Monitoring the Session

SB 1101

Flores Smuggling Bill Reaches Anyone Guiding Two People Into Parks

Did not pass

Verdict: Smells

SmellsNeeds review
Sen. Pete FloresRSenate 24
Both charges, and why
Dragnet

THE CAPTION

“relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons.”

Caption, introduced version (I)

THE TEXT

…“natural area, open space area, park, or agricultural land without”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The caption is about smuggling of persons, but the expanded clause covers anyone who guides two or more people into a park or natural area without the owner's consent. Nothing in that clause requires immigration status, border crossing or payment, so a hiking guide or group leader entering a closed area could fall under a smuggling offense.

Dragnet
Already a crime

THE TEXT

…“individuals to enter or remain on a cultural resource site or area,”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

Analysis prose withheld. Source quote shown.

Already a crime

Needs review · Nov 1, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

No border crossing or payment needed. A hiking guide in a closed area could qualify.

The bill widens the Texas offense of smuggling of persons. Today the relevant part covers guiding two or more people onto agricultural land without the owner's consent, and this bill adds parks, natural areas, open space areas and cultural resource sites to that list. Anyone who assists, guides or directs two or more people onto those places without the owner's consent could face a smuggling offense starting September 1, 2025, and the text does not require that anyone involved be crossing the border or be in the country unlawfully.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R SB 1248 (Did not pass) and this bill (Did not pass). Checked against 88R only.DO-OVER. Reworked text of a bill filed before that died: 88R SB 1248 (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.GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on Apr 10, 2025. Died in the House: voted out of the Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs committee 10-1, no floor vote.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1101 · 2025-02-04

SOLD BY

Sen. Pete FloresRSenate 24

+ 2 coauthors

ITEM

relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons.

WHAT IT DOES

No border crossing or payment needed. A hiking guide in a closed area could qualify.

The bill widens the Texas offense of smuggling of persons. Today the relevant part covers guiding two or more people onto agricultural land without the owner's consent, and this bill adds parks, natural areas, open space areas and cultural resource sites to that list. Anyone who assists, guides or directs two or more people onto those places without the owner's consent could face a smuggling offense starting September 1, 2025, and the text does not require that anyone involved be crossing the border or be in the country unlawfully.

CHARGES

[x] DRAGNETanalysis confidence 60%

THE CAPTION

“relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons.”

Caption, introduced version (I)

THE TEXT

…“natural area, open space area, park, or agricultural land without”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

The caption is about smuggling of persons, but the expanded clause covers anyone who guides two or more people into a park or natural area without the owner's consent. Nothing in that clause requires immigration status, border crossing or payment, so a hiking guide or group leader entering a closed area could fall under a smuggling offense.

[x] ALREADY A CRIMEanalysis confidence 40%

THE TEXT

…“individuals to enter or remain on a cultural resource site or area,”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

Analysis prose withheld. Source quote shown.

TOTAL

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 24, 2025

Expanding the conduct constituting an existing offense may result in increased demands upon state correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement. The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to the lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Criminal Justice
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Vote taken in committee
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  10. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  11. Committee report printed and distributed
  12. Placed on intent calendar
  13. Not again placed on intent calendar
  14. Co-author authorized
  15. Co-author authorized
  16. Placed on local & uncontested calendar
  17. Laid before the Senate
  18. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  19. Vote recorded in Journal
  20. Three day rule suspended
  21. Record vote
  22. Read 3rd time
  23. Passed
  24. Record vote
  25. Reported engrossed
  26. Received from the Senate
  27. Read first time
  28. Referred to Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
  29. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  30. Considered in public hearing
  31. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  32. Left pending in committee
  33. Considered in formal meeting
  34. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  35. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  36. Committee report distributed
  37. Committee report sent to Calendars
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 27 yea · 3 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · Apr 10, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Pete Flores

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$55KMorris Jaffe$25,000Justin Jaffe$25,000

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 12, 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.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$55,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$55,000.00

Cash
$55,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$55,000.00

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 · Dec 13, 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.

Report IDs: 100985131, 101008112, 101072110.

Morris Jaffe$25,000.00
Justin Jaffe$25,000.00
Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$55,000.00

Cash
$55,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$55,000.00

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 · Dec 13, 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.

Report IDs: 100985131, 101008112, 101072110.

