Monitoring the Session

SB 1800

Middleton Bill Makes Disaster Abandonment At Assisted Living A Felony

Died in committee

Verdict: Smells

SmellsInitial review
Sen. Mayes MiddletonRSenate 11
Why it's charged
Already a crime

THE TEXT

…“and abandons a facility resident or authorizes a facility employee”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

Based on general knowledge of Texas law, not on anything this bill cites, the Penal Code already covers injury to an elderly or disabled person by omission by someone who has taken on their care, which overlaps the bill's injury tiers. The base no-injury, disaster-only offense may be new, so the overlap is partial.

Already a crime

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 creating the criminal offense of abandoning a resident of an assisted living facility during a declared state of disaster or local state of disaster.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

State jail felony, first-degree if the resident dies. The Penal Code already partly covers it.

The bill makes it an offense for the operator of an assisted living facility to abandon a resident, or to let an employee abandon a resident, while the area is under a declared state or local disaster. It applies to people who run assisted living facilities in disaster areas, and it defines abandoning as leaving a resident without reasonable or necessary care when no reasonable person would. The base offense is a state jail felony, and it rises to a first-degree felony if the resident dies, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Mar 3, 2025 and referred to the Senate Criminal Justice committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1800 · 2025-03-03

SOLD BY

Sen. Mayes MiddletonRSenate 11

ITEM

relating to creating the criminal offense of abandoning a resident of an assisted living facility during a declared state of disaster or local state of disaster.

WHAT IT DOES

State jail felony, first-degree if the resident dies. The Penal Code already partly covers it.

The bill makes it an offense for the operator of an assisted living facility to abandon a resident, or to let an employee abandon a resident, while the area is under a declared state or local disaster. It applies to people who run assisted living facilities in disaster areas, and it defines abandoning as leaving a resident without reasonable or necessary care when no reasonable person would. The base offense is a state jail felony, and it rises to a first-degree felony if the resident dies, starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[x] ALREADY A CRIMEanalysis confidence 40%

THE TEXT

…“and abandons a facility resident or authorizes a facility employee”…

Bill text, introduced version (I)

Based on general knowledge of Texas law, not on anything this bill cites, the Penal Code already covers injury to an elderly or disabled person by omission by someone who has taken on their care, which overlaps the bill's injury tiers. The base no-injury, disaster-only offense may be new, so the overlap is partial.

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
  3. Read first time
  4. Referred to Criminal Justice
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

Smells

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Mayes Middleton

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$1.14MRussell Gordy$300,000Kenneth Fisher$215,000

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 6, 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$1,140,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$1,140,000.00

Cash
$1,140,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$1,140,000.00

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 12, 2024 to Oct 21, 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: 101009502, 101012383, 101061137, 101072395, 101072779.

Russell Gordy$300,000.00
Kenneth Fisher$215,000.00
Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$1,140,000.00

Cash
$1,140,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$1,140,000.00

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 12, 2024 to Oct 21, 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: 101009502, 101012383, 101061137, 101072395, 101072779.

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 Mar 3, 2025

03/13/2025 S Referred to Criminal Justice

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 · Criminal Justice · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Crimes--Against Persons--General

Disaster Preparedness & Relief

Nursing Homes

ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES

Text

The text as introduced · 294 words

89R8427 MCF-D

By: Middleton
S.B. No. 1800

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to creating the criminal offense of abandoning a resident

of an assisted living facility during a declared state of disaster

or local state of disaster.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 247, Health and Safety

Code, is amended by adding Section 247.073 to read as follows:

Sec. 247.073. RESIDENT ABANDONMENT DURING DECLARED STATE OF

DISASTER; CRIMINAL OFFENSE. (a) In this section, "abandon" means

to leave a resident in an assisted living facility without

providing reasonable or necessary care to the resident in

circumstances under which no reasonable, similarly situated person

would leave a resident of that age and ability.

(b) A person commits an offense if the person operates an

assisted living facility located in a disaster area during a

declared state of disaster under Section 418.014, Government Code,

or local state of disaster under Section 418.108, Government Code,

and abandons a facility resident or authorizes a facility employee

to abandon a facility resident.

(c) An offense under Subsection (b) is a state jail felony,

except the offense is:

(1) a felony of the third degree if it is shown on the

trial of the offense that the assisted living facility resident

suffered bodily injury as a result of the offense;

(2) a felony of the second degree if it is shown on the

trial of the offense that the resident suffered serious bodily

injury as a result of the offense; or

(3) a felony of the first degree if it is shown on the

trial of the offense that the resident suffered death as a result of

the offense.

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