SB 706 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the recognition of a handgun license issued by another state.

Texas House Bill 706 requires Texas to recognize valid handgun licenses issued by other states, directly affecting out-of-state license holders who travel or reside in Texas. The bill mandates that Texas will recognize such licenses only if the other state either has a mutual agreement with Texas or conducts background checks through the FBI's National Crime Information Center before issuing licenses. Texas must publish and update an annual list of states that recognize Texas-issued licenses. The law took effect September 1, 2025, after being signed by the governor on June 20, 2025.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Jan 6, 2025 Signed Jun 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed Enrolled · 4 edits · Jun 20, 2025
MODERATE
The bill text was reformatted from an 'Engrossed' version to an 'Enrolled' version, adding official signatures, certification dates, and vote counts while removing draft metadata. The substantive policy content regarding handgun license recognition between states remains unchanged.
Scope change
No change to the bill's scope or applicability; only formatting and official certification details were added.
TECHNICAL

Added enrolled version header, bill number formatting, and official signatures for Senate President, House Speaker, Secretary of Senate, and Chief Clerk of House.

Added certification dates and vote counts for Senate passage (March 19, 2025) and House passage (May 21, 2025).

Removed draft metadata including sponsor names, bill numbers, and page numbers from the original engrossed version.

Reformatted section headers and text spacing to match official enrolled bill standards.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 19, 2025 · House May 21, 2025

How they voted

255
Passed
Total votes 30
Mar 19, 2025
D Democratic10
5 Yea 5 Nay
50% Nay
R Republican20
20 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
54
Key actions
14
Committee
10
Jun 20, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 22, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage reported
upper
May 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Committee
Referred to Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Mar 20, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Mar 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Mar 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Mar 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Mar 3, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Feb 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
Feb 24, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
upper
Feb 7, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
5 primary · 20 co-sponsors

Sponsors