SB 1088
Eckhardt’s bill raises reckless driving penalty after injury crashes
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 increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of reckless driving.
Caption from analyzed text · version I.
Summary
Class B misdemeanor with high speeds or a portable wireless device.
The bill raises the penalty for reckless driving to a Class B misdemeanor when the driver causes a crash that injures someone. The higher penalty applies only if the driver was also going 20 mph or more over the limit in an urban district, 30 mph or more over outside one, or using a portable wireless device. Prosecutors may also charge under this section, under any other law that covers the same conduct, or under both, starting with offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025.
Labels
Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Feb 4, 2025 and referred to the Senate Transportation committee. No public hearing. The bill died.
Receipt
The receipt
89R-SB1088 · 2025-02-04
SOLD BY
ITEM
relating to increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of reckless driving.
WHAT IT DOES
Class B misdemeanor with high speeds or a portable wireless device.
The bill raises the penalty for reckless driving to a Class B misdemeanor when the driver causes a crash that injures someone. The higher penalty applies only if the driver was also going 20 mph or more over the limit in an urban district, 30 mph or more over outside one, or using a portable wireless device. Prosecutors may also charge under this section, under any other law that covers the same conduct, or under both, starting with offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
HISTORY
- Received by the Secretary of the Senate
- Filed
- Read first time
- Referred to Transportation
FILED UNDER
No verified beat found.
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 1, 2024 to Oct 24, 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.
Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.
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 Senate · Filed Feb 4, 2025
02/24/2025 S Referred to Transportation
Texas Legislature Online · Introduced
Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.
Senate committee · Transportation · Final status: Died in committee
Subjects
Vehicles & Traffic--Rules of Road
Text
The text as introduced · 342 words
89R10980 MZM-F By: Eckhardt S.B. No. 1088 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of reckless driving. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 545.401, Transportation Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsections (b-1) and (e) to read as follows: (b) Subject to Subsection (b-1), an [ An ] offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by: (1) a fine not to exceed $200; (2) confinement in county jail for not more than 30 days; or (3) both the fine and the confinement. (b-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), an offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor if it is shown on the trial of the offense that: (1) as a result of the offense the person caused a collision and another person suffered bodily injury as a result of the collision; and (2) at the time of the offense the person was operating the vehicle: (A) at a speed of 20 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit in an urban district; (B) at a speed of 30 miles per hour or more over the posted speed limit outside of an urban district; or (C) while using a portable wireless communication device. (e) If conduct that constitutes an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under any other law, the actor may be prosecuted under this section, the other law, or both. SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies 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.