SB 2544: bill putting a deadline on out-of-network bill mediation

Caption

relating to eligibility for mediation of certain out-of-network health benefit claims.

Summary

90 days from the initial payment. Rules due within 30 days.

The bill puts a 90-day deadline on requests for mandatory mediation of out-of-network health bills, counted from the day the out-of-network provider gets an initial payment. It touches out-of-network providers and health plan issuers and administrators that use the state's mediation process, and it orders the insurance commissioner to write rules within 30 days. After it applies, a mediation request filed more than 90 days after that first payment is outside the window the bill sets, for services provided starting 30 days after the law takes effect.

Labels

Labels: INSTANT LAW. Took effect immediately, on Jun 20, 2025. 833 of the 1,185 graded 89R laws took effect Sep 1, 2025 (derived from the bill histories, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2544 · 2025-03-13

SOLD BY

Sen. Kelly HancockRSenate 9

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to eligibility for mediation of certain out-of-network health benefit claims.

WHAT IT DOES

90 days from the initial payment. Rules due within 30 days.

The bill puts a 90-day deadline on requests for mandatory mediation of out-of-network health bills, counted from the day the out-of-network provider gets an initial payment. It touches out-of-network providers and health plan issuers and administrators that use the state's mediation process, and it orders the insurance commissioner to write rules within 30 days. After it applies, a mediation request filed more than 90 days after that first payment is outside the window the bill sets, for services provided starting 30 days after the law takes effect.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version F · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version F · May 9, 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

Mar 13, 2025Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Mar 13, 2025Filed
Apr 3, 2025Read first time
Apr 3, 2025Referred to Health & Human Services
Apr 15, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Apr 15, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 15, 2025Testimony taken in committee
Apr 15, 2025Left pending in committee
Apr 23, 2025Considered in public hearing
Apr 23, 2025Vote taken in committee
Apr 28, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
Apr 28, 2025Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
Apr 28, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
Apr 29, 2025Placed on intent calendar
Apr 30, 2025Co-author authorized
Apr 30, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
Apr 30, 2025Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
Apr 30, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
Apr 30, 2025Three day rule suspended
Apr 30, 2025Record vote
Apr 30, 2025Read 3rd time
Apr 30, 2025Passed
Apr 30, 2025Record vote
Apr 30, 2025Reported engrossed
May 1, 2025Received from the Senate
May 2, 2025Read first time
May 2, 2025Referred to Insurance
May 7, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 7, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 7, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 7, 2025Committee report distributed
May 8, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 8, 2025Laid out in lieu of companion CSHB 4603
May 8, 2025Read 2nd time
May 8, 2025Amended 1-Morgan
May 8, 2025Passed to 3rd reading as amended
May 8, 2025Record vote RV#1866
May 8, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 9, 2025Read 3rd time
May 9, 2025Passed
May 9, 2025Record vote RV#1887
May 9, 2025Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
May 12, 2025House passage as amended reported
May 26, 2025House amendment(s) laid before the Senate
May 26, 2025Read
May 26, 2025Senate concurs in House amendment(s)
May 26, 2025Record vote
May 26, 2025Senate concurs in House amendment(s)-reported
May 26, 2025Reported enrolled
May 27, 2025Signed in the Senate
May 28, 2025Signed in the House
May 28, 2025Sent to the Governor
Jun 20, 2025Signed by the Governor
Jun 20, 2025Effective immediately

FILED UNDER

Beats not yet reviewed.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 135 yea · 5 nay

Senate · 31 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 9, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Apr 30, 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

Kelly Hancock

Donors

Stephen Brauer JR$57,791

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$14,750

Q Political Action Committee$12,500

Top donors to Texans for Kelly Hancock SPAC during his Senate service. Not tied to this bill.

Sources

Gifts to Texans for Kelly Hancock SPAC dated July 1, 2024 to June 18, 2025, while he served in the Senate.

Derived from itemized gifts. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Money

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

Votes6

Senate May 26, 2025

Yea: 31
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Hancock moved to concur in the House amendment to SB 2544. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

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

Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

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

House May 9, 2025

Yea: 135
Nay: 5
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 4
Excused: 4

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 1887

SB 2544 was passed by (Record 1887): 135 Yeas, 5 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 135 (published)
Nay: 5 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 4 (derived from named list)
Excused: 4 (derived from named list)

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

House May 8, 2025

Yea: 135
Nay: 3
Present, not voting: 2
Absent: 8
Excused: 2

Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 1866

SB 2544, as amended, was passed to third reading by (Record 1866): 135 Yeas, 3 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

Yea: 135 (published)
Nay: 3 (published)
Present, not voting: 2 (published)
Absent: 8 (derived from named list)
Excused: 2 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Apr 30, 2025

Yea: 31
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Hancock moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2544 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

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

Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

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

Senate Apr 30, 2025

Yea: 31
Nay: 0
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

Names

Senate journal

Names were not printed. No individual positions are inferred.

Sources

Senator Hancock moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 2544 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

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

Yea: 31 (published)
Nay: 0 (published)
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: Not printed
Excused: Not printed

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

Senate Apr 30, 2025

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.

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

Sources

The bill was read second time and was passed to engrossment by a viva voce vote.

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.

Witnesses6

For: 5
Against: 0
On: 1

Names

For

AARP Texas1 registration
Baylor Scott & White Health1 registration
Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas1 registration
Texas Association of Community Health Plans1 registration
Texas Association of Health Plans1 registration

On

Texas Department of Insurance1 registration

Sources

6 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 F · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version F · May 9, 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 19, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 13, 2025

06/20/2025 E Effective immediately

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

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

Coauthors

Royce WestDSenate 23

Companion

HB 4603 by Morgan (identical)

Subjects

Insurance--Health & Accident

MEDIATION, DISPUTE RESOLUTION, & ARBITRATION

Text

The text as introduced · 250 words

2025S0220-T 03/12/25

By: Hancock
S.B. No. 2544

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to eligibility for mediation of certain out-of-network

health benefit claims.

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

SECTION 1. Section 1467.054(a), Insurance Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) Not later than the 90th day after the date an

out-of-network provider receives an initial payment for a health

care or medical service or supply, an [ An ] out-of-network provider

or a health benefit plan issuer or administrator may request

mandatory mediation under this subchapter.

SECTION 2. (a) Not later than the 30th day after the

effective date of this Act, the commissioner of insurance shall

adopt rules necessary to implement the changes in law made by this

Act.

(b) The changes in law made by this Act apply only to a

health care or medical service or supply provided on or after the

30th day after the effective date of this Act. A health care or

medical service or supply provided before that date is governed by

the law in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act,

and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. 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.

Verdict: No flags

The receipt

SOLD BY

ITEM

WHAT IT DOES

CHARGES

TOTAL

HISTORY

SIGNED FOR BY

Donors

Senate May 26, 2025

House May 9, 2025

House May 8, 2025

Senate Apr 30, 2025

Senate Apr 30, 2025

Senate Apr 30, 2025

For

On

Companion