners can no longer set narrower visiting hours that override this daily window.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 5175 (Did not pass) and this bill (Did not pass). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 5175 (Did not pass). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee 9-2 on Apr 28, 2025. Placed on the General State Calendar on May 13, 2025. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB1970 · 2025-01-22

SOLD BY

Rep. Nicole CollierDHouse 95

ITEM

relating to access to certain cemeteries.

WHAT IT DOES

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., every day of the year.

The bill requires owners of land surrounding a cemetery or private burial ground to let visitors cross their land between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day of the year. It touches landowners whose property surrounds cemeteries with no public road access, and people who want to visit graves there. Owners can no longer set narrower visiting hours that override this daily window.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 30, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Left pending in committee
  7. Considered in formal meeting
  8. Committee substitute considered in committee
  9. Reported favorably as substituted
  10. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  11. Committee report distributed
  12. Committee report sent to Calendars
  13. Considered in Calendars
  14. Placed on General State Calendar
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Nicole Collier

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$13KTexas Sands PAC$12KTexas Medical Association Political Action Committee$11K

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Aug 5, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$12,500.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$12,500.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,500.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 16, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100970374, 101010492, 101057411.

Texas Sands PAC$12,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$12,000.00

Cash
$12,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Aug 5, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100970374, 101057411.

Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee$11,000.00

Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee

$11,000.00

Cash
$11,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$11,000.00

Also funds 118 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Aug 12, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 16, 2024 to Jun 24, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100970374, 101010492.

Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$12,500.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,500.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 16, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100970374, 101010492, 101057411.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$12,000.00

Cash
$12,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$12,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Aug 5, 2024 to Jun 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100970374, 101057411.

×

Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee

$11,000.00

Cash
$11,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$11,000.00

Also funds 118 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Aug 12, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 16, 2024 to Jun 24, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 100970374, 101010492.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 30, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R HB 5175

by Rep. Collier, same lead author · Did not pass · same text

Introduced text

Last action, May 24, 2023: Removed from local & uncontested calendar

Relating to access to certain cemeteries.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Jan 22, 2025

05/13/2025 H Placed on General State Calendar

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence · Committee vote 9 aye, 2 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

Cemeteries

Text

The text as introduced · 202 words

89R6397 EAS-F

By: Collier
H.B. No. 1970

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to access to certain cemeteries.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 711.041, Health and Safety Code, is

amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (c-1) to

read as follows:

(a) Any person who wishes to visit a cemetery or private

burial grounds for which no public ingress or egress is available

shall have the right to reasonable ingress and egress for the

purpose of visiting the cemetery or private burial grounds. This

right of access extends only to visitation during the hours

determined by the owner or owners of the lands under Subsection (b)

or at a reasonable time as provided by Subsection (c) or (c-1) and

only for purposes usually associated with cemetery visits.

(c-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), the owner or owners

of the lands surrounding a cemetery or private burial grounds must

allow a person to enter and exit the owner's land for the purpose of

visiting the cemetery or private burial grounds between the hours

of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day of the year.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.