Monitoring the Session

SB 509

Emergency Election Orders Wait An Hour For The Attorney General

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: Smells

SmellsNeeds review
Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7
Why it's charged
Caption mismatch

THE TEXT

“A court shall allow the attorney general to participate remotely in a hearing in an action under this code seeking a temporary restraining order”…

Bill text, enrolled version (F)

The caption speaks only of notice to the attorney general. The body also gives the attorney general a right to take part in the hearing, adds a one-hour wait, and voids any order issued without these steps. The statement of intent describes only sending a copy of an order after it is issued, which is less than what the text does.

Caption mismatch

Needs review · Nov 1, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to requiring notice to the attorney general in an action under the Election Code seeking a temporary restraining order.

Caption from analyzed text · version F.

Summary

Caption: notice. Bill: a one-hour wait, a remote seat at the hearing, and void orders otherwise.

Before a court holds a hearing on an emergency restraining order in any case under the Texas Election Code, the court must email the attorney general and wait at least one hour, unless the attorney general waives the wait. The attorney general also gets the right to join that hearing remotely, and must set up an email address to receive these notices. Any restraining order issued without following these steps is void, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: BUZZER BEATER. Final vote May 30, 2025: both chambers adopted the conference committee report. 3 days before the session ended Jun 2, 2025.QUICK READ: 131 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 131 words, counting the existing law it amends and the text it strikes. The median 89R bill as filed runs 441 words (derived, 8,702 graded bills, snapshot Oct 19, 2026).

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB509 · 2024-11-25

SOLD BY

Sen. Paul BettencourtRSenate 7 Sen. Mayes MiddletonRSenate 11 Sen. Tan ParkerRSenate 12

+ 2 more authors, 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to requiring notice to the attorney general in an action under the Election Code seeking a temporary restraining order.

WHAT IT DOES

Caption: notice. Bill: a one-hour wait, a remote seat at the hearing, and void orders otherwise.

Before a court holds a hearing on an emergency restraining order in any case under the Texas Election Code, the court must email the attorney general and wait at least one hour, unless the attorney general waives the wait. The attorney general also gets the right to join that hearing remotely, and must set up an email address to receive these notices. Any restraining order issued without following these steps is void, starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[x] CAPTION MISMATCHanalysis confidence 40%

THE TEXT

“A court shall allow the attorney general to participate remotely in a hearing in an action under this code seeking a temporary restraining order”…

Bill text, enrolled version (F)

The caption speaks only of notice to the attorney general. The body also gives the attorney general a right to take part in the hearing, adds a one-hour wait, and voids any order issued without these steps. The statement of intent describes only sending a copy of an order after it is issued, which is less than what the text does.

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version F · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version F · May 29, 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
  15. Placed on intent calendar
  16. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  17. Record vote
  18. Read 2nd time
  19. Amendment(s) offered FA1 Birdwell
  20. Amended
  21. Record vote
  22. Passed to engrossment as amended
  23. Record vote
  24. Three day rule suspended
  25. Record vote
  26. Read 3rd time
  27. Passed
  28. Record vote
  29. Reported engrossed
  30. Received from the Senate
  31. Read first time
  32. Referred to Elections
  33. Considered in formal meeting
  34. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  35. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  36. Committee report distributed
  37. Committee report sent to Calendars
  38. Laid out in lieu of companion HB 1475
  39. Read 2nd time
  40. Amended 1-Bucy and Schofield
  41. Passed to 3rd reading as amended
  42. Record vote RV#1524
  43. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  44. Read 3rd time
  45. Passed
  46. Record vote RV#1578
  47. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  48. House passage as amended reported
  49. House amendment(s) laid before the Senate
  50. Read
  51. Senate refuses to concur
  52. Senate requests conference committee
  53. Senate appoints conferees
  54. Senate refuses to concur-reported
  55. Senate requests conference committee-reported
  56. Senate appoints conferees-reported
  57. House grants request for conference committee
  58. House appoints conferees
  59. House grants request for conf comm-reported
  60. House appoints conferees-reported
  61. Conference committee report filed
  62. Conf. Comm. Report distributed
  63. House adopts conference committee report
  64. Record vote RV#4092
  65. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  66. House adopts conf. comm. report-reported
  67. Senate adopts conference committee report
  68. Record vote
  69. Reported enrolled
  70. Senate adopts conf. comm. report-reported
  71. Signed in the Senate
  72. Signed in the House
  73. Sent to the Governor
  74. Signed by the Governor
  75. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 98 yea · 49 nay

Senate · 24 yea · 6 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 7, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

Senate: Final passage · Mar 24, 2025. Journal. Published stock for this vote. Snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

All floor motions and other positions below.

