SB 781: bill making police keep a separate department file per officer

Caption

relating to certain files maintained by a law enforcement agency regarding certain employees of the agency.

Summary

Includes misconduct complaints too weakly supported to sustain.

The bill requires every Texas law enforcement agency to keep a separate department file on each licensed officer it employs, holding papers not in the regular personnel file, including complaints of misconduct the agency found too weakly supported to sustain. A hiring agency may view that file, and the state licensing commission can get its contents in certain reviews or during an investigation of the officer. Everyone else is refused, because the file is made confidential and closed to public information requests.

Labels

Labels: GOT HALFWAY. Passed the Senate on May 19, 2025. Died in the House: voted out of the Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs committee 9-1, then taken up on the floor on May 27, 2025 and postponed.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB781 · 2025-01-14

SOLD BY

Sen. Phil KingRSenate 10

+ 1 coauthor

ITEM

relating to certain files maintained by a law enforcement agency regarding certain employees of the agency.

WHAT IT DOES

Includes misconduct complaints too weakly supported to sustain.

The bill requires every Texas law enforcement agency to keep a separate department file on each licensed officer it employs, holding papers not in the regular personnel file, including complaints of misconduct the agency found too weakly supported to sustain. A hiring agency may view that file, and the state licensing commission can get its contents in certain reviews or during an investigation of the officer. Everyone else is refused, because the file is made confidential and closed to public information requests.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 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

Jan 14, 2025Received by the Secretary of the Senate
Jan 14, 2025Filed
Feb 7, 2025Read first time
Feb 7, 2025Referred to Criminal Justice
Mar 6, 2025Co-author authorized
Mar 25, 2025Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
Mar 25, 2025Considered in public hearing
Mar 25, 2025Testimony taken in committee
Mar 25, 2025Left pending in committee
May 14, 2025Considered in public hearing
May 14, 2025Vote taken in committee
May 14, 2025Reported favorably as substituted
May 14, 2025Committee report printed and distributed
May 16, 2025Placed on intent calendar
May 19, 2025Rules suspended-Regular order of business
May 19, 2025Record vote
May 19, 2025Read 2nd time
May 19, 2025Amendment(s) offered FA1 King
May 19, 2025Amended
May 19, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
May 19, 2025Amendment(s) offered FA2 Eckhardt
May 19, 2025Amended
May 19, 2025Vote recorded in Journal
May 19, 2025Passed to engrossment as amended
May 19, 2025Record vote
May 19, 2025Three day rule suspended
May 19, 2025Record vote
May 19, 2025Read 3rd time
May 19, 2025Passed
May 19, 2025Record vote
May 19, 2025Remarks ordered printed
May 19, 2025Reported engrossed
May 20, 2025Received from the Senate
May 21, 2025Read first time
May 21, 2025Referred to Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
May 21, 2025Considered in formal meeting
May 21, 2025Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
May 21, 2025Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
May 21, 2025Committee report distributed
May 22, 2025Committee report sent to Calendars
May 23, 2025Considered in Calendars
May 25, 2025Placed on General State Calendar
May 27, 2025Read 2nd time
May 27, 2025Postponed 5/27/25 10:15 PM
May 27, 2025Laid out as postponed business
May 27, 2025Point of order withdrawn
May 27, 2025Postponed 6/3/25 10:00 AM

FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

Senate · 21 yea · 10 nay

Sources

Senate: Final passage · May 19, 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

Phil King

Donors

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$30KErle Nye, Jr.$20,000Gideon Powell$20,000

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.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC$30,300.00

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$30,300.00

Cash: $30,000.00
Paid by others: $300.00
Total: $30,300.00

fundraiser $300.00

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 · Dec 12, 2024 to Sep 26, 2025. 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: 100982783, 101007450, 101026985.

Erle Nye, Jr.$20,000.00

Gideon Powell$20,000.00

Money

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

×

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

$30,300.00

Cash: $30,000.00
Paid by others: $300.00
Total: $30,300.00

fundraiser $300.00

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 · Dec 12, 2024 to Sep 26, 2025. 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: 100982783, 101007450, 101026985.

Votes4

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea: 21
Nay: 10
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

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 21, Nays 10.

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

Yea: 21 (published)
Nay: 10 (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.

Senate May 19, 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

Senator King moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that CSSB 781 be placed on its third reading and final passage: CSSB 781, Relating to certain files maintained by a law enforcement agency regarding certain employees of the agency. The motion prevailed 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.

