Relating to the waiver of a defendant's arraignment.
HB 2448 amends Texas criminal procedure to allow defense attorneys to waive a defendant's arraignment without requiring the defendant's physical presence in court. It permits attorneys to sign the waiver on the defendant's behalf instead of needing the defendant's signature. This directly affects criminal defendants and their attorneys in Texas courts during initial court proceedings. The law takes effect September 1, 2025.
Bill status
passed
3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 17, 2025
Last action May 7, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison
What changed between versions
Introduced
→
Engrossed
·
4 edits
·
May 7, 2025
MODERATE
The bill text was reformatted from a standard legislative format to an engrossed version with added metadata headers and footers. The substantive policy content regarding waiver of arraignment remains unchanged, with no modifications to eligibility, requirements, or effective dates.
Scope change
No substantive scope change; only formatting and metadata additions
TECHNICAL
Added metadata headers including bill number, version designation, and tracking codes
Reformatted text layout with spacing changes and updated section numbering style
Removed original formatting markers and draft tracking information
POLICY
Core legislative text regarding arraignment waiver procedures remains identical
Floor votes · House May 6, 2025
How they voted
105–34
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 144
May 6, 2025
D
Democratic58
96% Yea
R
Republican86
56% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
29
Key actions
9
Committee
9
May 7, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Vote reconsidered in committee
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Committee
Failed to receive affirmative vote in comm.
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence
lower
Mar 17, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Joe Moody
DDemocratic
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about HB 2448
Scope: TX
Hi! I can help you understand HB 2448. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline