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SB412 • 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
Enacted

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

Sponsor
Middleton
Last action
2025-05-19
Official status
05/19/2025 E Effective on 9/1/25
Effective date
2025-05-19

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. 2025-05-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-05-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Effective on 9/1/25

  3. 2025-05-07 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed in the Senate

  4. 2025-05-07 Texas Legislature Online

    Signed in the House

  5. 2025-05-07 Texas Legislature Online

    Sent to the Governor

  6. 2025-05-05 Texas Legislature Online

    House passage reported

  7. 2025-05-05 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported enrolled

  8. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 3rd time

  9. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed

  10. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote. RV#1343

  11. 2025-05-02 Texas Legislature Online

    Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal

  12. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Laid out in lieu of companion. HB 267

  13. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 2nd time

  14. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Point of order withdrawn. Rule 4, Section 32(c)(2)

  15. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Point of order withdrawn. Rule 8, Section 1(a)(1)

  16. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed to 3rd reading

  17. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote. RV#1155

  18. 2025-05-01 Texas Legislature Online

    Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal

  19. 2025-04-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator

  20. 2025-04-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report distributed

  21. 2025-04-29 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report sent to Calendars

  22. 2025-04-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  23. 2025-04-28 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)

  24. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Read first time

  25. 2025-04-09 Texas Legislature Online

    Referred to State Affairs

  26. 2025-03-20 Texas Legislature Online

    Received from the Senate

  27. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Rules suspended-Regular order of business

  28. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote

  29. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 3rd time

  30. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Passed

  31. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote

  32. 2025-03-19 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported engrossed

  33. 2025-03-18 Texas Legislature Online

    Co-author authorized

  34. 2025-03-18 Texas Legislature Online

    Rules suspended-Regular order of business

  35. 2025-03-18 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote

  36. 2025-03-18 Texas Legislature Online

    Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment

  37. 2025-03-18 Texas Legislature Online

    Record vote

  38. 2025-03-18 Texas Legislature Online

    Statement(s) submitted

  39. 2025-03-12 Texas Legislature Online

    Co-author authorized

  40. 2025-03-11 Texas Legislature Online

    Co-author authorized

  41. 2025-03-11 Texas Legislature Online

    Placed on intent calendar

  42. 2025-03-06 Texas Legislature Online

    Reported favorably as substituted

  43. 2025-03-06 Texas Legislature Online

    Committee report printed and distributed

  44. 2025-03-04 Texas Legislature Online

    Scheduled for public hearing on . . .

  45. 2025-03-04 Texas Legislature Online

    Considered in public hearing

  46. 2025-03-04 Texas Legislature Online

    Testimony taken in committee

  47. 2025-03-04 Texas Legislature Online

    Vote taken in committee

  48. 2025-02-03 Texas Legislature Online

    Read first time

  49. 2025-02-03 Texas Legislature Online

    Referred to Criminal Justice

  50. 2024-11-21 Texas Legislature Online

    Received by the Secretary of the Senate

  51. 2024-11-21 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) SB 412 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

S.B. No. 412

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.

______________________________

______________________________

President of the Senate

Speaker of the House

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 412 passed the Senate on

March 19, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 22, Nays 9.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 412 passed the House on

May 2, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 92, Nays 39, two present

not voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

Approved:

______________________________

Date

______________________________

Governor