SB 978
bill repealing an exception on employers blocking votes
Died in committee
Verdict: No flags
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 repeal of the exception to the offense of unlawfully prohibiting an employee from voting.
Caption from analyzed text · version I.
Summary
Section 276.004(b) of the Election Code goes away.
This bill repeals Section 276.004(b) of the Election Code, an exception to the existing offense of an employer unlawfully stopping an employee from voting. It affects Texas employers and their workers on election days. After September 1, 2025, conduct that the old exception excused can fall under the offense, but only for conduct that happens on or after that date.
Labels
Labels: QUICK READ: 145 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 145 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).NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Jan 29, 2025 and referred to the Senate State Affairs committee. No public hearing. The bill died.
Receipt
The receipt
89R-SB978 · 2025-01-29
SOLD BY
ITEM
relating to the repeal of the exception to the offense of unlawfully prohibiting an employee from voting.
WHAT IT DOES
Section 276.004(b) of the Election Code goes away.
This bill repeals Section 276.004(b) of the Election Code, an exception to the existing offense of an employer unlawfully stopping an employee from voting. It affects Texas employers and their workers on election days. After September 1, 2025, conduct that the old exception excused can fall under the offense, but only for conduct that happens on or after that date.
CHARGES
[ ] NONE FOUND
TOTAL
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
HISTORY
- Received by the Secretary of the Senate
- Filed
- Read first time
- Referred to State Affairs
FILED UNDER
No verified beat found.
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
Donors
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 24, 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.
Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.
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.
Sources
Texas Senate · Filed Jan 29, 2025
02/13/2025 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
Subjects
Crimes--Miscellaneous
Elections--General
Text
The text as introduced · 145 words
89R6027 JDK-D By: Eckhardt S.B. No. 978 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the repeal of the exception to the offense of unlawfully prohibiting an employee from voting. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 276.004(b), Election Code, is repealed. SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act 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 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.