Monitoring the Session

HB 3014

bill creating a new gift card offense

Companion SB 1809 became law

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Stan LambertRHouse 71

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 the creation of the offense of fraudulent use or possession of a gift card or gift card redemption information.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Taking, altering or using a card or code without consent.

The bill creates a new Penal Code offense for taking, keeping, altering, or using a gift card or its redemption code with intent to harm or defraud. It reaches anyone who handles a gift card or its code without the consent of the cardholder, the card issuer, or the seller. Penalties rise with the dollar value involved, from a Class C misdemeanor under $100 to a first-degree felony at $300,000 or more, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ACROSS THE AISLE. Joint authors: 2 Republicans, 1 Democrat. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB3014 · 2025-02-19

SOLD BY

Rep. Stan LambertRHouse 71 Rep. David CookRHouse 96 Rep. Mary Ann PerezDHouse 144

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to the creation of the offense of fraudulent use or possession of a gift card or gift card redemption information.

WHAT IT DOES

Taking, altering or using a card or code without consent.

The bill creates a new Penal Code offense for taking, keeping, altering, or using a gift card or its redemption code with intent to harm or defraud. It reaches anyone who handles a gift card or its code without the consent of the cardholder, the card issuer, or the seller. Penalties rise with the dollar value involved, from a Class C misdemeanor under $100 to a first-degree felony at $300,000 or more, starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 9, 2025

Creating a new criminal offense may result in an increase in demands upon state and local correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement. The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to a lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties.

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 Pensions, Investments & Financial 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
  15. Considered in Calendars
  16. Placed on General State Calendar
  17. Companion considered in lieu of SB 1809
  18. Laid on the table subject to call
ALSO NOTED · NOT CHARGED (1)

ALREADY A CRIME · analysis confidence 45%

THE TEXT

…“redemption information to obtain goods, services, or anything else”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

From general knowledge of Texas law, not from this text: using a stolen or tampered gift card to get goods is likely already covered by existing theft and fraud offenses, which use a similar value ladder. The bill does add a gift-card-specific possession offense, so the overlap is partial.

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Stan Lambert

Donors

Douglas Robison$5,000Kurt Arnold$5,000Jason Itkin$5,000

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 · Nov 7, 2024 to Jun 23, 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.

Douglas Robison$5,000.00
Kurt Arnold$5,000.00
Jason Itkin$5,000.00
Money

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

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses16
For
15
Against
0
On
1
Names

For

  • AARP Texas1 registration
  • Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT)1 registration
  • Credit Union Coalition of Texas1 registration
  • Houston Police Department1 registration
  • Ikea1 registration
  • Independent Bankers Assoc of TX (IBAT)1 registration
  • Lumbermen's Association of Texas1 registration
  • Self; Comal County Criminal District Attorney1 registration
  • Target Corporation1 registration
  • Texas Bankers Association1 registration
  • Texas Food & Fuel Association1 registration
  • Texas Retailers Association1 registration
  • The Home Depot1 registration
  • Walgreens1 registration
  • Walmart1 registration

On

  • FCIC1 registration
Sources

16 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 first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · April 9, 2025

Creating a new criminal offense may result in an increase in demands upon state and local correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement. The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to a lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties.

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 19, 2025

04/28/2025 H Laid on the table subject to call

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.

Coauthors
Penny Morales ShawDHouse 148

House committee · Pensions, Investments & Financial Services · Committee vote 8 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Companion

SB 1809 by Flores (identical)

HB 3168 by Cook (duplicate)

Subjects

Business & Commerce--General

Crimes--Against Property

Financial--General

FRAUD

Text

The text as introduced · 521 words

89R10222 JDK-F

By: Lambert
H.B. No. 3014

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the creation of the offense of fraudulent use or

possession of a gift card or gift card redemption information.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 32, Penal Code, is amended

by adding Section 32.56 to read as follows:

Sec. 32.56. FRAUDULENT USE OR POSSESSION OF GIFT CARD OR

GIFT CARD REDEMPTION INFORMATION. (a) In this section:

(1) "Cardholder" means a person to whom a physical or

virtual gift card is given or any person who purchased the gift

card.

(2) "Card issuer" means any person that issues a gift

card or the agent of that person with respect to the card.

(3) "Gift card" means a card, code, or device that is

issued to a consumer on a prepaid basis in a specified amount and

redeemable upon presentation for the purchase of goods or services

and that is either activated or inactivated.

(4) "Gift card redemption information" means

information unique to each gift card that allows the cardholder to

access, transfer, or spend funds on the gift card.

(5) "Gift card seller" means a merchant engaged in the

business of selling gift cards to consumers.

(b) A person commits an offense if the person, with the

intent to harm or defraud another:

(1) acquires or retains possession of a gift card or

gift card redemption information without the consent of the

cardholder, card issuer, or gift card seller;

(2) alters or tampers with a gift card; or

(3) uses or attempts to use a gift card or gift card

redemption information to obtain goods, services, or anything else

of value with knowledge that the gift card or gift card redemption

information has been obtained in violation of Subdivision (1) or

altered or tampered with.

(c) An offense under this section is:

(1) a Class C misdemeanor if the value of the gift

card, gift cards, or gift card redemption information involved is

less than $100;

(2) a Class B misdemeanor if the value of the gift

card, gift cards, or gift card redemption information involved is

$100 or more but less than $750;

(3) a Class A misdemeanor if the value of the gift

card, gift cards, or gift card redemption information involved is

$750 or more but less than $2,500;

(4) a state jail felony if the value of the gift card,

gift cards, or gift card redemption information involved is $2,500

or more but less than $30,000;

(5) a felony of the third degree if the value of the

gift card, gift cards, or gift card redemption information involved

is $30,000 or more but less than $150,000;

(6) a felony of the second degree if the value of the

gift card, gift cards, or gift card redemption information involved

is $150,000 or more but less than $300,000; and

(7) a felony of the first degree if the value of the

gift card, gift cards, or gift card redemption information involved

is $300,000 or more.

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