Monitoring the Session

SB 1285

Eckhardt’s bill protecting bats

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Sarah EckhardtDSenate 14

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 protection of bats.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Bats get evicted nonlethally, and never from May 1 through August 31.

This bill tightens the state's bat protection law so that bats roosting in a building may be removed only by a nonlethal exclusion method that lets them leave but not come back, and that method cannot be used from May 1 through August 31 each year. It affects property owners, pest control companies, animal control and health officials, and people who transport bats for rabies testing or rehabilitation. On the ground, licensed pest control companies lose their blanket exemption, so killing or trapping roosting bats is generally off the table and exclusions must wait until the summer pup season ends.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on May 14, 2025. Died in the House: voted out of the Culture, Recreation & Tourism committee 6-0, no floor vote.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1285 · 2025-02-14

SOLD BY

Sen. Sarah EckhardtDSenate 14

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to the protection of bats.

WHAT IT DOES

Bats get evicted nonlethally, and never from May 1 through August 31.

This bill tightens the state's bat protection law so that bats roosting in a building may be removed only by a nonlethal exclusion method that lets them leave but not come back, and that method cannot be used from May 1 through August 31 each year. It affects property owners, pest control companies, animal control and health officials, and people who transport bats for rabies testing or rehabilitation. On the ground, licensed pest control companies lose their blanket exemption, so killing or trapping roosting bats is generally off the table and exclusions must wait until the summer pup season ends.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 23, 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

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Testimony taken in committee
  8. Left pending in committee
  9. Considered in public hearing
  10. Vote taken in committee
  11. Reported favorably as substituted
  12. Committee report printed and distributed
  13. Co-author authorized
  14. Placed on intent calendar
  15. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  16. Record vote
  17. Read 2nd time
  18. Amendment(s) offered FA1 Eckhardt
  19. Amended
  20. Vote recorded in Journal
  21. Passed to engrossment as amended
  22. Record vote
  23. Three day rule suspended
  24. Record vote
  25. Read 3rd time
  26. Passed
  27. Record vote
  28. Reported engrossed
  29. Received from the Senate
  30. Read first time
  31. Referred to Culture, Recreation & Tourism
  32. Considered in formal meeting
  33. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  34. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  35. Committee report distributed
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 25 yea · 6 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · May 14, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Sarah Eckhardt

Donors

Donald Henley$117,500Dale Linebarger$38,769Stephen McNally$24,000

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 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.

Donald Henley$117,500.00
Dale Linebarger$38,769.25
Stephen McNally$24,000.00
Money

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

Votes4

Senate May 14, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6. (Same as previous roll call)

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

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Senate May 14, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Eckhardt moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 1285 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.

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

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Senate May 14, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

CSSB 1285 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.

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

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Senate May 14, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Eckhardt moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 1285 at this time on its second reading: CSSB 1285, Relating to the protection of bats. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.

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

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses21
For
19
Against
0
On
2
Names

For

  • Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club1 registration
  • Self9 registrations
  • Self; Austin Bat Refuge2 registrations
  • Self; Bat World Sanctuary2 registrations
  • Self; Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation1 registration
  • Self; Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society1 registration
  • Self; Texas Humane Legislation Network1 registration
  • Self; The Nature Conservancy in Texas1 registration
  • The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance1 registration

On

  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department2 registrations
Sources

21 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

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

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

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 23, 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 Senate · Filed Feb 14, 2025

05/25/2025 H Committee report distributed: May 25 2025 8:14PM

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

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

Coauthors
Lois KolkhorstRSenate 18
Sponsors
Lulu FloresDHouse 51

House committee · Culture, Recreation & Tourism · Committee vote 6 aye, 0 nay, 3 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs · Committee vote 8 aye, 1 nay · Out of committee

Subjects

Animals

Parks & Wildlife--General

Text

The text as introduced · 296 words

89R9357 MP-F

By: Eckhardt
S.B. No. 1285

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the protection of bats.

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

SECTION 1. Section 63.101, Parks and Wildlife Code, is

amended to read as follows:

Sec. 63.101. PROTECTION OF BATS. (a) Except as provided by

Subsections (b) , (b-1), and (c), a [ no ] person may not :

(1) confine or hunt a bat; or

(2) sell, offer for sale, purchase, offer to purchase,

or possess after purchase a bat or any part of a bat, dead or alive.

(b) Subject to Subsection (b-1), a [ A ] bat may be removed or

hunted if the bat is inside or on a building occupied by people.

(b-1) A bat or bat colony using a building or structure as a

roost site may be controlled only by a nonlethal exclusion method

that allows bats to leave but not reenter the building or structure.

The exclusion method described by this subsection may not be

implemented during the period each year beginning May 1 and ending

August 31.

(c) This section does not apply to:

(1) an animal control officer, a peace officer, a

licensed pest control professional, or a health official who

captures a bat that the officer , professional, or official

considers injured or diseased; or

(2) a person who transports a bat for the purpose of :

(A) laboratory testing if the bat has exposed or

potentially exposed humans or domestic animals to rabies; or

(B) rehabilitation at a registered

rehabilitation facility if the bat has had no known prior exposure

with humans

[ (3) a person who is licensed to provide pest control

services ].

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