Monitoring the Session

HB 4418

bill letting local prosecutors enforce the hotel trafficking law

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Eddie MoralesDHouse 74

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 authority of a county attorney or district attorney to enforce human trafficking awareness and prevention in commercial lodging establishments.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

County and district attorneys join the attorney general.

The bill lets county attorneys and district attorneys, not just the attorney general, enforce the existing state law on human trafficking awareness and prevention in hotels and other commercial lodging. Local prosecutors must give a hotel operator written notice and 30 days to fix a violation, and then may sue for civil penalties, court orders and their costs in the county where the violation happened. Penalties won by a local prosecutor go to that county instead of the state, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Mar 11, 2025 and referred to the House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4418 · 2025-03-11

SOLD BY

Rep. Eddie MoralesDHouse 74

ITEM

relating to the authority of a county attorney or district attorney to enforce human trafficking awareness and prevention in commercial lodging establishments.

WHAT IT DOES

County and district attorneys join the attorney general.

The bill lets county attorneys and district attorneys, not just the attorney general, enforce the existing state law on human trafficking awareness and prevention in hotels and other commercial lodging. Local prosecutors must give a hotel operator written notice and 30 days to fix a violation, and then may sue for civil penalties, court orders and their costs in the county where the violation happened. Penalties won by a local prosecutor go to that county instead of the state, starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Trade, Workforce & Economic Development
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Eddie Morales

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$101KLegacy 44$100KTexas REALTORS Political Action Committee$57K

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 27, 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.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$101,077.16

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$101,077.16

Cash
$80,000.00
Paid by others
$21,077.16
Total
$101,077.16
mailers $21,077.16

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 · Oct 27, 2024 to Oct 1, 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: 100983216, 101059340, 101067651, 101071574.

Legacy 44$100,000.00

Legacy 44

$100,000.00

Cash
$30,000.00
Paid by others
$70,000.00
Total
$100,000.00
digital $70,000.00

Also funds 33 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 21, 2024 to Oct 20, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 29, 2024 to Sep 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: 100983216, 101067651.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$56,517.22

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$56,517.22

Cash
$37,500.00
Paid by others
$19,017.22
Total
$56,517.22
mail $18,992.22grassroots $25.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 2, 2024 to Sep 2, 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: 100983216, 101031005, 101067651.

Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$101,077.16

Cash
$80,000.00
Paid by others
$21,077.16
Total
$101,077.16
mailers $21,077.16

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 · Oct 27, 2024 to Oct 1, 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: 100983216, 101059340, 101067651, 101071574.

×

Legacy 44

$100,000.00

Cash
$30,000.00
Paid by others
$70,000.00
Total
$100,000.00
digital $70,000.00

Also funds 33 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Oct 21, 2024 to Oct 20, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 29, 2024 to Sep 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: 100983216, 101067651.

×

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$56,517.22

Cash
$37,500.00
Paid by others
$19,017.22
Total
$56,517.22
mail $18,992.22grassroots $25.00

Also funds 140 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 2, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Nov 2, 2024 to Sep 2, 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: 100983216, 101031005, 101067651.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Fiscal

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

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 11, 2025

04/02/2025 H Referred to Trade, Workforce & Economic Development: Apr 2 2025 11:48AM

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 · Trade, Workforce & Economic Development · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

SB 2105 by Blanco (identical)

Subjects

Business & Commerce--General

City Government--Employees/Officers

Civil Remedies & Liabilities

County Government--Employees/Officers

Courts--District

Courts--Prosecuting Attorneys

Crimes--Against Persons--General

Crimes--Against Persons--Sexual

HOTELS & MOTELS

Text

The text as introduced · 388 words

89R4345 BCH-D

By: Morales of Maverick
H.B. No. 4418

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of a county attorney or district attorney

to enforce human trafficking awareness and prevention in commercial

lodging establishments.

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

SECTION 1. Section 114.0102, Business & Commerce Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 114.0102. OPPORTUNITY TO CURE. If the attorney

general or the county or district attorney of the county in which a

commercial lodging establishment is located has reason to believe

an operator of a commercial lodging establishment has violated this

chapter, the attorney general , county attorney, or district

attorney shall provide written notice to the operator that:

(1) describes the operator's violation;

(2) states that the commercial lodging establishment

may be liable for a civil penalty if the operator does not cure the

violation before the 30th day after the date the operator receives

the notice; and

(3) includes the maximum potential civil penalty that

may be imposed for the violation.

SECTION 2. Section 114.0104, Business & Commerce Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 114.0104. ACTION BY ATTORNEY GENERAL OR COUNTY OR

DISTRICT ATTORNEY . (a) The attorney general or a county attorney

or district attorney may bring an action in the name of the state:

(1) to recover a civil penalty imposed under Section

114.0103; or

(2) for injunctive relief to require compliance with

this chapter.

(b) An action under this section by the attorney general may

be brought in a district court in:

(1) Travis County; or

(2) a county in which any part of the violation or

threatened violation occurs.

(b-1) An action under this section by a county attorney or

district attorney shall be brought in a district court in a county

in which any part of the violation or threatened violation occurs.

(c) The attorney general , county attorney, or district

attorney may recover reasonable expenses incurred in obtaining

injunctive relief or a civil penalty under this section, including

court costs, reasonable attorney's fees, and investigatory costs.

(d) A civil penalty recovered by a county attorney or

district attorney under this section is payable to the county in

which the district court that heard the action is located.

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