HB 421 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the creation of certain explicit deep fake material; providing a private cause of action.

HB 421 creates new rules for deep fake generators (websites/apps that let users create AI-generated images/videos). It requires age verification before making explicit deep fakes (depicting real people in sexual or intimate acts), bans creation for anyone under 18, and mandates written consent from people 18+ depicted. Victims or their guardians can sue generators for damages, including mental anguish, attorney fees, and punitive damages. The law directly affects deep fake platforms and individuals whose images are used without consent, particularly minors and those targeted with non-consensual explicit content. It takes effect September 1, 2025.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 28, 2025 Last action Apr 30, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 3 edits · Apr 29, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted and cleaned up to remove internal markup symbols and extra spacing while preserving the original legislative content. No substantive policy changes were made to the bill's provisions regarding deep fake regulations, age verification requirements, or private cause of action rights.
TECHNICAL

Removed internal document markup symbols (like 1...1) and inconsistent spacing throughout the text

Standardized line breaks and paragraph formatting for readability

Corrected header information to show 'Engrossed version' and proper bill number formatting

Floor votes · House Apr 29, 2025

How they voted

1450
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 147
Apr 29, 2025
D Democratic60
59 Yea 1
98% Yea
R Republican87
86 Yea 1
98% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
26
Key actions
7
Committee
7
Apr 30, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Justice
upper
Apr 30, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
Apr 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Mar 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Mar 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Feb 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
lower
Feb 28, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
2 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors