HB 945

bill letting justices of the peace issue blood warrants

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 a justice of the peace to issue a search warrant to collect a blood specimen from a person arrested for certain intoxication criminal offenses.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Lawyer or not, for drunk driving arrests who refuse testing.

The bill lets a justice of the peace issue a search warrant to draw blood from a person arrested for drunk driving and related intoxication offenses who refuses a breath or blood test. Today that power is limited to magistrates who are licensed attorneys, so the bill extends it to justices of the peace whether or not they are lawyers. On the ground, police in places without a lawyer-magistrate on hand can get a blood-draw warrant from a local justice of the peace starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 1131 (Did not pass) 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 1131 (Did not pass). 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.QUICK READ: 145 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 145 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).NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Nov 12, 2024 and referred to the House Criminal Jurisprudence committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB945 · 2024-11-12

SOLD BY

Rep. David SpillerRHouse 68

ITEM

relating to the authority of a justice of the peace to issue a search warrant to collect a blood specimen from a person arrested for certain intoxication criminal offenses.

WHAT IT DOES

Lawyer or not, for drunk driving arrests who refuse testing.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

Nov 12, 2024Filed
Mar 6, 2025Read first time
Mar 6, 2025Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

David Spiller

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$40KMax Poynor$10,000Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$10K

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 28, 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 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 24, 2025 to Oct 18, 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: 101009978, 101031338, 101071836.

Max Poynor$10,000.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee$10,000.00

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$10,000.00

Cash: $10,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $10,000.00

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 Jun 30, 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: 100987103, 101057871.

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 24, 2025 to Oct 18, 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: 101009978, 101031338, 101071836.

Texas REALTORS Political Action Committee

$10,000.00

Cash: $10,000.00
Paid by others: $0.00
Total: $10,000.00

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 Jun 30, 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: 100987103, 101057871.

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.

FILED BEFORE

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

88R HB 1131

by Rep. Spiller, same lead author · Did not pass · same text

Introduced text

Last action, May 8, 2023: Committee report sent to Calendars

Relating to the authority of a justice of the peace to issue a search warrant to collect a blood specimen from a person arrested for certain intoxication criminal offenses.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 12, 2024

03/06/2025 H Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence: Mar 6 2025 11:42AM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

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

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

Subjects

Vehicles & Traffic--DWI & DUID

BLOOD & MEDICAL TESTS

DRUG & ALCOHOL TESTING

JUSTICE OF THE PEACE

SEARCH WARRANTS

Text

The text as introduced · 145 words

89R3248 CJD-D

By: Spiller
H.B. No. 945

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the authority of a justice of the peace to issue a

search warrant to collect a blood specimen from a person arrested

for certain intoxication criminal offenses.

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

SECTION 1. Article 18.01(j), Code of Criminal Procedure, is

amended to read as follows:

(j) A [ Any ] magistrate who is an attorney licensed by this

state or a justice of the peace may issue a search warrant under

Article 18.02(a)(10) to collect a blood specimen from a person who:

(1) is arrested for an offense under Section 49.04,

49.045, 49.05, 49.06, 49.061, 49.065, 49.07, or 49.08, Penal Code;

and

(2) refuses to submit to a breath or blood alcohol

test.

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