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea: 21
Nay: 10
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

CSSB 781 as amended was passed to engrossment by the following vote: Yeas 21, Nays 10.

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

Yea: 21 (published)
Nay: 10 (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.

Senate May 19, 2025

Yea: 21
Nay: 10
Present, not voting: Not printed
Absent: 0
Excused: 0

Names

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

Senate journal

Sources

Senator King moved to suspend the regular order of business to take up for consideration CSSB 781 at this time on its second reading: CSSB 781, Relating to certain files maintained by a law enforcement agency regarding certain employees of the agency. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 21, Nays 10.

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

Yea: 21 (published)
Nay: 10 (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.

Witnesses44

For: 17
Against: 25
On: 2

Names

For

Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT)1 registration
Dallas National Latino Law Enforcement Organization1 registration
Dallas Police Assoc1 registration
Dallas Police Department1 registration
Gama Warden Peace Officers Association1 registration
San Antonio Police Department1 registration
San Antonio Police Officers Association1 registration
San Marcos POA1 registration
San Marcos Police Officers’ Association1 registration
Self; Fort worth police officers association and CLEAT1 registration
Self; Houston Police Officers’ Union2 registrations
Self; Lakeway Police Departmenr1 registration
Self; Sheriffs Association of Texas1 registration
Self; Texas Attorney General Peace Officers Association1 registration
Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA)1 registration
Texas Police Chiefs Assosciation1 registration

Against

American Civil Liberties Union of Texas1 registration
Dallas Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot1 registration
Self10 registrations
Self; ACT 4 SA Action Fund1 registration
Self; Austin Area Urban League1 registration
Self; Austin justice coalition1 registration
Self; Bell County1 registration
Self; Capital Area Private Defender Service1 registration
Self; El Paso County, Precinct 21 registration
Self; Equity Action1 registration
Self; Local Progress1 registration
Self; Local progress1 registration
Self; Texas Jail Project1 registration
Texas Association of Broadcasters1 registration
Texas Civil Rights Project1 registration
Travis County District Attorney’s Office1 registration

On

Self1 registration
Texas Commission on Law Enforcement1 registration

Sources

44 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 E · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version E · May 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.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Jan 14, 2025

05/27/2025 H Postponed

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

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

Coauthors

Brent HagenbuchRSenate 30

Companion

HB 2486 by Hefner (identical)

Subjects

Fire Fighters & Police--General

Law Enforcement

Occupational Regulation--Other Trades & Professions

RECORDS MANAGEMENT

LAW ENFORCEMENT, TEXAS COMMISSION ON

Text

The text as introduced · 326 words

2025S0016-1 12/19/24

By: King
S.B. No. 781

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to certain files maintained by a law enforcement agency

regarding certain employees of the agency.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter J, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is

amended by adding Section 1701.45351 to read as follows:

Sec. 1701.45351. DEPARTMENT FILE. (a) In this section,

"department file" means a file maintained by a law enforcement

agency for each license holder employed by the agency for the

agency's use.

(b) The head of a law enforcement agency or the head's

designee shall maintain a department file on each license holder

employed by the agency.

(c) A department file must contain any letter, memorandum,

or document relating to the license holder not included in a

personnel file maintained under a policy adopted under Section

1701.4535, including any letter, memorandum, or document relating

to alleged misconduct by the license holder for which the agency

determines there is insufficient evidence to sustain the charge of

misconduct.

(d) As provided by Section 1701.451, a law enforcement

agency hiring a license holder is entitled to view the contents of

the license holder's department file.

(e) A law enforcement agency shall provide contents from a

license holder's department file to the commission in accordance

with:

(1) Section 1701.4522(b)(1)(D); or

(2) a request by the commission as part of an ongoing

investigation relating to the license holder.

(f) Except as provided by Subsections (d) and (e), a law

enforcement agency may not release any information contained in a

license holder's department file to any other agency or person

requesting information relating to the license holder. The agency

shall refer the person or agency requesting the information to the

agency head or the head's designee. A department file maintained

under this section is confidential and not subject to disclosure

under Chapter 552, Government Code.

SECTION 2. 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

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC

Senate May 19, 2025

Senate May 19, 2025

Senate May 19, 2025

Senate May 19, 2025

For

Against

On

Companion