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HB654 • 2025

Relating to the dismissal of a criminal charge related to the illegal hunting of certain deer; authorizing fees.

Relating to the dismissal of a criminal charge related to the illegal hunting of certain deer; authorizing fees.

Enacted

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

Sponsor
Leo Wilson
Last action
2025-06-20
Official status
06/20/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25
Effective date
2025-06-20

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 the dismissal of a criminal charge related to the illegal hunting of certain deer; authorizing fees.

Relating to the dismissal of a criminal charge related to the illegal hunting of certain deer; authorizing fees.

What This Bill Does

  • Relating to the dismissal of a criminal charge related to the illegal hunting of certain deer; authorizing fees.

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. 2025-06-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-06-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Effective on 9/1/25

  3. 2025-05-31 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed in the Senate

  4. 2025-05-31 Texas Legislature Online

    Sent to the Governor

  5. 2025-05-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed in the House

  6. 2025-05-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Senate passage reported

  7. 2025-05-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported enrolled

  8. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Placed on local & uncontested calendar

  9. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Laid before the Senate

  10. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading

  11. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Vote recorded in Journal

  12. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Three day rule suspended

  13. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote

  14. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 3rd time

  15. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed

  16. 2025-05-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote

  17. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Scheduled for public hearing on . . .

  18. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  19. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Vote taken in committee

  20. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported favorably w/o amendments

  21. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Recommended for local & uncontested calendar

  22. 2025-05-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report printed and distributed

  23. 2025-05-22 Texas Legislature Online

    Posting rule suspended

  24. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Read first time

  25. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Referred to Water, Agriculture, & Rural Affairs

  26. 2025-04-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 3rd time

  27. 2025-04-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed

  28. 2025-04-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote. RV#1019

  29. 2025-04-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal

  30. 2025-04-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported engrossed

  31. 2025-04-30 Texas Legislature Online

    Received from the House

  32. 2025-04-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Placed on General State Calendar

  33. 2025-04-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 2nd time

  34. 2025-04-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed to engrossment

  35. 2025-04-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote. RV#874

  36. 2025-04-25 Texas Legislature Online

    Placed on Local, Consent, and Res. Calendar

  37. 2025-04-25 Texas Legislature Online

    Withdrawn from calendar (contested)

  38. 2025-04-25 Texas Legislature Online

    Returned to Local & Consent Calendars Comm.

  39. 2025-04-25 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in Local & Consent Calendars

  40. 2025-04-25 Texas Legislature Online

    Transferred to Calendars Committee

  41. 2025-04-25 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report sent to Calendars

  42. 2025-04-25 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in Calendars

  43. 2025-04-23 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in Local & Consent Calendars

  44. 2025-04-10 Texas Legislature Online

    Comm. report sent to Local & Consent Calendar

  45. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator

  46. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report distributed

  47. 2025-04-03 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  48. 2025-04-03 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee substitute considered in committee

  49. 2025-04-03 Texas Legislature Online

    Recommended to be sent to Local & Consent

  50. 2025-04-03 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported favorably as substituted

  51. 2025-03-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Scheduled for public hearing on . . .

  52. 2025-03-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  53. 2025-03-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee

  54. 2025-03-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Left pending in committee

  55. 2025-03-04 Texas Legislature Online

    Read first time

  56. 2025-03-04 Texas Legislature Online

    Referred to Culture, Recreation & Tourism

  57. 2024-11-12 Texas Legislature Online

    Filed

Official Summary Text

Relating to the dismissal of a criminal charge related to the illegal hunting of certain deer; authorizing fees.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
89(R) HB 654 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

H.B. No. 654

AN ACT

relating to the dismissal of a criminal charge related to the

illegal hunting of certain deer; authorizing fees.

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

SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Asp-Morgan Act.

SECTION 2. Subchapter F, Chapter 61, Parks and Wildlife

Code, is amended by adding Section 61.902 to read as follows:

Sec.

61.902.

DISMISSAL OF CERTAIN CHARGES RELATED TO

PROHIBITED HUNTING ON COMPLETION OF HUNTER EDUCATION COURSE. (a)

In this section, "hunter education course" means a hunter education

course established under Section 62.014.

(b)

This section applies only to an alleged offense for the

violation of a provision of this code, or a proclamation or

regulation of the commission issued under the authority of this

code, that prohibits the hunting of certain mule deer or

white-tailed deer based on the inside or outside spread measurement

of the deer's antlers, where the violation is based on a difference

of one inch or less from the spread measurement prescribed by the

provision.

(c)

A court having proper jurisdiction of an offense to

which this section applies may, without entering an adjudication of

guilt, defer proceedings against a defendant for a period not to

exceed 180 days if the defendant:

(1)

reported the defendant's commission of the offense

to a game warden before the defendant left the location where the

conduct occurred and was subsequently charged with the offense;

(2)

did not retain possession of the deer carcass or

otherwise disposed of the carcass in the manner prescribed by the

department;

(3) has not previously:

(A)

been convicted of an offense to which this

section applies; or

(B) had a charge dismissed under this section;

(4)

pleads nolo contendere or guilty to the offense in

open court; and

(5)

presents to the court an oral or written request to

attend a hunter education course.

(d)

The court shall dismiss a defendant's charge that the

court deferred under Subsection (c) if the defendant presents

satisfactory evidence that the defendant:

(1)

has successfully completed the hunter education

course before the last day of the deferral period; and

(2)

during the deferral period, has not violated a

provision of this code or a proclamation or regulation of the

commission issued under the authority of this code.

(e)

The court shall enter an adjudication of guilt and

impose the penalty for the offense if the defendant fails to satisfy

the conditions for dismissal of the charge described by Subsection

(d).

(f)

Notwithstanding any other law, a charge dismissed under

this section may not be:

(1)

considered a conviction for the purposes of any

disqualifications or disabilities imposed by this code or other law

for conviction of an offense; or

(2)

used as grounds for denying issuance of a

professional or occupational license or certificate to, or

suspending or revoking the professional or occupational license or

certificate of, the defendant otherwise entitled to or qualified

for the license or certificate.

(g)

A court may transfer a case in which proceedings have

been deferred under this section to a different court if that court

consents to the transfer and has jurisdiction over the case.

(h)

In addition to court costs and fees authorized or

imposed by a law of this state and applicable to the offense, the

court may require a defendant who requests a hunter education

course to pay a reimbursement fee in an amount not to exceed $10 to

cover the costs of administering this section. Money collected by

the court shall be deposited in the county treasury of the county in

which the court is located.

(i)

In addition to the reimbursement fee authorized by

Subsection (h), the court may require a defendant who requests a

hunter education course to pay a $10 reimbursement fee to cover the

course provider's cost for performing duties under this section.

The court shall pay the fee to the course provider, and the course

provider must account to the court for the receipt and disbursal of

the fee.

(j)

A defendant who pays a fee under Subsection (h) or (i) is

not entitled to a refund of the fee, regardless of whether the

defendant successfully completes the hunter education course.

(k)

A court may not require an indigent defendant for whom

proceedings are deferred under this section to pay a reimbursement

fee described by this section.

SECTION 3. 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 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________

______________________________

President of the Senate

Speaker of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 654 was passed by the House on April

30, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 134, Nays 2, 2 present, not

voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.B. No. 654 was passed by the Senate on May

28, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

APPROVED: _____________________

Date

_____________________

Governor