HB 5131
Anchía Bill Requires A Medical Examiner In Counties Over 1M
Died in committee
Verdict: No flags
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 establishment of the office of medical examiner in certain counties.
Caption from analyzed text · version I.
Summary
The bar drops from 2.5M. Smaller counties can still opt in, or team up.
The bill requires every Texas county with more than one million people to set up and run a county medical examiner's office, lowering the old 2.5 million threshold. It touches the commissioners courts of large counties, while smaller counties keep the option to create an office. It also makes clear that two or more counties of any size may join to form a shared medical examiner district, starting September 1, 2025.
Labels
Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Mar 13, 2025 and referred to the House Intergovernmental Affairs subcommittee on County & Regional Government. No public hearing. The bill died.
Receipt
The receipt
89R-HB5131 · 2025-03-13
SOLD BY
ITEM
relating to the establishment of the office of medical examiner in certain counties.
WHAT IT DOES
The bar drops from 2.5M. Smaller counties can still opt in, or team up.
The bill requires every Texas county with more than one million people to set up and run a county medical examiner's office, lowering the old 2.5 million threshold. It touches the commissioners courts of large counties, while smaller counties keep the option to create an office. It also makes clear that two or more counties of any size may join to form a shared medical examiner district, starting September 1, 2025.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
HISTORY
- Filed
- Read first time
- Referred to s/c on County & Regional Government by Speaker
FILED UNDER
GOVERNMENT GROWTH UNDER A CONSERVATIVE BANNER
The bill orders more large counties to create and staff a medical examiner's office, which expands county government.
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
Donors
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 30, 2024 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.
Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$15,000.00
Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC
$15,000.00
- Cash
- $15,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $15,000.00
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.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 16, 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: 100988591, 101033306, 101072783.
Vistra Employee Political Action Committee of Vistra Corp.$13,500.00
Vistra Employee Political Action Committee of Vistra Corp.
$13,500.00
- Cash
- $13,500.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $13,500.00
Also funds 84 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Aug 14, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 16, 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: 100988591, 101033306, 101072783.
Blackridge$12,000.00
Blackridge
$12,000.00
- Cash
- $12,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $12,000.00
Also funds 86 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Aug 5, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Oct 13, 2025 to Aug 11, 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: 101033306, 101061466, 101071312.
Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.
Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC
$15,000.00
- Cash
- $15,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $15,000.00
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.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 16, 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: 100988591, 101033306, 101072783.
Vistra Employee Political Action Committee of Vistra Corp.
$13,500.00
- Cash
- $13,500.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $13,500.00
Also funds 84 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Aug 14, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Oct 15, 2024 to Oct 16, 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: 100988591, 101033306, 101072783.
Blackridge
$12,000.00
- Cash
- $12,000.00
- Paid by others
- $0.00
- Total
- $12,000.00
Also funds 86 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Aug 5, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.
TeamSources
Derived itemized flow · Oct 13, 2025 to Aug 11, 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: 101033306, 101061466, 101071312.
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 13, 2025
04/07/2025 H Referred to s/c on County & Regional Government by Speaker: Apr 7 2025 5:28PM
Texas Legislature Online · Introduced
Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:19 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.
House committee · Intergovernmental Affairs · Final status: Died in committee
Companion
SB 1370 by Parker (identical)
Subjects
County Government--General
Health--General
Text
The text as introduced · 229 words
89R13986 LRM-D By: Anchía H.B. No. 5131 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the establishment of the office of medical examiner in certain counties. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 1, Article 49.25, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 1. OFFICE REQUIRED IN CERTAIN COUNTIES AND AUTHORIZED IN OTHER COUNTIES . Subject to the provisions of this article, the commissioners court of any county with [ having ] a population of more than one [ 2.5 ] million shall establish and maintain the office of medical examiner, and the commissioners court of any county with a population of less than one million may establish and provide for the maintenance of the office of medical examiner. Population shall be according to the last preceding federal census. SECTION 2. Section 1-a(a), Article 49.25, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows: (a) The commissioners courts of two or more counties , regardless of population size, may enter into an agreement to create a medical examiners district and to jointly operate and maintain the office of medical examiner of the district. The district must include the entire area of all counties involved. The counties within the district must, when taken together, form a continuous area. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.