HB 4697

justice and municipal court defendants can appear by video

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 a defendant's appearance by telephone or videoconference in a justice or municipal court.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Phone or video at any hearing, not just the listed ones.

The bill removes a limit so that justice and municipal court judges can let a defendant appear by phone or video at any hearing, not just the specific hearings currently listed in the law. It touches defendants in justice and municipal courts, mostly people facing fine-only cases, and the judges who run those courts. On the ground, a judge who finds that showing up in person would be an undue hardship can allow remote appearance for any hearing, starting September 1, 2025, including in cases already underway.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Mar 12, 2025 and referred to the House Criminal Jurisprudence committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4697 · 2025-03-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Linda GarciaDHouse 107

ITEM

relating to a defendant's appearance by telephone or videoconference in a justice or municipal court.

WHAT IT DOES

Phone or video at any hearing, not just the listed ones.

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 28, 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 12, 2025Filed
Apr 3, 2025Read first time
Apr 3, 2025Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence
Apr 29, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 29, 2025No action taken in committee

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Linda Garcia

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$14K Texas Sands PAC$8K Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$8K

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 1, 2024 to May 26, 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$14,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$14,000.00

Cash: $14,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $14,000.00

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 · Oct 22, 2024 to Dec 11, 2024. 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: 100984280.

Texas Sands PAC$8,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$8,000.00

Cash: $8,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $8,000.00

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 May 18, 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: 100984280, 101062624.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$7,500.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$7,500.00

Cash: $7,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $7,500.00

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 · Jun 24, 2025 to Mar 30, 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: 101011004, 101030065, 101062624.

Money

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

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$14,000.00

Cash: $14,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $14,000.00

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 · Oct 22, 2024 to Dec 11, 2024. 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: 100984280.

Texas Sands PAC

$8,000.00

Cash: $8,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $8,000.00

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 May 18, 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: 100984280, 101062624.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$7,500.00

Cash: $7,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $7,500.00

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 · Jun 24, 2025 to Mar 30, 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: 101011004, 101030065, 101062624.

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 28, 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 12, 2025

04/29/2025 H No action taken 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 · Criminal Jurisprudence · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

SB 539 by Johnson (identical)

Subjects

Courts--Administration

Courts--Judges

TELECONFERENCING

VIDEOCONFERENCING

Text

The text as introduced · 152 words

89R1185 CMO-F

By: Garcia of Dallas
H.B. No. 4697

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a defendant's appearance by telephone or

videoconference in a justice or municipal court.

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

SECTION 1. Article 45A.260, Code of Criminal Procedure, is

amended to read as follows:

Art. 45A.260. APPEARANCE BY TELEPHONE OR VIDEOCONFERENCE.

If the justice or judge determines that requiring a defendant to

appear before the justice or judge in person for a hearing [ under

Article 45A.258 or 45A.259 ] would impose an undue hardship on the

defendant, the justice or judge may allow the defendant to appear by

telephone or videoconference.

SECTION 2. Article 45A.260, Code of Criminal Procedure, as

amended by this Act, applies to a proceeding that commences before,

on, or after the effective date of this Act.

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