Monitoring the Session

HB 3741

bill requires sworn statements from some foreign students and employees

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Joanne ShofnerRHouse 11

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 requiring a sworn statement by certain foreign students enrolled at or employees of public institutions of higher education.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

They sign that they aren’t agents of a hostile foreign nation.

The bill requires every Texas public college and university to make its students and employees who are not U.S. citizens or green card holders sign a statement saying they are not agents of a foreign nation hostile to the United States or Texas. It touches foreign students and foreign employees at public colleges, including people already enrolled or hired before the law starts. Schools must collect the signed statement, but the bill sets no penalty for refusing or for signing falsely, and it lets the Higher Education Coordinating Board write rules.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Higher Education committee 9-2 on May 2, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB3741 · 2025-03-04

SOLD BY

Rep. Joanne ShofnerRHouse 11

+ 19 coauthors

ITEM

relating to requiring a sworn statement by certain foreign students enrolled at or employees of public institutions of higher education.

WHAT IT DOES

They sign that they aren’t agents of a hostile foreign nation.

The bill requires every Texas public college and university to make its students and employees who are not U.S. citizens or green card holders sign a statement saying they are not agents of a foreign nation hostile to the United States or Texas. It touches foreign students and foreign employees at public colleges, including people already enrolled or hired before the law starts. Schools must collect the signed statement, but the bill sets no penalty for refusing or for signing falsely, and it lets the Higher Education Coordinating Board write rules.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 2, 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 Higher Education
  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 formal meeting
  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.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Joanne Shofner

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$20KMontgomery Bennett$15,000Bill Patton$11,000

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 · Jul 3, 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$20,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$20,000.00

Cash
$20,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$20,000.00

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 23, 2025 to Oct 8, 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: 101007132, 101027774, 101071421.

Montgomery Bennett$15,000.00
Bill Patton$11,000.00
Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$20,000.00

Cash
$20,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$20,000.00

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 23, 2025 to Oct 8, 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: 101007132, 101027774, 101071421.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses35
For
1
Against
34
On
0
Names

For

  • Self1 registration

Against

  • Self32 registrations
  • Self; Grandparents for Public Schools1 registration
  • Self; Students Engaged in Advancing Texas1 registration
Sources

35 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 · May 2, 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 Mar 4, 2025

05/08/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

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
Benjamin BumgarnerRHouse 63 Cody HarrisRHouse 8 Caroline Harris DavilaRHouse 52 Richard HayesRHouse 57 Hillary HicklandRHouse 55 Janis HoltRHouse 18 Lacey HullRHouse 138 Helen KerwinRHouse 58 Mitch LittleRHouse 65 David LoweRHouse 91 Don McLaughlinRHouse 80 Will MetcalfRHouse 16 Matt MorganRHouse 26 Mike OlcottRHouse 60 Shelby SlawsonRHouse 59 Valoree SwansonRHouse 150 Ellen TroxclairRHouse 19 Cody VasutRHouse 25 Wes VirdellRHouse 53

House committee · Higher Education · Committee vote 9 aye, 2 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

Education--Higher--Faculty

Education--Higher--Institutions & Programs

Intergovernmental Relations

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD, TEXAS

Text

The text as introduced · 308 words

89R15599 CXP-D

By: Shofner
H.B. No. 3741

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to requiring a sworn statement by certain foreign students

enrolled at or employees of public institutions of higher

education.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 51.9092 to read as follows:

Sec. 51.9092. SWORN STATEMENT BY FOREIGN STUDENT OR

EMPLOYEE. (a) In this section, "institution of higher education"

has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003.

(b) This section applies only to a student or employee who

is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States.

(c) An institution of higher education shall require a

student enrolled at or employee of the institution to sign and

submit to the institution a statement certifying that the student

or employee is not an agent of a foreign adversary.

(d) A sworn statement under this section must include the

following:

"By signing this document, I affirm that I am not an agent of

a foreign nation hostile to the United States of America or the

State of Texas."

(e) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board may adopt

rules as necessary for the administration of this section.

SECTION 2. Section 51.9092, Education Code, as added by

this Act, applies to a student enrolled at or employee of a public

institution of higher education regardless of whether the student

or employee was enrolled at or hired by the institution before, on,

or after the effective date of this Act.

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.