SB 2721 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the deceased, including requirements for donating or claiming bodies or anatomical specimens, the licensing and regulation of persons who provide services or conduct education or research in relation to the deceased, and responsibilities of political subdivisions for certain bodies after death; creating criminal offenses; authorizing administrative penalties; requiring occupational licenses; authorizing fees.

Texas Senate Bill 2721 establishes new licensing and regulatory requirements for entities handling human bodies or anatomical specimens for educational or research purposes. It creates definitions for "human body acquisition services," "non-transplant anatomical donation organizations," and "willed body programs," requiring these entities to obtain licenses, maintain secure electronic records with unique identifiers for body parts, and update a commission database tracking each specimen’s location. The bill directly affects institutions of higher education operating body donation programs, research facilities, and organizations that collect, process, or distribute bodies or body parts for medical training. Violations of the law are classified as state jail felonies, with the Texas Funeral Service Commission authorized to enforce these rules and revoke licenses for noncompliance.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 13, 2025 Last action May 26, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 7 edits · May 5, 2025
MODERATE
This bill updates the Texas Health and Safety Code to modernize the regulation of bodies and anatomical specimens used for education and research. It introduces new definitions for 'anatomical facility' and 'anatomical specimen,' expands the advisory committee membership, and adds new criminal and administrative penalties for unauthorized handling of remains. The changes aim to clarify licensing requirements, improve transparency through record-keeping, and ensure compliance with accessibility standards.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of regulated entities to include 'anatomical facilities' and 'anatomical specimens' as distinct categories, while maintaining the existing framework for willed body programs and non-transplant anatomical donation organizations.
DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'anatomical facility' and 'anatomical specimen' to clarify what entities and materials are regulated under the law.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the composition of the State Anatomical Advisory Committee to include representatives from new entity types and clarified member qualifications.

Modified fee structures and licensing requirements to apply uniformly across all regulated entity types rather than distinguishing between program types.

ENFORCEMENT

Added new criminal offense and administrative penalty provisions for unauthorized solicitation, retrieval, or handling of human remains.

REQUIREMENT

Modified record-keeping requirements to include unique identifiers for all bodies and anatomical specimens and established new documentation forms for donations.

Added new provisions for post-death donation authorization, establishing a priority hierarchy for family members to make or object to donations.

TECHNICAL

Added a statement about updating digital content to align with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
45
Key actions
14
Committee
15
Amendments
3
May 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
May 13, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
May 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to Public Health
lower
May 7, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
May 6, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
May 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed to engrossment as amended
upper
May 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
May 5, 2025
Introduced
Amendment(s) offered
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
upper
Apr 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Apr 16, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to Health & Human Services
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Committee
Rereferred to committee
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to Business & Commerce
upper
Apr 3, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
3 primary · 6 co-sponsors

Sponsors