Monitoring the Session

SB 55

bill extending emergency medical billing protections to 2029

Filed

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Sen. Judith ZaffiriniDSenate 21

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

Caption

relating to the expiration of consumer protections against certain medical and health care billing by emergency medical services providers.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Protections set to expire in 2027 now run two more years.

This bill moves the expiration date of existing consumer protections against certain emergency medical services billing from September 1, 2027 to September 1, 2029, across several sections of the Insurance Code. It touches patients who use emergency medical services, the providers who bill them, and several state-run and private health plans named in the amended sections, and it also sets a matching 2029 end date for a related licensing provision in the Health and Safety Code. On the ground, the billing protections keep running for two more years instead of ending this session, and the health department keeps its power to discipline providers for conduct that happened before the cutoff.

Receipt

The receipt

90R-SB55 · 2026-11-09

SOLD BY

Sen. Judith ZaffiriniDSenate 21

ITEM

relating to the expiration of consumer protections against certain medical and health care billing by emergency medical services providers.

WHAT IT DOES

Protections set to expire in 2027 now run two more years.

This bill moves the expiration date of existing consumer protections against certain emergency medical services billing from September 1, 2027 to September 1, 2029, across several sections of the Insurance Code. It touches patients who use emergency medical services, the providers who bill them, and several state-run and private health plans named in the amended sections, and it also sets a matching 2029 end date for a related licensing provision in the Health and Safety Code. On the ground, the billing protections keep running for two more years instead of ending this session, and the health department keeps its power to discipline providers for conduct that happened before the cutoff.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No fiscal note in the loaded record.

HISTORY

  1. Received by the Secretary of the Senate
  2. Filed
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

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.

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.

Sources

Texas Senate · Filed Nov 9, 2026

11/09/2026 S Filed

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced

Data snapshot Nov 10, 2026 at 2:39 AM CST. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

Subjects

Consumer Protection

Health Care Providers

Health--Emergency Services & Personnel

Insurance--Health & Accident

Text

The text as introduced · 297 words

90R4546 SCL-D

By: Zaffirini
S.B. No. 55

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the expiration of consumer protections against certain

medical and health care billing by emergency medical services

providers.

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

SECTION 1. (a) Section 773.061, Health and Safety Code, is

amended by adding Subsection (a-2) to read as follows:

(a-2) Subsection (a-1) and this subsection expire September

1, 2029.

(b) The expiration of Section 773.061(a-1), Health and

Safety Code, as provided by Section 773.061(a-2), Health and Safety

Code, as added by this Act, does not affect the authority of the

Department of State Health Services to revoke, suspend, or refuse

to renew a license or certificate of a provider based on an act or

omission that occurs before that expiration.

SECTION 2. Section 38.006(b), Insurance Code, is amended to

read as follows:

(b) This section expires September 1, 2029 [ 2027 ].

SECTION 3. Section 1271.159(g), Insurance Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(g) This section expires September 1, 2029 [ 2027 ].

SECTION 4. Section 1275.054(f), Insurance Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(f) This section expires September 1, 2029 [ 2027 ].

SECTION 5. Section 1301.166(g), Insurance Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(g) This section expires September 1, 2029 [ 2027 ].

SECTION 6. Section 1551.231(f), Insurance Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(f) This section expires September 1, 2029 [ 2027 ].

SECTION 7. Section 1575.174(f), Insurance Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(f) This section expires September 1, 2029 [ 2027 ].

SECTION 8. Section 1579.112(f), Insurance Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(f) This section expires September 1, 2029 [ 2027 ].

SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2027.