Relating to the authority of the Harris County Hospital District to employ and commission peace officers.
SB 434 allows the Harris County Hospital District to hire and commission peace officers (law enforcement officers) for its facilities, expanding an existing authority previously limited to other county hospital districts. The bill amends two state codes: it adds Harris County to the list of districts permitted to employ peace officers under the Health and Safety Code, and updates the Code of Criminal Procedure to explicitly include hospital district peace officers in the definition of peace officers. This change directly affects Harris County Hospital District staff and security operations, enabling them to deploy authorized law enforcement personnel. The bill became law on September 1, 2025, after passing both legislative chambers and receiving the governor's approval.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Nov 2024
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Nov 21, 2024
Signed May 29, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
1 edit
·
May 20, 2025
MINOR
The bill was converted from an 'Engrossed' draft to its final 'Enrolled' version for signing into law. The substantive policy content remains the same, authorizing specific hospital districts to employ peace officers, though the formatting and layout were significantly cleaned up to meet final legislative standards.
Scope change
No change in scope or applicability; the bill continues to authorize the same hospital districts to employ peace officers.
TECHNICAL
Removed draft formatting artifacts, placeholder text, and line numbers to produce a clean, final version ready for the Governor's signature.
Floor votes · House May 15, 2025
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
47
Key actions
14
Committee
10
May 20, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage reported
upper
May 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 15, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (103-24-16)
house
May 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 25, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Apr 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Apr 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Apr 10, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Apr 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Committee
Referred to Local Government
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
4 primary · 3 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 434
Scope: TX
Hi! I can help you understand SB 434. 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