HB 2159 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the capacity of a minor to consent to certain treatment for the minor or the minor's child.

HB 2159 allows certain minors to consent to specific healthcare treatments without parental involvement. It directly affects two groups: (1) minors aged 16 or older who live independently, manage their own finances, and meet other criteria; and (2) unmarried minor parents with actual custody of their child. Key provisions let these minors consent to treatment for themselves (including pregnancy care, infectious disease treatment, or addiction services) or for their own child, provided they meet the outlined conditions. The bill amends Texas Family Code Chapter 32 to clarify these consent rules, effective September 1, 2025.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 14, 2025 Last action May 19, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 3 edits · May 14, 2025
MINOR
This bill amends the Texas Family Code to clarify which minors can consent to medical treatment for themselves or their children. The changes primarily involve formatting and reorganization of the existing text rather than substantive policy modifications. The bill maintains the same eligibility criteria for minors to consent to treatment, including conditions like being unmarried and pregnant, managing financial affairs, or having actual custody of a child.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the changes are primarily formatting and structural reorganization of existing provisions.
TECHNICAL

Reorganized the bill structure and formatting to align with current legislative standards, including updating the bill number designation and reformatting section headers.

Standardized the text formatting and spacing throughout the document to match current legislative drafting conventions.

ELIGIBILITY

The substantive eligibility criteria for minors to consent to medical treatment remain the same, including provisions for minors on active duty, those managing their own finances, unmarried pregnant minors, and parents with actual custody of children.

Floor votes · House May 13, 2025

How they voted

11417
Passed · 12 other
Total votes 143
May 13, 2025
D Democratic58
51 Yea 1 Nay 6
87% Yea
R Republican85
63 Yea 16 Nay 6
74% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
29
Key actions
8
Committee
8
May 19, 2025
Committee
Referred to Health & Human Services
upper
May 19, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 14, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Recalled from subcommittee
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in subcommittee
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
lower
Mar 14, 2025
Committee
Referred to s/c on Family & Fiduciary Relationships by Speaker
lower
Mar 14, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
4 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors