Monitoring the Session

HB 2639

bill requiring same-specialty doctors for preauthorization calls

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Suleman LalaniDHouse 76

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 preauthorization determinations conducted by physicians of the same specialty as the requesting physician or health care provider.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

The doctor who reviews your care matches the doctor who ordered it.

The bill requires that any preauthorization decision under the state's utilization review law be made by a physician of the same specialty as the doctor or provider asking for the service. It touches insurers and utilization review agents that approve or deny care in advance, and the patients and doctors waiting on those decisions. Starting with requests made on or after January 1, 2026, a reviewer outside the requesting doctor's specialty can no longer make the call.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Feb 11, 2025 and referred to the House Insurance committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB2639 · 2025-02-11

SOLD BY

Rep. Suleman LalaniDHouse 76

ITEM

relating to preauthorization determinations conducted by physicians of the same specialty as the requesting physician or health care provider.

WHAT IT DOES

The doctor who reviews your care matches the doctor who ordered it.

The bill requires that any preauthorization decision under the state's utilization review law be made by a physician of the same specialty as the doctor or provider asking for the service. It touches insurers and utilization review agents that approve or deny care in advance, and the patients and doctors waiting on those decisions. Starting with requests made on or after January 1, 2026, a reviewer outside the requesting doctor's specialty can no longer make the call.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Insurance
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Suleman Lalani

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$38KTexas House Democratic Campaign Committee$12KTSA PAC$10K

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 · Oct 28, 2024 to Oct 24, 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$37,500.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$37,500.00

Cash
$37,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$37,500.00

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 · Dec 10, 2024 to Aug 31, 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: 100987680, 101007262, 101030846, 101036309, 101069420.

Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee$11,569.08

Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee

$11,569.08

Cash
$7,000.00
Paid by others
$4,569.08
Total
$11,569.08
Other filed descriptions $4,569.08

Also funds 9 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 15, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Feb 3, 2026 to Jun 2, 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: 101040256, 101061992.

TSA PAC$10,000.00

TSA PAC

$10,000.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$10,000.00

Also funds 15 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 1, 2024 to Oct 10, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 23, 2025 to Oct 10, 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: 101030846, 101072241.

Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$37,500.00

Cash
$37,500.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$37,500.00

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 · Dec 10, 2024 to Aug 31, 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: 100987680, 101007262, 101030846, 101036309, 101069420.

×

Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee

$11,569.08

Cash
$7,000.00
Paid by others
$4,569.08
Total
$11,569.08
Other filed descriptions $4,569.08

Also funds 9 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 15, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Feb 3, 2026 to Jun 2, 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: 101040256, 101061992.

×

TSA PAC

$10,000.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$10,000.00

Also funds 15 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 1, 2024 to Oct 10, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 23, 2025 to Oct 10, 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: 101030846, 101072241.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

How this was graded

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

Sources

Texas House · Filed Feb 11, 2025

03/18/2025 H Referred to Insurance: Mar 18 2025 11:56AM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

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

House committee · Insurance · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Health Care Providers

Insurance--Health & Accident

PHYSICIANS

Text

The text as introduced · 157 words

89R9063 SCL-F

By: Lalani
H.B. No. 2639

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to preauthorization determinations conducted by

physicians of the same specialty as the requesting physician or

health care provider.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 4201, Insurance Code, is

amended by adding Section 4201.254 to read as follows:

Sec. 4201.254. PREAUTHORIZATION DETERMINATION BY PHYSICIAN

OF RELEVANT SPECIALTY REQUIRED. (a) In this section,

"preauthorization" has the meaning assigned by Section 4201.651.

(b) A preauthorization determination must be made by a

physician who is of the same specialty as the physician or health

care provider proposing to provide the service or recommending the

provision of the service.

SECTION 2. Section 4201.254, Insurance Code, as added by

this Act, applies only to a request for preauthorization of health

care services made on or after January 1, 2026.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.