Monitoring the Session

HB 664

bill letting defense lawyers sign the arraignment waiver

Filed

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Joe MoodyDHouse 78

Initial review · graded Nov 9, 2026 · How we grade

Caption

relating to the waiver of a defendant's arraignment.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

The lawyer signs, the defendant skips one trip to court.

The bill lets a defense lawyer sign a waiver of arraignment for the defendant, in addition to presenting it. The court clerk still cannot require the defendant to show up as a condition of accepting that waiver. This touches criminal defendants, their lawyers and court clerks, and it means fewer in-person trips to court just to waive a formal reading of the charges.

Labels

Labels: BACK FROM THE DEAD. Same text as a bill filed before that died: 89R HB 2448 (Did not pass). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R and 89R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 89R and 90R. Checked against 88R and 89R only.QUICK READ: 110 WORDS. The bill as filed runs 110 words, counting the existing law it amends and the text it strikes. The median 90R bill as filed runs 407 words (derived, 1,039 graded bills, snapshot Nov 10, 2026).

Receipt

The receipt

90R-HB664 · 2026-11-09

SOLD BY

Rep. Joe MoodyDHouse 78

ITEM

relating to the waiver of a defendant's arraignment.

WHAT IT DOES

The lawyer signs, the defendant skips one trip to court.

The bill lets a defense lawyer sign a waiver of arraignment for the defendant, in addition to presenting it. The court clerk still cannot require the defendant to show up as a condition of accepting that waiver. This touches criminal defendants, their lawyers and court clerks, and it means fewer in-person trips to court just to waive a formal reading of the charges.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Joe Moody

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$85KTexans for Truth and Liberty PAC$25KTexas Sands PAC$14K

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 9, 2024 to Jun 29, 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.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$85,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$85,000.00

Cash
$85,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$85,000.00

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 · Oct 8, 2024 to Jun 17, 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: 100979067, 101003930, 101054759.

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC$25,000.00

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$25,000.00

Cash
$25,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$25,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 24, 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: 101003930.

Texas Sands PAC$14,000.00

Texas Sands PAC

$14,000.00

Cash
$14,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$14,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 1, 2024 to May 18, 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: 100979067, 101024872, 101054759.

Money

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

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$85,000.00

Cash
$85,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$85,000.00

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 · Oct 8, 2024 to Jun 17, 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: 100979067, 101003930, 101054759.

×

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$25,000.00

Cash
$25,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$25,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · on Jun 24, 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: 101003930.

×

Texas Sands PAC

$14,000.00

Cash
$14,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$14,000.00

Also funds 121 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 3, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Oct 1, 2024 to May 18, 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: 100979067, 101024872, 101054759.

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 a super-expensive superintelligence, Nov 9, 2026, against the published rubric.

FILED BEFORE

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

89R HB 2448

by Rep. Moody, same lead author · Did not pass · same text

Introduced text

Last action, May 7, 2025: Received from the House

Relating to the waiver of a defendant's arraignment.

Caption, 89R bill history

Sources

Texas House · Filed Nov 9, 2026

11/09/2026 H Filed

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Nov 10, 2026 at 2:35 AM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Subjects

Criminal Procedure--Defense Counsel

Criminal Procedure--General

Criminal Procedure--Pretrial Procedure

Text

The text as introduced · 110 words

90R3981 JDK-D

By: Moody
H.B. No. 664

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the waiver of a defendant's arraignment.

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

SECTION 1. Article 26.011, Code of Criminal Procedure, is

amended to read as follows:

Art. 26.011. WAIVER OF ARRAIGNMENT. (a) An attorney

representing a defendant may present a waiver of arraignment, and

the clerk of the court may not require the presence of the defendant

as a condition of accepting the waiver.

(b) An attorney representing a defendant may sign a waiver

of arraignment on the defendant's behalf.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2027.