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HB267 • 2025

Relating to defenses to prosecution for certain offenses involving material or conduct that is obscene or otherwise harmful to children.

Relating to defenses to prosecution for certain offenses involving material or conduct that is obscene or otherwise harmful to children.

Children
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Patterson | Hickland | Metcalf | Hefner | Vasut
Last action
2025-05-01
Official status
05/01/2025 H Laid on the table subject to call
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Relating to defenses to prosecution for certain offenses involving material or conduct that is obscene or otherwise harmful to children.

Relating to defenses to prosecution for certain offenses involving material or conduct that is obscene or otherwise harmful to children.

What This Bill Does

  • Relating to defenses to prosecution for certain offenses involving material or conduct that is obscene or otherwise harmful to children.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Companion considered in lieu of. SB 412

  2. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Laid on the table subject to call

  3. 2025-04-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Placed on General State Calendar

  4. 2025-04-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 2nd time

  5. 2025-04-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Postponed. 5/1/25 10:00 AM

  6. 2025-04-24 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in Calendars

  7. 2025-04-10 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report sent to Calendars

  8. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator

  9. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report distributed

  10. 2025-03-26 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  11. 2025-03-26 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee substitute considered in committee

  12. 2025-03-26 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported favorably as substituted

  13. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Scheduled for public hearing on . . .

  14. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  15. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee substitute considered in committee

  16. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee

  17. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Left pending in committee

  18. 2025-02-27 Texas Legislature Online

    Read first time

  19. 2025-02-27 Texas Legislature Online

    Referred to State Affairs

  20. 2024-11-12 Texas Legislature Online

    Filed

Official Summary Text

Relating to defenses to prosecution for certain offenses involving material or conduct that is obscene or otherwise harmful to children.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
89(R) HB 267 - House Committee Report version - Bill Text

89R16466 JCG-F

By: Patterson, Hickland, Metcalf, Hefner,

H.B. No. 267

Vasut, et al.

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 267:

By: Hull

C.S.H.B. No. 267

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to defenses to prosecution for certain offenses involving

material or conduct that is obscene or otherwise harmful to

children.

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

SECTION 1. Section 43.24, Penal Code, is amended by adding

Subsection (c-2) to read as follows:

(c-2)

It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under

Subsection (b)(1) or (2) that at the time of the offense the actor

was a judicial or law enforcement officer discharging the officer's

official duties.

SECTION 2. Section 43.25(f), Penal Code, is amended to read

as follows:

(f) It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under this

section that:

(1) the defendant was the spouse of the child at the

time of the offense;

(2)
at the time of the offense the actor was a judicial

or law enforcement officer discharging the officer's official

duties
[
the conduct was for a bona fide educational, medical,

psychological, psychiatric, judicial, law enforcement, or

legislative purpose
]; or

(3) the defendant is not more than two years older than

the child.

SECTION 3. Section 43.24(c), Penal Code, is repealed.

SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply 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 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.