HB 3449: bill reimbursing court-appointed defense lawyers’ expenses

Caption

relating to the reimbursement of expenses to certain counsel appointed to represent a defendant in a criminal proceeding.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Travel, food and lodging when the client is held over 50 miles away.

The bill says court-appointed lawyers in noncapital criminal cases must be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses. It adds travel, food and lodging, and remote-communication costs when the defendant is held in a facility more than 50 miles from the court. It applies the capital-case reimbursement process to these expenses for appointed counsel other than public defenders, starting with expenses incurred on or after September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 2523 (Did not pass) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 2523 (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.GOT HALFWAY. Passed the House on May 14, 2025. Died in the Senate: never got out of the Criminal Justice committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB3449 · 2025-02-26

SOLD BY

Rep. Terry CanalesDHouse 40

ITEM

relating to the reimbursement of expenses to certain counsel appointed to represent a defendant in a criminal proceeding.

WHAT IT DOES

Travel, food and lodging when the client is held over 50 miles away.

The bill says court-appointed lawyers in noncapital criminal cases must be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses. It adds travel, food and lodging, and remote-communication costs when the defendant is held in a facility more than 50 miles from the court. It applies the capital-case reimbursement process to these expenses for appointed counsel other than public defenders, starting with expenses incurred on or after September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 14, 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

Feb 26, 2025Filed
Mar 21, 2025Read first time
Mar 21, 2025Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence
Apr 15, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 15, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 15, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 15, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 24, 2025Considered in formal meeting
Apr 24, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
Apr 30, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
Apr 30, 2025Committee report distributed
May 1, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 8, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 10, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
May 13, 2025Read 2nd time
May 13, 2025Passed to engrossment
May 13, 2025Record vote RV#2367
May 13, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 14, 2025Read 3rd time
May 14, 2025Passed
May 14, 2025Record vote RV#2451
May 14, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 14, 2025Reported engrossed
May 14, 2025Received from the House
May 15, 2025Read first time
May 15, 2025Referred to Criminal Justice

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 139 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 14, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Terry Canales

Donors

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC$65K Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$35KCurtis E. Ford$30,605

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 9, 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.

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC$65,000.00

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC

$65,000.00

Cash: $65,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $65,000.00

Also funds 120 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 19, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 6, 2024 to Oct 21, 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: 100986692, 101072185.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$35,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$35,000.00

Cash: $35,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $35,000.00

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 · Aug 9, 2024 to Sep 29, 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: 100986692, 101030306, 101068017, 101072185.

Curtis E. Ford$30,605.00

Money

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

×

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC

$65,000.00

Cash: $65,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $65,000.00

Also funds 120 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 19, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 6, 2024 to Oct 21, 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: 100986692, 101072185.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$35,000.00

Cash: $35,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $35,000.00

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 · Aug 9, 2024 to Sep 29, 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: 100986692, 101030306, 101068017, 101072185.

Votes2

House May 14, 2025

Yea: 139
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 6
Excused: 3

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2451

HB 3449 was passed by (Record 2451): 139 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 139 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 6 (derived from named list)
Excused: 3 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

House May 13, 2025

Yea: 135
Nay: 2
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 5
Excused: 6

Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

House journal

Sources

Record 2367

HB 3449 was passed to engrossment by (Record 2367): 135 Yeas, 2 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

Yea: 135 (published)
Nay: 2 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 5 (derived from named list)
Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses2

For: 2
Against: 0
On: 0

Names

For

Dallas Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot1 registration
Self1 registration

Sources

2 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 I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 14, 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 2523

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

Introduced text

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

Relating to the reimbursement of expenses to certain counsel appointed to represent a defendant in a criminal proceeding.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Feb 26, 2025

05/15/2025 S Referred to Criminal Justice

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed

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

House committee · Criminal Jurisprudence · Committee vote 10 aye, 1 nay · Out of committee

Senate committee · Criminal Justice · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

SB 297 by Perry (identical)

Subjects

Criminal Procedure--Defense Counsel

Lawyers

Salaries & Expenses

TRAVEL

Text

The text as introduced · 257 words

89R790 AJZ-D

By: Canales
H.B. No. 3449

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the reimbursement of expenses to certain counsel

appointed to represent a defendant in a criminal proceeding.

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

SECTION 1. Article 26.05, Code of Criminal Procedure, is

amended by amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (d-1) to

read as follows:

(d) A counsel in a noncapital case, other than an attorney

with a public defender's office, appointed to represent a defendant

under this code shall be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary

expenses, including expenses for :

(1) investigation ;

(2) [ and for ] mental health and other experts ; and

(3) if the defendant is confined in a correctional

facility located more than 50 miles from the court in which the

defendant's proceeding is pending:

(A) travel to the defendant's location for a

confidential communication and food and lodging related to that

travel; and

(B) any costs associated with remotely entering

into a confidential communication with the defendant .

(d-1) Expenses under Subsection (d) incurred with prior

court approval shall be reimbursed in the same manner provided for

capital cases by Articles 26.052(f) and (g), and expenses under

Subsection (d) incurred without prior court approval shall be

reimbursed in the manner provided for capital cases by Article

26.052(h).

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only

to expenses incurred on or after the effective date of this Act.

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

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Associated General Contractors of Texas PAC

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

House May 14, 2025

House May 13, 2025

For

88R HB 2523

Companion