Monitoring the Session

HB 4899

Wilson Solicitation Bill Covers Texts And Any ‘Other Transmission’

Did not pass

Verdict: Smells

SmellsNeeds review
Rep. Terry M. WilsonRHouse 20
Why it's charged
Dragnet

THE CAPTION

“relating to private rights of action arising from certain”…

Caption, House committee report version (H)

THE TEXT

…“or other transmission, including a transmission of a text or”…

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

The committee statement aims at text messages, but the new definition covers any 'other transmission' a seller starts. That could reach other kinds of electronic sales messages beyond texts. The caption's broad wording about 'solicitation-related communications' partly discloses this, so confidence is low.

Dragnet

Needs review · Nov 1, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to private rights of action arising from certain solicitation-related communications.

Caption from analyzed text · version H.

Summary

Violations count as deceptive trade practices. Won these suits before? That can’t limit the next recovery.

The bill widens Texas telephone solicitation law so it covers text messages, images and any 'other transmission' a seller sends to get someone to buy or claim something. It touches sellers and telemarketers who contact Texans, and it opens the state's deceptive trade practices remedies to people who receive those messages. On the ground, more sales texts fall under the registration and telemarketing rules, violations can be sued on as deceptive trade practices, and a person who has won these lawsuits before cannot have that history used to limit future recovery.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development committee 10-0 on May 7, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4899 · 2025-03-13

SOLD BY

Rep. Terry M. WilsonRHouse 20

ITEM

relating to private rights of action arising from certain solicitation-related communications.

WHAT IT DOES

Violations count as deceptive trade practices. Won these suits before? That can’t limit the next recovery.

The bill widens Texas telephone solicitation law so it covers text messages, images and any 'other transmission' a seller sends to get someone to buy or claim something. It touches sellers and telemarketers who contact Texans, and it opens the state's deceptive trade practices remedies to people who receive those messages. On the ground, more sales texts fall under the registration and telemarketing rules, violations can be sued on as deceptive trade practices, and a person who has won these lawsuits before cannot have that history used to limit future recovery.

CHARGES

[x] DRAGNETanalysis confidence 35%

THE CAPTION

“relating to private rights of action arising from certain”…

Caption, House committee report version (H)

THE TEXT

…“or other transmission, including a transmission of a text or”…

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

The committee statement aims at text messages, but the new definition covers any 'other transmission' a seller starts. That could reach other kinds of electronic sales messages beyond texts. The caption's broad wording about 'solicitation-related communications' partly discloses this, so confidence is low.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 29, 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 Trade, Workforce & Economic Development
  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 public hearing
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  10. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  11. Committee report distributed
  12. Committee report sent to Calendars
FILED UNDER

SPEECH AND LAWFARE

THE TEXT

…“not limit recovery in a future legal proceeding in any manner.”

Bill text, House committee report version (H)

The bill lets repeat claimants keep suing over solicitation messages without their past recoveries being used against them, which widens a private lawsuit channel.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Terry M. Wilson

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$414KTexas Conservative Majority PAC$231KKenneth Mongold$25,000

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 29, 2024 to Oct 23, 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$413,658.18

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$413,658.18

Cash
$35,000.00
Paid by others
$378,658.18
Total
$413,658.18
mail $190,451.68advertising $178,456.50polling $8,750.00Other filed descriptions $1,000.00

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 · Jun 27, 2025 to Oct 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: 101007854, 101030352, 101067580, 101071564.

Texas Conservative Majority PAC$231,075.00

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$231,075.00

Cash
$50,000.00
Paid by others
$181,075.00
Total
$231,075.00
canvassing $157,125.00polling $23,950.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Aug 25, 2026 to Oct 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: 101067580, 101071564.

Kenneth Mongold$25,000.00
Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$413,658.18

Cash
$35,000.00
Paid by others
$378,658.18
Total
$413,658.18
mail $190,451.68advertising $178,456.50polling $8,750.00Other filed descriptions $1,000.00

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 · Jun 27, 2025 to Oct 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: 101007854, 101030352, 101067580, 101071564.

×

Texas Conservative Majority PAC

$231,075.00

Cash
$50,000.00
Paid by others
$181,075.00
Total
$231,075.00
canvassing $157,125.00polling $23,950.00

Also funds 42 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jan 23, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Aug 25, 2026 to Oct 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: 101067580, 101071564.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses4
For
4
Against
0
On
0
Names

For

  • Self4 registrations
Sources

4 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 I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 29, 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 H by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 13, 2025

05/14/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Nov 1, 2026 at 1:57 PM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Trade, Workforce & Economic Development · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Business & Commerce--General

Business & Commerce--Trade Practices

Civil Remedies & Liabilities

Consumer Protection

Utilities--Telecommunications

EMAIL & ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

TELEPHONES & TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES

Text

The text as introduced · 496 words

89R15698 SCR-F

By: Wilson
H.B. No. 4899

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to private rights of action arising from certain

solicitation-related communications.

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

SECTION 1. Section 302.001(7), Business & Commerce Code, is

amended to read as follows:

(7) "Telephone solicitation" means a [ telephone ] call

or other transmission, including a transmission of a text or

graphic message or of an image, initiated by a seller or salesperson

[ initiates ] to induce a person to purchase, rent, claim, or receive

an item. The term includes a telephone call a purchaser makes in

response to a solicitation sent by mail or made by any other means.

SECTION 2. Section 302.003, Business & Commerce Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 302.003. LIBERAL CONSTRUCTION AND APPLICATION. (a)

This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied to promote

its underlying purpose to protect persons and the public against

false, misleading, or deceptive practices in the telephone

solicitation business.

(b) The fact that a claimant has recovered under a private

action arising from a violation of this chapter more than once may

not limit recovery in a future legal proceeding in any manner.

SECTION 3. Section 304.005, Business & Commerce Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 304.005. LIBERAL CONSTRUCTION AND APPLICATION. (a)

This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied to promote

its underlying purpose to protect persons and the public against

false, misleading, abusive, or deceptive practices in the

telemarketing business.

(b) The fact that a claimant has recovered under a private

action arising from a violation of this chapter more than once may

not limit recovery in a future legal proceeding in any manner.

SECTION 4. Subchapter F, Chapter 304, Business & Commerce

Code, is amended by adding Section 304.2581 to read as follows:

Sec. 304.2581. DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES. (a) A violation

of this chapter is a false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice

under Subchapter E, Chapter 17.

(b) A public or private right or remedy prescribed by

Subchapter E, Chapter 17, may be used to enforce this chapter.

SECTION 5. Subchapter B, Chapter 305, Business & Commerce

Code, is amended by adding Sections 305.054 and 305.055 to read as

follows:

Sec. 305.054. DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES. (a) A violation

of this chapter is a false, misleading, or deceptive act or practice

under Subchapter E, Chapter 17.

(b) A public or private right or remedy prescribed by

Subchapter E, Chapter 17, may be used to enforce this chapter.

Sec. 305.055. CLAIMANT RECOVERY FOR VIOLATION. The fact

that a claimant has recovered under a private action arising from a

violation of this chapter more than once may not limit recovery in a

future legal proceeding in any manner.

SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

conduct that occurs on or after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.