Monitoring the Session

HB 525

bill letting traffic ticket defendants subpoena out-of-county officers

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Cody VasutRHouse 25

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 subpoena to compel the attendance of certain peace officers who are witnesses in a misdemeanor case punishable by fine only.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Fine-only misdemeanors get the same subpoena power as jailable ones.

The bill lets the state or the defendant subpoena a peace officer who lives outside the county to testify in a fine-only misdemeanor case, such as a traffic ticket. Right now that out-of-county subpoena power covers only jailable misdemeanors and felonies, so this touches defendants, prosecutors and officers in Class C cases. Starting with cases that begin on or after September 1, 2025, an out-of-county officer can be compelled to show up in a fine-only case and paid as a witness the same way as in felony cases.

Labels

Labels: PENDING FOREVER. Heard by the House Criminal Jurisprudence committee on Apr 15, 2025 and left pending. Never voted out. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB525 · 2024-11-12

SOLD BY

Rep. Cody VasutRHouse 25

+ 2 coauthors

ITEM

relating to a subpoena to compel the attendance of certain peace officers who are witnesses in a misdemeanor case punishable by fine only.

WHAT IT DOES

Fine-only misdemeanors get the same subpoena power as jailable ones.

The bill lets the state or the defendant subpoena a peace officer who lives outside the county to testify in a fine-only misdemeanor case, such as a traffic ticket. Right now that out-of-county subpoena power covers only jailable misdemeanors and felonies, so this touches defendants, prosecutors and officers in Class C cases. Starting with cases that begin on or after September 1, 2025, an out-of-county officer can be compelled to show up in a fine-only case and paid as a witness the same way as in felony cases.

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 14, 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 Criminal Jurisprudence
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Left pending in committee
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Cody Vasut

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$40KTexas REALTORS Political Action Committee$13KTexas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC$11K

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 19, 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$40,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$40,000.00

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

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 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: 101005740, 101033392, 101072869.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$12,750.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$12,750.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$250.00
Total
$12,750.00
advertising $250.00

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 · Dec 12, 2024 to Oct 1, 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: 100981647, 101005740, 101062767, 101072869.

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC$11,000.00

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC

$11,000.00

Cash
$11,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$11,000.00

Also funds 65 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 3, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jun 2, 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: 100981647, 101033392, 101062767.

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$40,000.00

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

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 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: 101005740, 101033392, 101072869.

×

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$12,750.00

Cash
$12,500.00
Paid by others
$250.00
Total
$12,750.00
advertising $250.00

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 · Dec 12, 2024 to Oct 1, 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: 100981647, 101005740, 101062767, 101072869.

×

Texas Food & Fuel Assn. - PAC

$11,000.00

Cash
$11,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$11,000.00

Also funds 65 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 3, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 12, 2024 to Jun 2, 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: 100981647, 101033392, 101062767.

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 14, 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 Nov 12, 2024

04/15/2025 H Left pending 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.

Coauthors
Joanne ShofnerRHouse 11 Valoree SwansonRHouse 150

House committee · Criminal Jurisprudence · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Criminal Procedure--General

Law Enforcement

PEACE OFFICERS

WITNESSES

Text

The text as introduced · 299 words

89R2279 CJD-F

By: Vasut
H.B. No. 525

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a subpoena to compel the attendance of certain peace

officers who are witnesses in a misdemeanor case punishable by fine

only.

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

SECTION 1. Article 24.16, Code of Criminal Procedure, is

amended to read as follows:

Art. 24.16. APPLICATION FOR OUT-COUNTY WITNESS. In [ Where,

in ] misdemeanor cases in which confinement in jail is a permissible

punishment, or in felony cases, if a witness resides out of the

county in which the prosecution is pending, or in a misdemeanor case

punishable by fine only, if a peace officer is a witness residing

out of the county in which the prosecution is pending, the state

[ State ] or the defendant is [ shall be ] entitled, either in

term-time or in vacation, to a subpoena to compel the attendance of

the [ such ] witness on application to the proper clerk or

magistrate. The [ Such ] application must [ shall ] be in the manner

and form as provided in Article 24.03. Witnesses in [ such ]

misdemeanor cases shall be compensated in the same manner as in

felony cases. This article does [ Article shall ] not apply to more

than one character witness in a misdemeanor case.

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only

to a criminal proceeding that commences on or after the effective

date of this Act. A criminal proceeding that commences before the

effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the

date the proceeding commenced, and the former law is continued in

effect for that purpose.

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