HB 4023: Raymond Bill Exempts Reserve Officers Only In Mid-Sized Border Counties

Caption

relating to the exemption of certain reserve peace officers from regulation as private security personnel.

Summary

Border county of 250,000 to 650,000? No security license. Everywhere else, the old exemption ends!

The bill ends an existing exemption outside certain border counties and widens it inside them, so a reserve peace officer working there as a guard, patrolman, extra job coordinator, or watchman for any private person, state agency, or local government no longer needs a private security license. Before, the exemption covered only reserve officers working for a county and paid solely by that county. Now it requires the approval of the agency head who granted reserve status, and it only applies in a county with a population between 250,000 and 650,000 that sits on an international border.

Corrected Oct 26, 2026 · We checked this summary against the bill text and fixed it.

Labels

Labels: ACROSS THE AISLE. Joint authors: 1 Republican, 1 Democrat. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.GOT HALFWAY. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Died in the Senate: never got out of the Criminal Justice committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4023 · 2025-03-07

SOLD BY

Rep. Richard Peña RaymondDHouse 42

Rep. Don McLaughlinRHouse 80

ITEM

relating to the exemption of certain reserve peace officers from regulation as private security personnel.

WHAT IT DOES

Border county of 250,000 to 650,000? No security license. Everywhere else, the old exemption ends!

The bill ends an existing exemption outside certain border counties and widens it inside them, so a reserve peace officer working there as a guard, patrolman, extra job coordinator, or watchman for any private person, state agency, or local government no longer needs a private security license. Before, the exemption covered only reserve officers working for a county and paid solely by that county. Now it requires the approval of the agency head who granted reserve status, and it only applies in a county with a population between 250,000 and 650,000 that sits on an international border.

Corrected Oct 26, 2026 · We checked this summary against the bill text and fixed it.

CHARGES

[x] BRACKET BILLanalysis confidence 75%

THE TEXT

…“population of at least 250,000 and no greater than 650,000 and”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The new exemption only works in a mid-sized county that also sits on an international border. That aims a statewide licensing change at a handful of border counties. The caption says only "certain reserve peace officers."

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version H · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version H · May 5, 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 7, 2025Filed
Mar 27, 2025Read first time
Mar 27, 2025Referred to Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
Apr 28, 2025Posting rule suspended
Apr 30, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 30, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 30, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
Apr 30, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 30, 2025Left pending in committee
May 1, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 1, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
May 1, 2025Recommended to be sent to Local & Consent
May 1, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
May 7, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 7, 2025Committee report distributed
May 8, 2025Comm. report sent to Local & Consent Calendar
May 8, 2025Considered in Local & Consent Calendars
May 10, 2025Placed on Local, Consent, and Res. Calendar
May 10, 2025Read 2nd time
May 10, 2025Passed to engrossment
May 10, 2025Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Read 3rd time
May 10, 2025Passed
May 10, 2025Record vote RV#1985
May 10, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
May 10, 2025Reported engrossed
May 12, 2025Received from the House
May 12, 2025Read first time
May 12, 2025Referred to Criminal Justice

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 123 yea · 5 nay

Sources

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

All floor motions and other positions below.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Richard Peña Raymond

Donors

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC$70KBlackstone Dilworth JR$65,000Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC$60K

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 17, 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.

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC$70,000.00

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC

$70,000.00

Cash: $70,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $70,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 30, 2024 to Sep 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 30, 2024 to Sep 28, 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: 100968808, 101007425, 101036903, 101073060.

Blackstone Dilworth JR$65,000.00

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC$60,000.00

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC

$60,000.00

Cash: $60,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $60,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 12, 2024 to Jul 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jul 9, 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: 100968808, 101070449.

Money

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

×

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC

$70,000.00

Cash: $70,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $70,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 30, 2024 to Sep 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 30, 2024 to Sep 28, 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: 100968808, 101007425, 101036903, 101073060.

×

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC

$60,000.00

Cash: $60,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $60,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 12, 2024 to Jul 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jul 9, 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: 100968808, 101070449.

Votes1

House May 10, 2025

Yea: 123
Nay: 5
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 7
Excused: 13

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 1985

HB 4023 (Bumgarner, Hopper, Hull, Leach, and Lowe - no) (123 - 5 - 2)

Shared roll motion

The following bills which were considered on second reading on the previous legislative day on the local, consent, and resolutions calendar were laid before the house, read third time, and passed by the following record vote (members registering votes and the results of the vote are shown following the bill number). (Record 1985): 128 Yeas, 0 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 123 (published)
Nay: 5 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 7 (derived from named list)
Excused: 13 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses7

For: 3
Against: 3
On: 1

Names

For

Self; Webb county deputy sheriffs association1 registration
Self; Webb County Fair Grounds1 registration
Self; Webb county fairgrounds1 registration

Against

ASSIST1 registration
Sheriffs’ Association of Texas1 registration
Texas Police Chiefs Association1 registration

On

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement1 registration

Sources

7 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 5, 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 7, 2025

05/12/2025 S Referred to Criminal Justice

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 5:38 PM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

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

Companion

SB 2502 by Zaffirini (identical)

Subjects

Education--Primary & Secondary--Other School Personnel

Law Enforcement

Occupational Regulation--Other Trades & Professions

PEACE OFFICERS

PRIVATE INVESTIGATORS & PRIVATE SECURITY AGENCIES

Text

The text as introduced · 362 words

By: Raymond
H.B. No. 4023

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the exemption of certain reserve peace officers from

regulation as private security personnel.

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

SECTION 1. Section 1702.322, Occupations Code, is amended

to read as follows:

Sec 1702.322. LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL. This chapter does

not apply to:

(1) a person who has full-time employment as a peace

officer and who receives compensation for private employment on an

individual or an independent contractor basis as a patrolman,

guard, extra job coordinator, or watchman if the officer:

(A) is employed in an employee-employer

relationship or employed on an individual contractual basis:

(i) directly by the recipient of the

services; or

(ii) by a company licensed under this

chapter;

(B) is not in the employ of another peace

officer;

(C) is not a reserve peace officer; and

(D) works as a peace officer on the average of at

least 32 hours a week, is compensated by the state or a political

subdivision of the state at least at the minimum wage, and is

entitled to all employee benefits offered to a peace officer by the

state or political subdivision;

(2) a reserve peace officer while the reserve officer

is performing guard, patrolman, extra job coordinator, or watchman

duties for any person or a state agency or political subdivision [ a

county ] and is being compensated [ solely ] by that person or agency

or subdivision [ county ]; and

(A) the chief administrator of the agency

granting the reserve status approves; and

(B) the duties are performed in a county with a

population of at least 250,000 and no greater than 650,000 and

located on an international border;

(3) a peace officer acting in an official capacity in

responding to a burglar alarm or detection device; or

(4) a person engaged in the business of electronic

monitoring of an individual as a condition of that individual's

community supervision, parole, mandatory supervision, or release

on bail, if the person does not perform any other service that

requires a license under this chapter.

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

Verdict: Smells

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC

PG Rental & Leasing Financial LLC

Wyatt Ranches of Texas LLC

House May 10, 2025

For

Against

On

Companion