Monitoring the Session

HB 4687

certain charter campuses get school district lawsuit immunity

Became law

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Barbara Gervin-HawkinsDHouse 120

Initial review · graded Oct 22, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the applicability of certain immunity and liability laws to certain charter school campuses or programs.

Caption from analyzed text · version E.

Summary

Adult education charter holders, employees, volunteers and board members too.

The bill gives certain charter campuses and programs, and adult education charter holders, the same legal immunity from lawsuits and damages that school districts already have. It covers those charter operators along with their employees, volunteers and governing board members. Once it takes effect, people who sue these charter operators face the same immunity barriers they would face suing a school district.

Labels

Labels: INSTANT LAW. Took effect immediately, on Jun 20, 2025. 833 of the 1,185 graded 89R laws took effect Sep 1, 2025 (derived from the bill histories, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).CROSS-PARTY HANDOFF. Lead author Barbara Gervin-Hawkins (D) in the House. Lead sponsor Paul Bettencourt (R) in the Senate. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.ACROSS THE AISLE. Joint authors: 1 Republican, 1 Democrat. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4687 · 2025-03-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Barbara Gervin-HawkinsDHouse 120 Rep. Terri Leo WilsonRHouse 23

ITEM

relating to the applicability of certain immunity and liability laws to certain charter school campuses or programs.

WHAT IT DOES

Adult education charter holders, employees, volunteers and board members too.

The bill gives certain charter campuses and programs, and adult education charter holders, the same legal immunity from lawsuits and damages that school districts already have. It covers those charter operators along with their employees, volunteers and governing board members. Once it takes effect, people who sue these charter operators face the same immunity barriers they would face suing a school district.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 21, 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 Public Education
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  7. Left pending in committee
  8. Considered in formal meeting
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  10. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  11. Committee report distributed
  12. Committee report sent to Calendars
  13. Considered in Calendars
  14. Placed on General State Calendar
  15. Read 2nd time
  16. Amended 1-Hinojosa
  17. Passed to engrossment as amended
  18. Record vote RV#2358
  19. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  20. Read 3rd time
  21. Passed
  22. Record vote RV#2447
  23. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  24. Reported engrossed
  25. Received from the House
  26. Read first time
  27. Referred to Education K-16
  28. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  29. Considered in public hearing
  30. Testimony taken in committee
  31. Left pending in committee
  32. Considered in public hearing
  33. Vote taken in committee
  34. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  35. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  36. Committee report printed and distributed
  37. Placed on intent calendar
  38. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  39. Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading
  40. Vote recorded in Journal
  41. Three day rule suspended
  42. Record vote
  43. Read 3rd time
  44. Passed
  45. Record vote
  46. Senate passage reported
  47. Reported enrolled
  48. Signed in the House
  49. Signed in the Senate
  50. Sent to the Governor
  51. Signed by the Governor
  52. Effective immediately
FILED UNDER

SPEECH AND LAWFARE

THE TEXT

…“eligible entity granted a charter under this subchapter is immune”…

Bill text, engrossed version (E)

The bill extends a lawsuit shield, school-district-level immunity from liability and suit, to adult education charter holders and their staff and board members.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 115 yea · 27 nay

Senate · 29 yea · 2 nay

Sources

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

Senate: Final passage · May 27, 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

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Barbara Gervin-Hawkins

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$36KTexas Sands PAC$34KLegacy 44$17K

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 6, 2024 to Feb 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.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$36,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$36,000.00

Cash
$36,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$36,000.00

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 · Sep 20, 2024 to Feb 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: 100981675, 101026167, 101035798, 101038806.

Texas Sands PAC$34,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$34,000.00

Cash
$34,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$34,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 1, 2024 to Feb 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: 100981675, 101038806.

Legacy 44$17,000.00

Legacy 44

$17,000.00

Cash
$1,000.00
Paid by others
$16,000.00
Total
$17,000.00
digital $16,000.00

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 · Nov 18, 2024 to Feb 20, 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: 100981675, 101038806.

Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$36,000.00

Cash
$36,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$36,000.00

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 · Sep 20, 2024 to Feb 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: 100981675, 101026167, 101035798, 101038806.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$34,000.00

Cash
$34,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$34,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 1, 2024 to Feb 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: 100981675, 101038806.

×

Legacy 44

$17,000.00

Cash
$1,000.00
Paid by others
$16,000.00
Total
$17,000.00
digital $16,000.00

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 · Nov 18, 2024 to Feb 20, 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: 100981675, 101038806.

Votes5

Senate May 27, 2025

Yea
29
Nay
2
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2. (Same as previous roll call)

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

  • Yea: 29 (published)
  • Nay: 2 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Senate May 27, 2025

Yea
29
Nay
2
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Bettencourt moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 4687 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2.

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

  • Yea: 29 (published)
  • Nay: 2 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Senate May 27, 2025

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

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

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

Senator Bettencourt moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration HB 4687 at this time on its second reading: HB 4687, Relating to the applicability of certain immunity and liability laws to certain charter school campuses or programs. The motion prevailed. Senators Miles and Sparks asked to be recorded as voting "Nay" on suspension of the regular order of business. The bill was read second time and was passed to third reading by a viva voce vote.

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

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

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

House May 14, 2025

Yea
115
Nay
27
Present, not voting
2
Absent
3
Excused
3
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 2447

HB 4687 was passed by (Record 2447): 115 Yeas, 27 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 115 (published)
  • Nay: 27 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 3 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 3 (derived from named list)

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

House May 13, 2025

Yea
116
Nay
23
Present, not voting
2
Absent
5
Excused
4
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 2358

HB 4687, as amended, was passed to engrossment by (Record 2358): 116 Yeas, 23 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 116 (published)
  • Nay: 23 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 5 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 4 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses20
For
12
Against
6
On
2
Names

For

  • AList Consulting2 registrations
  • DFER TX2 registrations
  • Goodwill central texas excel center superintendent1 registration
  • Goodwill Central Texas, The Excel Center Adult High School1 registration
  • New Heights1 registration
  • Self3 registrations
  • Self; Schulman Lopez Hoffer & Adelstein1 registration
  • Self; Schulman Lopez Hoffer & Adelstein LLP1 registration

Against

  • Self4 registrations
  • Self; Texas AFT1 registration
  • Texas state teachers association1 registration

On

  • TEA2 registrations
Sources

20 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.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 21, 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 E by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 12, 2025

06/20/2025 E Effective immediately

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed · Senate Committee Report · Enrolled

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Sponsors
Paul BettencourtRSenate 7

House committee · Public Education · Committee vote 14 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Education K-16 · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Civil Remedies & Liabilities

Education--Primary & Secondary--Charter Schools

Text

The text as introduced · 280 words

89R8109 AND-D

By: Gervin-Hawkins
H.B. No. 4687

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the applicability of certain immunity and liability

laws to certain charter school campuses or programs.

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

SECTION 1. Section 12.057(c), Education Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(c) A campus or program granted a charter under Section

12.052, 12.0521(a)(1), or 12.053 is immune from liability to the

same extent as a school district, and its employees and volunteers

are immune from liability to the same extent as school district

employees and volunteers. A member of the governing body of the

campus or program is immune from liability and suit to the same

extent as a school district trustee.

SECTION 2. Subchapter G, Chapter 12, Education Code, is

amended by adding Section 12.2525 to read as follows:

Sec. 12.2525. IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY AND SUIT. In matters

related to the operation of an adult education program under a

charter granted under this subchapter, an eligible entity is immune

from liability and suit to the same extent as a school district, and

its employees and volunteers are immune from liability and suit to

the same extent as school district employees and volunteers. A

member of the governing body of the entity is immune from liability

and suit to the same extent as a school district trustee.

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.