Monitoring the Session

SB 918

orthotist and prosthetist exemptions go from blanket to piecemeal

Became law, effective Sep 1, 2025

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Judith ZaffiriniDSenate 21

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 the licensing and regulation of orthotists and prosthetists.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

The commission picks which requirements to waive, one or more.

The bill changes how Texas lets some orthotists and prosthetists skip parts of the normal licensing path, so the licensing commission writes rules allowing exemptions from one or more academic, clinical training, or exam requirements instead of a blanket exemption from all of them. It touches applicants who can show the department they have unique qualifications, plus the department that issues their licenses. Exempted applicants still have to meet every other requirement, get the same license privileges as everyone else, and cannot be made to complete the exempted requirements at renewal; the change applies to applications filed on or after September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: CROSS-PARTY HANDOFF. Lead author Judith Zaffirini (D) in the Senate. Lead sponsor Gary VanDeaver (R) in the House. Party as the Legislative Reference Library lists it for the 89th Legislature.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-SB918 · 2025-01-24

SOLD BY

Sen. Judith ZaffiriniDSenate 21

ITEM

relating to the licensing and regulation of orthotists and prosthetists.

WHAT IT DOES

The commission picks which requirements to waive, one or more.

The bill changes how Texas lets some orthotists and prosthetists skip parts of the normal licensing path, so the licensing commission writes rules allowing exemptions from one or more academic, clinical training, or exam requirements instead of a blanket exemption from all of them. It touches applicants who can show the department they have unique qualifications, plus the department that issues their licenses. Exempted applicants still have to meet every other requirement, get the same license privileges as everyone else, and cannot be made to complete the exempted requirements at renewal; the change applies to applications filed on or after September 1, 2025.

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 8, 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 Business & Commerce
  5. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  6. Considered in public hearing
  7. Left pending in committee
  8. Considered in public hearing
  9. Vote taken in committee
  10. Reported favorably w/o amendments
  11. Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
  12. Committee report printed and distributed
  13. Placed on intent calendar
  14. Rules suspended-Regular order of business
  15. Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment
  16. Vote recorded in Journal
  17. Three day rule suspended
  18. Record vote
  19. Read 3rd time
  20. Passed
  21. Record vote
  22. Reported engrossed
  23. Received from the Senate
  24. Read first time
  25. Referred to Public Health
  26. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  27. Considered in public hearing
  28. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  29. Left pending in committee
  30. Considered in formal meeting
  31. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  32. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  33. Committee report distributed
  34. Committee report sent to Calendars
  35. Considered in Calendars
  36. Placed on General State Calendar
  37. Read 2nd time
  38. Passed to 3rd reading
  39. Record vote RV#3729
  40. Read 3rd time
  41. Passed
  42. Record vote RV#3858
  43. Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
  44. House passage reported
  45. Reported enrolled
  46. Signed in the Senate
  47. Signed in the House
  48. Sent to the Governor
  49. Signed by the Governor
  50. Effective on 9/1/25
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

SIGNED FOR BY

House · 99 yea · 42 nay

Senate · 30 yea · 0 nay

Sources

House: Final passage · May 28, 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.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Judith Zaffirini

Donors

Carlos M. Zaffirini Jr$110,000Killam Development Ltd.$73KTexas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$60K

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 · Jul 1, 2024 to Oct 23, 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.

Carlos M. Zaffirini Jr$110,000.00
Killam Development Ltd.$72,700.00

Killam Development Ltd.

$72,700.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$62,700.00
Total
$72,700.00
advertising $33,000.00media $29,700.00

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 9, 2024 to Sep 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 16, 2025 to Aug 20, 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: 101011018, 101057658.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$60,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$60,000.00

Cash
$60,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$60,000.00

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 · Nov 11, 2024 to Aug 31, 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: 100959783, 100987492, 101011018, 101035338, 101057658.

Money

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

×

Killam Development Ltd.

$72,700.00

Cash
$10,000.00
Paid by others
$62,700.00
Total
$72,700.00
advertising $33,000.00media $29,700.00

Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Dec 9, 2024 to Sep 28, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.

