HB 491: bill saying where massage therapy civil penalties go

Caption

relating to certain civil penalties collected for violations of laws regulating massage therapy.

Summary

County attorney wins, county general fund. City attorney wins, city fund.

The bill says where civil penalty money goes when a local prosecutor sues over a massage therapy law violation. If a district or county attorney wins the penalty, it goes to that county's general fund, and if a city attorney wins it, it goes to the city's general fund. Counties and cities that bring these cases keep the money they recover, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 444 (Died in committee) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 444 (Died in committee). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.CROSS-PARTY HANDOFF. Lead author Senfronia Thompson (D) in the House. Lead sponsor Bob Hall (R) in the Senate. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.QUICK READ: 125 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 125 words, counting the existing law it amends and the text it strikes. The median 89R bill as filed runs 441 words (derived, 8,702 graded bills, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).GOT HALFWAY. Passed the House on Apr 25, 2025. Died in the Senate: left pending in the Business & Commerce committee.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB491 · 2024-11-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Senfronia ThompsonDHouse 141

Rep. Armando WalleDHouse 140

Rep. Jolanda "Jo" JonesDHouse 147

ITEM

relating to certain civil penalties collected for violations of laws regulating massage therapy.

WHAT IT DOES

County attorney wins, county general fund. City attorney wins, city fund.

The bill says where civil penalty money goes when a local prosecutor sues over a massage therapy law violation. If a district or county attorney wins the penalty, it goes to that county's general fund, and if a city attorney wins it, it goes to the city's general fund. Counties and cities that bring these cases keep the money they recover, starting September 1, 2025.

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 22, 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

Nov 12, 2024Filed
Feb 28, 2025Read first time
Feb 28, 2025Referred to Licensing & Administrative Procedures
Mar 25, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Mar 25, 2025Considered in public hearing
Mar 25, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
Mar 25, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Mar 25, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 1, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 1, 2025Committee substitute considered in committee
Apr 1, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
Apr 11, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
Apr 14, 2025Committee report distributed
Apr 15, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
Apr 22, 2025Considered in Calendars
Apr 24, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
Apr 24, 2025Read 2nd time
Apr 24, 2025Passed to engrossment
Apr 24, 2025Record vote RV#510
Apr 24, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
Apr 25, 2025Read 3rd time
Apr 25, 2025Passed
Apr 25, 2025Record vote RV#561
Apr 25, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
Apr 25, 2025Reported engrossed
Apr 28, 2025Received from the House
Apr 29, 2025Read first time
Apr 29, 2025Referred to Business & Commerce
May 23, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
May 23, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 23, 2025Testimony taken in committee
May 23, 2025Left pending in committee

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 132 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · Apr 25, 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

Senfronia Thompson

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$40K Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$23K Texas Sands PAC$14K

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 18, 2024 to Oct 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$40,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$40,000.00

Cash: $40,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $40,000.00

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 · Oct 16, 2024 to Sep 29, 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: 100991261, 101012357, 101035257, 101068783.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$22,500.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$22,500.00

Cash: $22,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $22,500.00

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 · Oct 31, 2024 to Oct 7, 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: 100991261, 101012357, 101035257, 101068783.

Texas Sands PAC$14,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$14,000.00

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

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 · Dec 4, 2024 to Jun 22, 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: 101011899, 101012357, 101035257.

Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$40,000.00

Cash: $40,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $40,000.00

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 · Oct 16, 2024 to Sep 29, 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: 100991261, 101012357, 101035257, 101068783.

×

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$22,500.00

Cash: $22,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $22,500.00

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 · Oct 31, 2024 to Oct 7, 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: 100991261, 101012357, 101035257, 101068783.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$14,000.00

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

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 · Dec 4, 2024 to Jun 22, 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: 101011899, 101012357, 101035257.

Votes2

House Apr 25, 2025

Yea: 132
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: 1
Absent: 8
Excused: 9

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 561

HB 491 was passed by (Record 561): 132 Yeas, 0 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 132 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: 1 (published)
Absent: 8 (derived from named list)
Excused: 9 (derived from named list)

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

House Apr 24, 2025

Yea: 143
Nay: 1
Present, not voting: 1
Absent: 1
Excused: 4

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 510

CSHB 491 was passed to engrossment by (Record 510): 143 Yeas, 1 Nays, 1 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 143 (published)
Nay: 1 (published)
Present, not voting: 1 (published)
Absent: 1 (derived from named list)
Excused: 4 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses8

For: 7
Against: 0
On: 1

Names

For

Conference of Urban Counties1 registration
Harris County Commissioners Court1 registration
Office of Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare1 registration
Self; Children at Risk1 registration
Self; Fort Bend County Attorney1 registration
Street Grace1 registration
Travis County Commissioners Court1 registration

On

TDLR1 registration

Sources

8 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 fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 22, 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.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R HB 444

by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Apr 25, 2023: Referred to Business & Commerce

Relating to certain civil penalties collected for violations of laws regulating massage therapy.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 12, 2024

05/23/2025 S Left pending in committee

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report · Engrossed

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Companion

SB 2948 by Hall (identical)

Subjects

City Government--Finance

Civil Remedies & Liabilities

County Government--Finance

Crimes--Against Persons--Sexual

Occupational Regulation--Other Trades & Professions

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

MASSAGE THERAPY & MASSAGE THERAPISTS

Text

The text as introduced · 125 words

89R690 JTZ-F

By: Thompson
H.B. No. 491

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to certain civil penalties collected for violations of

laws regulating massage therapy.

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

SECTION 1. Section 455.351, Occupations Code, is amended by

adding Subsection (f-1) to read as follows:

(f-1) A civil penalty recovered in an action by a district

or county attorney under this section shall be deposited to the

credit of the general fund of the county where the court is located.

A civil penalty recovered in an action by a municipal attorney under

this section shall be deposited to the credit of the general fund of

the municipality.

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

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

Texas Sands PAC

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

Texas Sands PAC

House Apr 25, 2025

House Apr 24, 2025

For

On

88R HB 444

Companion