HB 5318

Louderback Bill Lets Attorney General Take Riot Cases After Six Months

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 the authority of the attorney general to prosecute certain criminal offenses against public order.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Riots and highway obstruction on state property. Police send the attorney general every probable-cause report.

The bill lets the Texas attorney general prosecute riot and highway-obstruction offenses that happen on state-owned or state-maintained property if the local prosecutor has not acted within six months. It touches police agencies, which must send a copy of every probable-cause report on these offenses to the attorney general, and local prosecutors, who must share investigation information when the attorney general asks. On the ground, a state-level prosecutor gets a backup path to bring these cases when a local district or county attorney sits on them, starting with offenses on or after September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: PENDING FOREVER. Heard by the House State Affairs committee on Apr 30, 2025 and left pending. Never voted out. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB5318 · 2025-03-14

SOLD BY

Rep. AJ LouderbackRHouse 30

ITEM

relating to the authority of the attorney general to prosecute certain criminal offenses against public order.

WHAT IT DOES

Riots and highway obstruction on state property. Police send the attorney general every probable-cause report.

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 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

Mar 14, 2025Filed
Apr 7, 2025Read first time
Apr 7, 2025Referred to State Affairs
Apr 30, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 30, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 30, 2025Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
Apr 30, 2025Left pending in committee

FILED UNDER

SPEECH AND LAWFARE

THE TEXT

…“the attorney general has jurisdiction to prosecute and may”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The bill gives a statewide prosecutor a path to charge riot and highway-obstruction offenses on state property when local prosecutors decline, which bears on how protest-related conduct gets prosecuted.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

AJ Louderback

Donors

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC$50K Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$28K Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$25K

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 27, 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 Truth and Liberty PAC$50,000.00

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$50,000.00

Cash: $50,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $50,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 26, 2025 to Oct 6, 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: 101009033, 101071885.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$27,500.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$27,500.00

Cash: $27,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $27,500.00

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 · Dec 9, 2024 to Oct 5, 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: 100988974, 101009033, 101059497, 101071885.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$25,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

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 · Sep 30, 2026 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: 101071885.

Money

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

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$50,000.00

Cash: $50,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $50,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 26, 2025 to Oct 6, 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: 101009033, 101071885.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$27,500.00

Cash: $27,500.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $27,500.00

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 · Dec 9, 2024 to Oct 5, 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: 100988974, 101009033, 101059497, 101071885.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$25,000.00

Cash: $25,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $25,000.00

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 · Sep 30, 2026 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: 101071885.

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 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 I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 14, 2025

04/30/2025 H Left pending in committee

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 · State Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

SB 1650 by Flores (identical)

Subjects

Courts--District

Courts--Prosecuting Attorneys

Crimes--Miscellaneous

Criminal Procedure--General

Highways

Law Enforcement

Property Interests--Real Property

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Text

The text as introduced · 383 words

89R13472 AMF-D

By: Louderback
H.B. No. 5318

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of the attorney general to prosecute

certain criminal offenses against public order.

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 402, Government Code, is amended by

adding Subchapter D to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER D. PROSECUTION OF CERTAIN CRIMINAL OFFENSES AGAINST

PUBLIC ORDER

Sec. 402.101. APPLICABILITY. This subchapter applies to a

criminal offense under:

(1) Section 42.02, Penal Code, if the offense occurs

on real property owned or leased by this state; or

(2) Section 42.03, Penal Code, if the offense occurs

on a highway or other area described by Section 42.03(a)(1), Penal

Code, owned or maintained by this state.

Sec. 402.102. PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO ATTORNEY GENERAL.

(a) A law enforcement agency that submits to a local prosecuting

attorney a report stating there is probable cause to believe an

identified person has committed a criminal offense described by

Section 402.101 shall simultaneously submit a copy of that report

to the attorney general.

(b) On request of the attorney general, a local prosecuting

attorney or law enforcement agency shall provide information

regarding investigations of criminal offenses described by Section

402.101 to assist the attorney general in performing duties

required under this subchapter.

Sec. 402.103. PROSECUTION. Notwithstanding any other law,

the attorney general has jurisdiction to prosecute and may

prosecute a criminal offense described by Section 402.101 if:

(1) a law enforcement agency submits a report

described by Section 402.102(a) to the local prosecuting attorney

and the attorney general; and

(2) six months have elapsed from the date the report

was submitted and the local prosecuting attorney has not initiated

proceedings to prosecute the offense.

SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An

offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed

by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the

former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of

this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of

this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.

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