Smells

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.

Votes9

Senate May 30, 2025

Yea
25
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
0
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

On motion of Senator Bettencourt, the Conference Committee Report was adopted by the following vote: Yeas 25, Nays 6.

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

  • Yea: 25 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

House May 30, 2025

Yea
97
Nay
37
Present, not voting
2
Absent
8
Excused
6
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 4092

Representative Schofield moved to adopt the conference committee report on SB 509. The motion to adopt the conference committee report on SB 509 prevailed by (Record 4092): 97 Yeas, 37 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 97 (published)
  • Nay: 37 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 8 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

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

House May 7, 2025

Yea
98
Nay
49
Present, not voting
2
Absent
1
Excused
0
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 1578

SB 509 was passed by (Record 1578): 98 Yeas, 49 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 98 (published)
  • Nay: 49 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 1 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 0 (derived from named list)

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

House May 6, 2025

Yea
85
Nay
56
Present, not voting
2
Absent
5
Excused
2
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 1524

SB 509, as amended, was passed to third reading by (Record 1524): 85 Yeas, 56 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 85 (published)
  • Nay: 56 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 5 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 2 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 24, 2025

Yea
24
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 24, Nays 6. (Same as previous roll call)

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

  • Yea: 24 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 24, 2025

Yea
24
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Bettencourt moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 509 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 24, Nays 6.

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

  • Yea: 24 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 24, 2025

Yea
24
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

SB 509 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 24, Nays 6. (Same as previous roll call)

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

  • Yea: 24 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 24, 2025

Yea
24
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

The amendment to SB 509 was read and was adopted by the following vote: Yeas 24, Nays 6.

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

  • Yea: 24 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 24, 2025

Yea
24
Nay
6
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
0
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator Bettencourt moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration SB 509 at this time on its second reading: SB 509, Relating to requiring notice to the attorney general in an action under the Election Code seeking a temporary restraining order. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 24, Nays 6.

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

  • Yea: 24 (published)
  • Nay: 6 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: 0 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses12
For
7
Against
4
On
1
Names

For

  • Self4 registrations
  • Self; Harris county ballot security1 registration
  • Self; Travis County Republican Party1 registration
  • Texas Public Policy Foundation1 registration

Against

  • ACLU of Texas1 registration
  • Common Cause Texas1 registration
  • Self; Texas Democratic Party1 registration
  • Texas Civil Rights Project1 registration

On

  • Office of the Attorney General1 registration
Sources

12 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 29, 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 F by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 22, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Nov 25, 2024

06/20/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25

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

Data snapshot Nov 1, 2026 at 2:06 PM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Coauthors
Bob HallRSenate 2
Sponsors
Mike SchofieldRHouse 132

House committee · Elections · Committee vote 6 aye, 3 nay · Out of committee

Senate committee · State Affairs · Committee vote 11 aye, 0 nay · Out of committee

Companion

HB 1475 by Schofield (identical)

Subjects

Courts--General

Elections--General

EMAIL & ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

TELECONFERENCING

VIDEOCONFERENCING

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Text

The text as introduced · 131 words

89R2060 MLH-D

By: Bettencourt, et al.
S.B. No. 509

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to requiring notice to the attorney general in an action

under the Election Code seeking a temporary restraining order.

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

SECTION 1. The heading to Subchapter E, Chapter 273,

Election Code, is amended to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER E. INJUNCTION OR RESTRAINING ORDER

SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 273, Election Code, is

amended by adding Section 273.082 to read as follows:

Sec. 273.082. TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER; NOTICE. As soon

as practicable before a hearing in an action under this code seeking

a temporary restraining order, a court must notify the attorney

general of the hearing.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.