HB 4388 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to judicial authority and duties.

HB 4388 strengthens judicial authority by prohibiting judges from abandoning or relinquishing their duties and clarifying that all judges must follow constitutional and ethical rules regardless of their court's jurisdiction. It also prohibits county commissioners courts from delegating judicial duties to others unless specifically allowed by law. The bill directly affects Texas judges and county commissioners courts by reinforcing the boundaries of judicial authority. These changes take effect September 1, 2025.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Apr 1, 2025 Last action May 10, 2025
Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
11
Key actions
5
Committee
6
May 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Committee
Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Janis Holt
Janis Holt
RRepublican
TX
18