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HB26-1283 • 2026

Protections Regarding Seizures of Identification Documents

With certain exceptions, the act prohibits an employer or an employer's agent from demanding, confiscating, retaining, or otherwise requiring an individual who is an employee or an applicant for emplo

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Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Rep. J. Joseph, Rep. N. Ricks, Sen. A. Benavidez, Sen. J. Marchman, Rep. J. Bacon, Rep. R. English, Rep. J. Jackson, Rep. K. McCormick, Rep. G. Rydin, Sen. J. Coleman, Sen. L. Cutter, Sen. T. Exum, Sen. J. Gonzales, Sen. N. Hinrichsen, Sen. I. Jodeh, Sen. C. Kipp, Sen. R. Rodriguez, Sen. K. Wallace, Sen. M. Weissman
Last action
2026-06-03
Official status
Governor Signed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official text does not specify what the 'certain exceptions' are beyond general legal requirements.

Protections for Government ID Cards at Work

This law stops employers from taking or demanding an employee's government-issued identification card and sets penalties, including criminal charges, for breaking this rule.

What This Bill Does

  • It bans employers and their agents from asking employees to hand over their government IDs.
  • It prevents employers from keeping, holding onto, or confiscating these ID cards.
  • It makes it a crime called criminal possession of an identification document for anyone who breaks this rule on purpose.
  • It defines specific actions as bias-motivated crimes if done to harass someone based on their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity, color, ancestry, or national origin.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Employers and people working for employers
  • Employees and job applicants of all types, including migrant and seasonal workers

Terms To Know

Class 2 misdemeanor
A type of minor crime that carries specific penalties under state law.
Bias-motivated crime
An illegal act done to intimidate or harass someone because of their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or transgender identity.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law includes certain exceptions that allow ID requests in specific situations not detailed here.
  • Providing an ID to federal immigration authorities is allowed if state or federal laws require it.
  • The exact date the law takes effect is not listed in this summary.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.008

HOU Judiciary

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment tightens rules on employers taking ID documents by shortening the return deadline, requiring notices in multiple languages, and adding a way for harmed workers to sue.

  • Employers must now return seized government-issued IDs within ten days instead of twenty-four hours.
  • Written notice about an ID seizure must be provided in English, other common workplace languages, and the worker's primary language if known.
  • Workers who have their IDs taken illegally can file a civil lawsuit to recover damages caused by the violation.
  • The law clarifies that employers may keep an ID only when state or federal laws require it.
  • The exact definition of 'significant portion' for workplace languages is not specified in this text.
  • Details about how to prove the employer knew a worker's primary language are not included here.
L.024

SEN Judiciary

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment expands the bill's protections to cover more types of workers, including migrant and seasonal employees.

  • The law now protects not just regular employees or job applicants, but anyone doing work for an employer in any way.
L.013

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: This amendment fixes a numbering error in the list of exceptions within the bill.

  • It corrects a reference on page 7, line 4 from item (2)(f) to item (2)(e).
  • The amendment text only shows how to fix a typo and does not explain what the specific exception listed as (2)(e) actually means.
L.016

Second Reading

Lost [**]

Plain English: This amendment adds a rule stating that an employer is not guilty of illegally holding someone's ID if they can prove the possession was accidental.

  • It creates an exception to the law for employers who accidentally keep or hold an employee's identification document.
  • The amendment did not pass and is marked as 'Lost', so it does not change current laws.
  • The text does not explain exactly what actions count as unintentional possession, leaving that detail unclear.
L.017

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: This amendment changes the law to allow a person whose ID was illegally taken by an employer to ask a court for its return and file a civil lawsuit.

  • It gives victims of illegal ID seizures the right to request that a judge order the immediate return of their identification document.
  • The amendment text only shows specific changes to one section, so it does not explain all other parts of the bill or how much money might be involved in civil actions.
  • Because this is a short excerpt from a larger report, some details about who can file these requests are missing.
L.021

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: This amendment changes the time limit in the bill from twenty-four hours to ten hours.

  • The amount of time mentioned on page 4, line 20 is changed from 'TWENTY-FOUR' to 'TEN'.
  • The amendment text does not explain what specific action or event the ten-hour limit applies to.
  • It is unclear if this time refers to hours, days, or another unit of measurement without reading the full bill context.
L.022

Second Reading

Passed [**]

Plain English: This amendment requires employers to provide information about identification document protections in English and, if known, the employee's primary language.

  • Employers must give notices or documents regarding ID seizures in English.
  • The text only shows a small section of the bill being changed, so it is unclear what specific document requires these languages without seeing the full context.
  • It does not explain how an employer should find out if they know an individual's primary language.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-03 Governor

    Governor Signed

  2. 2026-05-20 Governor

    Sent to the Governor

  3. 2026-05-20 Senate

    Signed by the President of the Senate

  4. 2026-05-20 House

    Signed by the Speaker of the House

  5. 2026-05-04 House

    House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass

  6. 2026-05-01 House

    House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Laid Over Daily

  7. 2026-04-30 Senate

    Senate Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  8. 2026-04-29 Senate

    Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee

  9. 2026-04-27 Senate

    Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the Whole

  10. 2026-04-23 Senate

    Introduced In Senate - Assigned to Judiciary

  11. 2026-04-22 House

    House Third Reading Passed - No Amendments

  12. 2026-04-21 House

    House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor

  13. 2026-04-20 House

    House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments

  14. 2026-04-15 House

    House Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to House Committee of the Whole

  15. 2026-03-24 House

    House Committee on Judiciary Witness Testimony and/or Committee Discussion Only

  16. 2026-02-20 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary

Official Summary Text

With certain exceptions, the act prohibits an employer or an employer's agent from demanding, confiscating, retaining, or otherwise requiring an individual who is an employee or an applicant for employment or who is performing work or seeking to perform work for the employer in any capacity, including a migrant worker or seasonal employee, to surrender the individual's government-issued identification card.
A person that knowingly violates the act's prohibition commits criminal possession of an identification document, which is a class 2 misdemeanor.
A person commits a bias-motivated crime if, with the intent to intimidate or harass another individual, in whole or in part, because of that individual's actual or perceived race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or transgender identity, the person:
Violates the act's prohibitions; or
Provides, or threatens to provide, an individual's government-issued identification document to federal immigration authorities, except where required or permitted by state or federal law.
Such a bias-motivated crime is a class 1 misdemeanor, and a victim may seek additional remedies available under law.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)