Monitoring the Session

SB 2889

bill capping campaign gifts at $5,000 per election

Died in committee

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Molly CookDSenate 15

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 campaign contribution limits for certain offices.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Committees get $10,000. Judicial candidate cap drops from $25,000 to $10,000.

The bill caps how much one person can give a candidate for statewide office or the Legislature at $5,000 per election, and caps a political committee at $10,000 per election. It also lowers the cap on what a general-purpose committee can give a statewide judicial candidate from $25,000 to $10,000. Donors, political committees and candidates for statewide, legislative and statewide judicial seats would face these new limits on contributions made on or after September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 47 by Rep. Zwiener (Died in committee) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 47 by Rep. Zwiener (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 14, 2025 and referred to the Senate State Affairs committee. No public hearing. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB2889 · 2025-03-14

SOLD BY

ITEM

relating to campaign contribution limits for certain offices.

WHAT IT DOES

Committees get $10,000. Judicial candidate cap drops from $25,000 to $10,000.

The bill caps how much one person can give a candidate for statewide office or the Legislature at $5,000 per election, and caps a political committee at $10,000 per election. It also lowers the cap on what a general-purpose committee can give a statewide judicial candidate from $25,000 to $10,000. Donors, political committees and candidates for statewide, legislative and statewide judicial seats would face these new limits on contributions made on or after September 1, 2025.

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

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$15KGregory Stocks$10,000Amber Alonso$6,500

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 · Oct 27, 2024 to Jun 30, 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.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$15,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$15,000.00

Cash
$15,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$15,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 13, 2024 to Jun 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: 100987960, 101029944, 101057026.

Gregory Stocks$10,000.00
Amber Alonso$6,500.00
Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$15,000.00

Cash
$15,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$15,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 13, 2024 to Jun 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: 100987960, 101029944, 101057026.

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 HB 47

by Rep. Zwiener, different lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Feb 23, 2023: Referred to Elections

Relating to campaign contribution limits for certain offices.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Mar 14, 2025

04/07/2025 S Referred to State Affairs

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 · State Affairs · Final status: Died in committee

Companion

HB 1020 by Zwiener (identical)

Subjects

Elections--Campaign Financing

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Text

The text as introduced · 313 words

89R2868 MPF-F

By: Cook
S.B. No. 2889

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to campaign contribution limits for certain offices.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 253, Election Code, is

amended by adding Section 253.008 to read as follows:

Sec. 253.008. LIMITATION ON CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS. (a) A

person may not knowingly make or authorize the making of a campaign

contribution to a candidate for statewide office or the

legislature, or to a specific-purpose committee supporting the

candidate or opposing the candidate's opponent, in an amount that

exceeds $5,000 for the election in which the candidate is involved.

(b) A political committee may not knowingly make or

authorize the making of a campaign contribution to a candidate for

statewide office or the legislature, or to a specific-purpose

committee supporting the candidate or opposing the candidate's

opponent, in an amount that exceeds $10,000 for the election in

which the candidate is involved.

SECTION 2. Section 253.157(a-1), Election Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a-1) A judicial candidate or officeholder may not

knowingly accept political contributions from a general-purpose

committee that, in the aggregate, exceed the contribution limits

prescribed by this subsection in connection with an election in

which the judicial candidate's name appears on the ballot. The

contribution limits under this subsection are:

(1) for a statewide judicial office, $10,000

[ $25,000 ]; or

(2) for any other judicial office, $5,000.

SECTION 3. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to

a campaign contribution made on or after the effective date of this

Act. A campaign contribution made before the effective date of this

Act is governed by the law in effect when the contribution was made

and is not aggregated with campaign contributions made on or after

that date.

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