Monitoring the Session

HB 2865

Noble Medicaid Bill’s Renewal Ban Can Wait For Federal Approval

Did not pass

Verdict: Smells

SmellsNeeds review
Rep. Candy NobleRHouse 89
Why it's charged
Delayed start

THE TEXT

“The commission may delay implementing that section until the waiver or authorization is granted.”

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The ban formally takes effect in 2025, but the agency may put it off with no end date until federal approval arrives, which may never happen. That ties the start of the key duty to an outside approval rather than a fixed date.

Delayed start

Needs review · Nov 1, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to a prohibition on conducting an ex parte renewal of a recipient's Medicaid eligibility.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

The state asks for a waiver within 180 days. Until it’s granted, the commission “may delay.”

The bill bars the state's health agency, and any other agency running part of Medicaid, from renewing a person's Medicaid coverage automatically using electronic data without asking the person for information. It touches every Medicaid recipient who comes up for renewal, plus the agencies that process those renewals, with an exception wherever federal law expressly requires automatic renewal. The state must ask federal regulators for any needed waiver within 180 days, and it may hold off on the ban until that waiver is granted.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Human Services committee 11-0 on Apr 15, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB2865 · 2025-02-14

SOLD BY

Rep. Candy NobleRHouse 89

ITEM

relating to a prohibition on conducting an ex parte renewal of a recipient's Medicaid eligibility.

WHAT IT DOES

The state asks for a waiver within 180 days. Until it’s granted, the commission “may delay.”

The bill bars the state's health agency, and any other agency running part of Medicaid, from renewing a person's Medicaid coverage automatically using electronic data without asking the person for information. It touches every Medicaid recipient who comes up for renewal, plus the agencies that process those renewals, with an exception wherever federal law expressly requires automatic renewal. The state must ask federal regulators for any needed waiver within 180 days, and it may hold off on the ban until that waiver is granted.

CHARGES

[x] DELAYED STARTanalysis confidence 45%

THE TEXT

“The commission may delay implementing that section until the waiver or authorization is granted.”

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The ban formally takes effect in 2025, but the agency may put it off with no end date until federal approval arrives, which may never happen. That ties the start of the key duty to an outside approval rather than a fixed date.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 16, 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 Human Services
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Committee substitute considered in committee
  7. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  10. Committee substitute considered in committee
  11. Reported favorably as substituted
  12. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  13. Committee report distributed
  14. Committee report sent to Calendars
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Candy Noble

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$809KTexas Conservative Majority PAC$337KDustin Burrows Campaign$88K

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.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$809,366.92

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$809,366.92

Cash
$120,000.00
Paid by others
$689,366.92
Total
$809,366.92
advertising $586,275.00polling $49,610.35mail $46,981.57Other filed descriptions $6,500.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 26, 2025 to Oct 19, 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: 101007843, 101026925, 101035033, 101040137, 101054754, 101068132, 101071499.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC$337,306.27

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$337,306.27

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$327,306.27
Total
$337,306.27
canvassing $230,000.00mail $52,189.60polling $23,450.00Other filed descriptions $21,666.67

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

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

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 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: 101040137, 101054754, 101068132, 101071499.

Dustin Burrows Campaign$87,980.61

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$87,980.61

Cash
$65,000.00
Paid by others
$22,980.61
Total
$87,980.61
polling $22,400.00fundraiser $580.61

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 7, 2025 to Aug 26, 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: 101026925, 101040137, 101068132.

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$809,366.92

Cash
$120,000.00
Paid by others
$689,366.92
Total
$809,366.92
advertising $586,275.00polling $49,610.35mail $46,981.57Other filed descriptions $6,500.00

Also funds 124 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 26, 2025 to Oct 19, 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: 101007843, 101026925, 101035033, 101040137, 101054754, 101068132, 101071499.

×

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$337,306.27

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$327,306.27
Total
$337,306.27
canvassing $230,000.00mail $52,189.60polling $23,450.00Other filed descriptions $21,666.67

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

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

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 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: 101040137, 101054754, 101068132, 101071499.

×

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$87,980.61

Cash
$65,000.00
Paid by others
$22,980.61
Total
$87,980.61
polling $22,400.00fundraiser $580.61

Also funds 39 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 13, 2025 to Sep 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 7, 2025 to Aug 26, 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: 101026925, 101040137, 101068132.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses6
For
1
Against
1
On
4
Names

For

  • FGA Action1 registration

Against

  • Self; Coalition of Texans with Disabilities1 registration

On

  • Coalition of Texans with Disabilities1 registration
  • Disability Rights Texas1 registration
  • Health and Human Services Commission1 registration
  • Texas20361 registration
Sources

6 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 16, 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.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Feb 14, 2025

05/01/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Nov 1, 2026 at 1:45 PM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Human Services · Committee vote 11 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

SB 921 by Sparks (identical)

Subjects

Electronic Information Systems

Human Services--Medical Assistance

State Agencies, Boards & Commissions

MEDICAID

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION

Text

The text as introduced · 248 words

89R4788 AND-F

By: Noble
H.B. No. 2865

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a prohibition on conducting an ex parte renewal of a

recipient's Medicaid eligibility.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter J, Chapter 532, Government Code, as

effective April 1, 2025, is amended by adding Section 532.0456 to

read as follows:

Sec. 532.0456. EX PARTE RENEWALS PROHIBITED. (a) In this

section, "ex parte renewal" means a redetermination of a

recipient's Medicaid eligibility that is conducted automatically

without requiring information from the recipient using information

from verifiable electronic data sources or that is otherwise

available to the commission.

(b) Except as expressly required by federal law, the

commission or a state agency that administers any part of Medicaid

may not conduct an ex parte renewal of a recipient's Medicaid

eligibility.

SECTION 2. Not later than the 180th day after the effective

date of this Act, the Health and Human Services Commission shall

seek any waiver or authorization from a federal agency necessary to

implement Section 532.0456, Government Code, as added by this Act.

The commission may delay implementing that section until the waiver

or authorization is granted.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.