Sources

Derived itemized flow · Dec 16, 2025 to Aug 20, 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: 101011018, 101057658.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$60,000.00

Cash
$60,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$60,000.00

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 · Nov 11, 2024 to Aug 31, 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: 100959783, 100987492, 101011018, 101035338, 101057658.

Votes5

House May 28, 2025

Yea
99
Nay
42
Present, not voting
2
Absent
1
Excused
6
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 3858

SB 918 was passed by (Record 3858): 99 Yeas, 42 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 99 (published)
  • Nay: 42 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 1 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 6 (derived from named list)

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

House May 27, 2025

Yea
112
Nay
29
Present, not voting
2
Absent
3
Excused
4
Names

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

House journal

Sources

Record 3729

SB 918 was passed to third reading by (Record 3729): 112 Yeas, 29 Nays, 2 Present, not voting.

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

  • Yea: 112 (published)
  • Nay: 29 (published)
  • Present, not voting: 2 (published)
  • Absent: 3 (derived from named list)
  • Excused: 4 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 24, 2025

Yea
30
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

Sources

The bill was read third time and was passed by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. (Same as previous roll call)

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

  • Yea: 30 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 24, 2025

Yea
30
Nay
0
Present, not voting
Not printed
Absent
Not printed
Excused
1
Names

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

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

Sources

Senator Zaffirini moved that Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that SB 918 be placed on its third reading and final passage. The motion prevailed by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0.

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

  • Yea: 30 (published)
  • Nay: 0 (published)
  • Present, not voting: Not printed
  • Absent: Not printed
  • Excused: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Senate Mar 24, 2025

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

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

Senate journal

Names were not printed for yea. Only the named positions are included in member records.

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: 1 (derived from named list)

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

Witnesses4
For
1
Against
1
On
2
Names

For

  • Self1 registration

Against

  • Self1 registration

On

  • TDLR1 registration
  • Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation1 registration
Sources

4 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

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 8, 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 24, 2025

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

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.

Sponsors
Gary VanDeaverRHouse 1

House committee · Public Health · Committee vote 12 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Senate committee · Business & Commerce · Committee vote 10 aye, 0 nay, 1 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Occupational Regulation--Health Occupations

ORTHOTICS & ORTHOTISTS

PROSTHETISTS & PROSTHETICS

LICENSING & REGULATION, TEXAS COMMISSION OF

Text

The text as introduced · 367 words

89R5473 GP-F

By: Zaffirini
S.B. No. 918

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the licensing and regulation of orthotists and

prosthetists.

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

SECTION 1. Section 605.254, Occupations Code, is amended to

read as follows:

Sec. 605.254. EXEMPTIONS FROM OR SUBSTITUTES FOR LICENSE

REQUIREMENTS. (a) The commission by rule may exempt a [ A ] person

[ is entitled to an exemption ] from one or more of the academic,

clinical training, or examination [ the license ] requirements

established under Section 605.252 .

(b) To be eligible for an exemption under Subsection (a),

[ if ] the person must present [ presents ] evidence satisfactory to

the department that the person possesses unique qualifications to

practice orthotics, prosthetics, or orthotics and prosthetics.

(c) The department shall issue a license under Section

605.256(b) to a person who :

(1) is determined to be eligible for an exemption [ a

license ] under this section from a requirement established under

Section 605.252; and

(2) meets all requirements provided under this

chapter, other than any requirement for which an exemption is

granted under Subdivision (1) [ Subsection (a) ].

(d) A person holding a license for which an exemption was

granted under this section [ to whom a license is issued under this

subsection ] is entitled to the same license privileges as if the

person met all [ the educational and vocational ] requirements of

Section 605.252. The license holder is subject to the license

renewal requirements established by the commission, other than the

[ academic, clinical training, and examination ] requirements

exempted under this section , which the commission may not impose as

a condition of the person's license renewal .

SECTION 2. Section 605.254, Occupations Code, as amended by

this Act, applies only to a license application submitted on or

after the effective date of this Act. An application for a license

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

law in effect on the date the application was submitted, and the

former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

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