Votes3

Senate Apr 10, 2025

Final passage

Yea
27
Nay
3
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records final passage. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

SB 1101 (Flores) Relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons. (viva voce vote) (27-3) "Nays" Cook, Gutierrez, Johnson (27-3) "Nays" Cook, Gutierrez, Johnson

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 27 (published)
  • Nay: 3 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 10, 2025

Suspension of the three-day rule

Yea
27
Nay
3
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Named positions matched to lawmakers. See the journal for unmatched names.

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records suspension of the three-day rule. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Sources

SB 1101 (Flores) Relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons. (viva voce vote) (27-3) "Nays" Cook, Gutierrez, Johnson (27-3) "Nays" Cook, Gutierrez, Johnson

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: 27 (published)
  • Nay: 3 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate Apr 10, 2025

Passage to engrossment

Yea
Not printed
Nay
Not printed
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
Not printed
Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

The journal row lists three votes in order: passage to engrossment, suspension of the three-day rule, and final passage. This entry records passage to engrossment. Repeated tallies belong to separate votes.

Voice vote. No numeric tally or individual yeas are inferred.

Sources

SB 1101 (Flores) Relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons. (viva voce vote) (27-3) "Nays" Cook, Gutierrez, Johnson (27-3) "Nays" Cook, Gutierrez, Johnson

Published stock of positions for this vote, except where marked derived.

  • Yea: Not printed
  • Nay: Not printed
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: Not printed

Senate journal. Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Witnesses25
For
20
Against
5
On
0
Names

For

  • Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT)2 registrations
  • Dallas Police Assoc1 registration
  • Gama Warden Peace Officers Association1 registration
  • Harris County Deputies' Organization FOP #391 registration
  • Houston Police Department2 registrations
  • San Antonio Police Officers Association1 registration
  • San antonio police officers association1 registration
  • Self1 registration
  • Self; District Attorney's Office, Kleberg & Kenedy Counties, Texas1 registration
  • Self; Houston Police Officers’ Union3 registrations
  • Self; Kleberg & Kenedy Counties District Attorney’s Office1 registration
  • Self; Sheriffs Association of Texas1 registration
  • Sheriffs’ Association of Texas1 registration
  • Texas Municipal Police Association1 registration
  • Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA)1 registration
  • Texas Police Chiefs Association1 registration

Against

  • American Civil Liberties Union of Texas1 registration
  • Self1 registration
  • Texas Civil Rights Project2 registrations
  • Workers Defense Action Fund1 registration
Sources

25 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Senate witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 24, 2025

Expanding the conduct constituting an existing offense may result in increased demands upon state correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement. The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to the lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties.

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.

FILED BEFORE

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

88R SB 1248

by Sen. Flores, same lead author · Did not pass · reworked

Introduced text

Last action, May 23, 2023: Placed on General State Calendar

Relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Feb 4, 2025

05/12/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report · Engrossed · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Nov 1, 2026 at 2:06 PM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
César BlancoDSenate 29 Royce WestDSenate 23
Sponsors
Cole HefnerRHouse 5

House committee · Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs · Committee vote 10 aye, 1 nay · Out of committee

Senate committee · Criminal Justice · Committee vote 7 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

Aliens

Crimes--Miscellaneous

Parks & Wildlife--Parks

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

OPEN-SPACE LAND

RECREATIONAL & CULTURAL FACILITIES

Text

The text as introduced · 312 words

89R1533 JCG-D

By: Flores
S.B. No. 1101

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the prosecution of the offense of smuggling of persons.

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

SECTION 1. Section 20.01, Penal Code, is amended by adding

Subdivision (9) to read as follows:

(9) "Cultural resource site or area," "natural area,"

"open space area," and "park" have the meanings assigned by Section

24.001, Parks and Wildlife Code.

SECTION 2. Section 20.05(a), Penal Code, is amended to read

as follows:

(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly:

(1) uses a motor vehicle, aircraft, watercraft, or

other means of conveyance to transport an individual with the

intent to:

(A) conceal the individual from a peace officer

or special investigator; or

(B) flee from a person the actor knows is a peace

officer or special investigator attempting to lawfully arrest or

detain the actor;

(2) encourages or induces a person to enter or remain

in this country in violation of federal law by concealing,

harboring, or shielding that person from detection; or

(3) assists, guides, or directs two or more

individuals to enter or remain on a cultural resource site or area,

natural area, open space area, park, or agricultural land without

the effective consent of the owner.

SECTION 3. 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 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.