Vernon and Wichita Falls split up. Every state hospital gets its own superintendent.
The bill renames the North Texas State Hospital as the Vernon State Hospital and adds the Wichita Falls State Hospital, the Panhandle State Hospital and the Lubbock Psychiatric Center to the state's official lists of state hospitals. It touches the state health department, the hospitals it runs, and the patients and staff at those sites. On the ground, the Vernon and Wichita Falls campuses become separate hospitals, and the executive commissioner must require every state hospital to employ its own superintendent, starting September 1, 2025.
relating to certain state hospital names and the management of
state hospitals.
WHAT IT DOES
Vernon and Wichita Falls split up. Every state hospital gets its own superintendent.
The bill renames the North Texas State Hospital as the Vernon State Hospital and adds the Wichita Falls State Hospital, the Panhandle State Hospital and the Lubbock Psychiatric Center to the state's official lists of state hospitals. It touches the state health department, the hospitals it runs, and the patients and staff at those sites. On the ground, the Vernon and Wichita Falls campuses become separate hospitals, and the executive commissioner must require every state hospital to employ its own superintendent, starting September 1, 2025.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill requires a superintendent at every state hospital, which gives the newly split Wichita Falls and Vernon campuses, and the two new hospitals, their own top manager positions.
SIGNED FOR BY
House · 127 yea · 4 nay
Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay
Sources
House: Final passage · Apr 25, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
Senate: Final passage · May 14, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.
Sources
Senator Hagenbuch moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 913 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed
Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.
Sources
Senator Hagenbuch moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 913 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed
Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
The following bills which were considered on second reading on the previous legislative day on the local, consent, and resolutions calendar were laid before the house, read third time, and passed by the following record vote (members registering votes and the results of the vote are shown following the bill number). (Record 552): 125 Yeas, 6 Nays, 3 Present, not voting.
Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.
Yea: 127 (published)
Nay: 4 (published)
Present, not voting: 3 (published)
Absent: 9 (derived from named list)
Excused: 7 (derived from named list)
House journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.
Witnesses3
For
1
Against
0
On
2
Names
For
Self1 registration
On
Health and Human Services Commission2 registrations
Sources
3 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.
Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.
House committee · Public Health · Committee vote 12 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee
Senate committee · Health & Human Services · Committee vote 8 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee
Subjects
Hospitals
Mental Health & Substance Abuse
Weapons
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
Text
The text as introduced · 303 words
89R6113 EAS-D
By: Frank
H.B. No. 913
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to certain state hospital names and the management of
state hospitals.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 532.001(b), Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(b) The department includes community services operated by
the department and the following facilities:
(1) the central office of the department;
(2) the Austin State Hospital;
(3) the Big Spring State Hospital;
(4) the Kerrville State Hospital;
(5) the Rusk State Hospital;
(6) the San Antonio State Hospital;
(7) the Terrell State Hospital;
(8) the Vernon [ North Texas ] State Hospital;
(9) the Rio Grande State Center;
(10) the Waco Center for Youth; [ and ]
(11) the El Paso Psychiatric Center ;
(12) the Wichita Falls State Hospital;
(13) the Panhandle State Hospital; and
(14) the Lubbock Psychiatric Center .
SECTION 2. Section 552.002(a)(2), Health and Safety Code,
is amended to read as follows:
(2) "State hospital" means the following facilities:
(A) the Austin State Hospital;
(B) the Big Spring State Hospital;
(C) the El Paso Psychiatric Center;
(D) the Kerrville State Hospital;
(E) the Vernon [ North Texas ] State Hospital;
(F) the Rio Grande State Center;
(G) the Rusk State Hospital;
(H) the San Antonio State Hospital;
(I) the Terrell State Hospital; [ and ]
(J) the Waco Center for Youth ;
(K) the Wichita Falls State Hospital;
(L) the Panhandle State Hospital; and
(M) the Lubbock Psychiatric Center .
SECTION 3. Subchapter E, Chapter 552, Health and Safety
Code, is amended by adding Section 552.154 to read as follows:
Sec. 552.154. STATE HOSPITAL SUPERINTENDENT. The executive
commissioner by rule shall require each state hospital to employ a
superintendent.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
Monitoring 