Monitoring the Session

SB 508

election returns penalty goes from Class B to Class A

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7

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 preparing and delivering precinct election returns; increasing a criminal penalty.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

One existing offense, one notch up.

The bill raises the penalty for the existing election-returns offense in Section 65.014(d) of the Election Code from a Class B to a Class A misdemeanor. It also lets the secretary of state step in and supervise finishing the count, preparing the precinct returns and distributing the records when a precinct misses its delivery deadline, as an alternative to a district judge impounding the records. Election officials who miss deadlines face a stiffer penalty, and the state gains a direct way to take over late precinct counts starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R SB 1907 (Died in committee) and this bill (Did not pass). Checked against 88R only.BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 88R SB 1907 (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.STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the Senate State Affairs committee 9-0 on Mar 27, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB508 · 2024-11-25

SOLD BY

Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7 Sen. Brandon CreightonRSenate 4 Sen. Lois KolkhorstRSenate 18

+ 4 more authors, 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to preparing and delivering precinct election returns; increasing a criminal penalty.

WHAT IT DOES

One existing offense, one notch up.

The bill raises the penalty for the existing election-returns offense in Section 65.014(d) of the Election Code from a Class B to a Class A misdemeanor. It also lets the secretary of state step in and supervise finishing the count, preparing the precinct returns and distributing the records when a precinct misses its delivery deadline, as an alternative to a district judge impounding the records. Election officials who miss deadlines face a stiffer penalty, and the state gains a direct way to take over late precinct counts starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 21, 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 State Affairs
  5. Co-author authorized
  6. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  7. Considered in public hearing
  8. Testimony taken in committee
  9. Left pending in committee
  10. Considered in public hearing
  11. Vote taken in committee
  12. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  13. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  14. Committee report printed and distributed
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Paul Bettencourt

Donors

Donors report through Friends of Paul Bettencourt.

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.

Money

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

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses19
For
2
Against
13
On
4
Names

For

  • Self1 registration
  • Self; Harris county ballot security1 registration

Against

  • ACLU of Texas2 registrations
  • Common Cause Texas1 registration
  • Self8 registrations
  • Texas Civil Rights Project1 registration
  • Texas Democratic Party1 registration

On

  • Harris County Commissioners Court1 registration
  • Self2 registrations
  • Texas Secretary of State1 registration
Sources

19 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 I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · March 21, 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.

FILED BEFORE

Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.

88R SB 1907

by Sen. Bettencourt, same lead author · Died in committee · same text

Introduced text

Last action, Apr 18, 2023: Referred to Elections

Relating to preparing and delivering precinct election returns; increasing a criminal penalty.

Caption, 88R bill history

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Nov 25, 2024

03/31/2025 S Committee report printed and distributed: Mar 31 2025 8:16PM

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · Senate Committee Report

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

Coauthors
Bob HallRSenate 2

Senate committee · State Affairs · Committee vote 9 aye, 0 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Companion

HB 1477 by Swanson (identical)

Subjects

Elections--Election Officers

SECRETARY OF STATE

Text

The text as introduced · 289 words

89R2059 MPF-D

By: Bettencourt, et al.
S.B. No. 508

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to preparing and delivering precinct election returns;

increasing a criminal penalty.

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

SECTION 1. Section 65.014(e), Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(e) An offense under Subsection (d) is a Class A [ B ]

misdemeanor.

SECTION 2. Section 66.055, Election Code, is amended to

read as follows:

Sec. 66.055. FAILURE TO DELIVER [ JUDICIAL IMPOUNDMENT OF ]

ELECTION RECORDS. (a) If the precinct election records are not

delivered by the deadline prescribed by Section 66.053(c) :

(1) the secretary of state may supervise the

activities necessary to complete the count, prepare the precinct

returns, and distribute the records; or

(2) [ , ] on application by a member of the canvassing

authority, a district judge shall order the precinct election

records to be impounded.

(b) If the precinct election records are impounded under

Subsection (a)(2), the [ The ] district judge shall supervise the

activities necessary to complete the count, prepare the precinct

returns, and distribute the records.

SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act in amending

Section 65.014(e), Election Code, applies only to an offense

committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An offense

committed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the

law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the former

law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this

section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this

Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.

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