Monitoring the Session

SB 1985

bill narrowing when a pharmacist may refuse a drug

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Bob HallRSenate 2

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 a pharmacist's authority to refuse to dispense a drug.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Only two kinds: abortion drugs and contraceptives, or suspected misuse.

The bill takes away a pharmacist's current exclusive authority to decide whether or not to dispense a drug. It lets a pharmacist refuse only two kinds of drugs: abortion-inducing drugs and emergency contraceptives, or Schedule II through V controlled substances that the pharmacist reasonably suspects will be misused. Pharmacists keep the ability to talk with the prescriber or give patients drug information, but outside those two categories the bill gives them no listed ground to refuse a prescription.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R SB 300 (Died in committee) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.DO-OVER. Reworked text of a bill filed before that died: 88R SB 300 (Died in committee). 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.NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Mar 6, 2025 and referred to the Senate State Affairs committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB1985 · 2025-03-06

SOLD BY

Sen. Bob HallRSenate 2

ITEM

relating to a pharmacist's authority to refuse to dispense a drug.

WHAT IT DOES

Only two kinds: abortion drugs and contraceptives, or suspected misuse.

The bill takes away a pharmacist's current exclusive authority to decide whether or not to dispense a drug. It lets a pharmacist refuse only two kinds of drugs: abortion-inducing drugs and emergency contraceptives, or Schedule II through V controlled substances that the pharmacist reasonably suspects will be misused. Pharmacists keep the ability to talk with the prescriber or give patients drug information, but outside those two categories the bill gives them no listed ground to refuse a prescription.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

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 State Affairs
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Bob Hall

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$135KTexans United for a Conservative Majority PAC$116KBryan Hughes Campaign$100K

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 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$135,000.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$135,000.00

Cash
$129,000.00
Paid by others
$6,000.00
Total
$135,000.00
polling $6,000.00

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 · Sep 12, 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: 100987789, 101010195, 101040645, 101069307, 101073278.

Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC$116,000.00

Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC

$116,000.00

Cash
$110,000.00
Paid by others
$6,000.00
Total
$116,000.00
polling $6,000.00

Also funds 30 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 3, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 27, 2025 to Oct 5, 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: 101010195, 101033131, 101073278.

Bryan Hughes Campaign$100,000.00

Bryan Hughes Campaign

$100,000.00

Cash
$100,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$100,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 29, 2026 to Oct 5, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 29, 2026 to Oct 5, 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: 101073278.

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$135,000.00

Cash
$129,000.00
Paid by others
$6,000.00
Total
$135,000.00
polling $6,000.00

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 · Sep 12, 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: 100987789, 101010195, 101040645, 101069307, 101073278.

×

Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC

$116,000.00

Cash
$110,000.00
Paid by others
$6,000.00
Total
$116,000.00
polling $6,000.00

Also funds 30 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 3, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 27, 2025 to Oct 5, 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: 101010195, 101033131, 101073278.

×

Bryan Hughes Campaign

$100,000.00

Cash
$100,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$100,000.00

Also funds 0 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Sep 29, 2026 to Oct 5, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Sep 29, 2026 to Oct 5, 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: 101073278.

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 SB 300

by Sen. Hall, same lead author · Died in committee · reworked

Introduced text

Last action, Feb 15, 2023: Referred to State Affairs

Relating to a pharmacist's authority to refuse to dispense a drug.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 6, 2025

03/17/2025 S Referred to State Affairs

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 6:51 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Senate committee · State Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Subjects

Abortion

Occupational Regulation--Health Occupations

FAMILY PLANNING & BIRTH CONTROL

MEDICINE & PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

PHARMACIES & PHARMACISTS

Text

The text as introduced · 268 words

89R13527 GP-D

By: Hall
S.B. No. 1985

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a pharmacist's authority to refuse to dispense a drug.

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

SECTION 1. Section 551.006, Occupations Code, is amended to

read as follows:

Sec. 551.006. [ EXCLUSIVE ] AUTHORITY TO REFUSE TO DISPENSE .

(a) In this section, "emergency contraceptive" means a drug

containing an elevated dose of hormones that:

(1) is used postcoitally;

(2) prevents pregnancy by preventing fertilization of

an egg or preventing implantation of a fertilized egg in a uterus;

and

(3) is approved by the United States Food and Drug

Administration.

(b) Notwithstanding any other law, a pharmacist may refuse

to dispense a drug only if the drug is:

(1) an abortion-inducing drug or emergency

contraceptive; or

(2) a controlled substance listed in Schedules II

through V as established under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code,

and the pharmacist reasonably suspects the drug will be misused

[ has the exclusive authority to determine whether or not to

dispense a drug ].

(c) This section does not limit the ability of a pharmacist

to, in the exercise of sound professional judgment, confer with a

practitioner or provide drug information to a patient in the course

of the pharmacist's professional practice.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.