HB 3789

bill rewrites who counts as a judge for handgun licenses

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review

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 issuance of a license to carry a handgun to certain active and retired judicial officers.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Federal judges living in Texas and visiting judges make the list.

The bill rewrites the state's definitions of active and retired judicial officers used for the handgun carry license rules for judges. It touches sitting judges in a long list of state, county, justice and municipal courts, federal judges living in Texas, family law associate judges, and visiting judges appointed to county-level and probate courts. The main visible change is that a visiting judge on a county or probate court qualifies no matter which law the appointment came under, so more judges can get the judicial officer carry license treatment starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 2828 (Died in committee). 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.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB3789 · 2025-03-05

SOLD BY

Rep. Cole HefnerRHouse 5

ITEM

relating to the issuance of a license to carry a handgun to certain active and retired judicial officers.

WHAT IT DOES

Federal judges living in Texas and visiting judges make the list.

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 13, 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

Mar 5, 2025Filed
Mar 26, 2025Read first time
Mar 26, 2025Referred to Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
Apr 14, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 14, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 14, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 14, 2025Left pending in committee

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Cole Hefner

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$108K Dustin Burrows Campaign$46K Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC$20K

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$107,878.12

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$107,878.12

Cash: $65,000.00
Paid by others: $42,878.12
Total: $107,878.12

mail $42,794.79fundraiser $83.33

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 17, 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: 100986158, 101009093, 101035205, 101069686.

Dustin Burrows Campaign$46,150.00

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$46,150.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $21,150.00
Total: $46,150.00

polling $21,150.00

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 · Sep 30, 2025 to Jan 6, 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: 101009093, 101031796.

Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC$20,000.00

Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC

$20,000.00

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

Also funds 90 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 16, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 23, 2025 to Oct 12, 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: 100986158, 101009093, 101035205, 101069686.

Money

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

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$107,878.12

Cash: $65,000.00
Paid by others: $42,878.12
Total: $107,878.12

mail $42,794.79fundraiser $83.33

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 17, 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: 100986158, 101009093, 101035205, 101069686.

Dustin Burrows Campaign

$46,150.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $21,150.00
Total: $46,150.00

polling $21,150.00

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 · Sep 30, 2025 to Jan 6, 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: 101009093, 101031796.

Gulf States Toyota Inc. State PAC

$20,000.00

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

Also funds 90 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 10, 2024 to Oct 16, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 23, 2025 to Oct 12, 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: 100986158, 101009093, 101035205, 101069686.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 13, 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 2828

by Rep. Hefner, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Mar 14, 2023: Referred to Community Safety, Select

Relating to the issuance of a license to carry a handgun to certain active and retired judicial officers.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 5, 2025

04/14/2025 H Left pending in committee

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 · Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

SB 890 by Paxton (identical)

Subjects

Courts--County & Statutory

Courts--Judges

Weapons

Text

The text as introduced · 303 words

89R1637 CJD-F

By: Hefner
H.B. No. 3789

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the issuance of a license to carry a handgun to certain

active and retired judicial officers.

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

SECTION 1. Sections 411.201(a)(1) and (3), Government Code,

are amended to read as follows:

(1) "Active judicial officer" means:

(A) a person serving as a judge or justice of the

supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, a court of appeals, a

district court, a criminal district court, a constitutional county

court, a statutory county court, a statutory probate court, a

justice court, or a municipal court;

(B) a federal judge who is a resident of this

state; or

(C) a person appointed and serving as an

associate judge under Chapter 201, Family Code.

(3) "Retired judicial officer" means:

(A) a visiting judge appointed to serve as the

judge of a constitutional county court, a statutory county court,

or a statutory probate court [ under Section 26.023 or 26.024 ];

(B) a senior judge designated under Section

75.001 or a judicial officer as designated or defined by Section

75.001, 831.001, or 836.001; or

(C) a retired federal judge who is a resident of

this state.

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

to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.

An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is

governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed,

and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For

purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the

effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred

before that date.

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