Relating to the extent of a defendant's criminal responsibility for the conduct of a coconspirator in a capital murder case.

HB 2649 amends Texas Penal Code Section 7.02(b) to clarify that defendants in capital murder cases cannot be held criminally responsible for the actions of co-conspirators under the general conspiracy rule. Currently, all conspirators are liable for felonies committed by others during a conspiracy if foreseeable, but this bill explicitly excludes capital murder from that rule. Prosecutors must now prove a defendant specifically intended to commit capital murder, rather than relying on conspiracy liability for the murder itself. The law takes effect September 1, 2025, applying only to capital murder cases occurring on or after that date.