CS/HB 437: Public Records

GENERAL BILL by Government Operations Subcommittee, Andrade; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Campbell, Mooney, Plasencia

Public Records; Provides that it is a violation of specified provisions to fail to acknowledge public records request promptly & respond to such request in good faith; revises various provisions relating to custodians of public records, agencies, fees, & penalties; requires written, detailed cost estimate be provided upon request to persons seeking to inspect or copy public record; requires courts to assess specified costs, fees, & penalties.

Current Bill Version Posted: 1/21/2026 05:10 PM

• Senate Committee References (1)

  1. Rules (RC)

• Related Bills (1)

  Bill Number Subject Filed By Last Action and Location	Relationship Learn more about bill relationships
  S 770 by Rouson Public Records Last Action: 3/13/2026 S Died in Governmental Oversight and Accountability	Similar

• Analyses (3)

  Links in this section are PDF documents.

  • Judiciary Committee (Post-Meeting)   2/10/2026
  • Justice Budget Subcommittee (Post-Meeting)   2/16/2026
  • State Affairs Committee (Post-Meeting)   2/24/2026

• Floor Votes (1)

  Links in this section are PDF documents.

  Date	Chamber	Result
  3/4/2026 2:09 PM	House	111 Yeas - 0 Nays

• Citations - Statute (6)

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  119.011	Definitions.	Page 3 (pdf)
  119.07	Inspection and copying of records; photographing public records; fees; exemptions.	Page 4 (pdf)
  119.10	Violation of chapter; penalties.	Page 10 (pdf)
  119.12	Attorney fees.	Page 11 (pdf)
  282.711	Remote electronic access services.	Page 13 (pdf)
  921.0022	Criminal Punishment Code; offense severity ranking chart.	Page 14 (pdf)

• Bill History

  S = Senate, H = House

  11/17/2025	H	• Filed
  11/24/2025	H	• Referred to Government Operations Subcommittee • Referred to Judiciary Committee • Referred to Justice Budget Subcommittee • Referred to State Affairs Committee • Now in Government Operations Subcommittee
  1/13/2026	H	• 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
  1/16/2026	H	• Added to Government Operations Subcommittee agenda
  1/21/2026	H	• Favorable with CS by Government Operations Subcommittee • Reported out of Government Operations Subcommittee • Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a) • CS Filed
  1/22/2026	H	• Referred to Judiciary Committee • Referred to Justice Budget Subcommittee • Referred to State Affairs Committee • Now in Judiciary Committee • 1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
  2/6/2026	H	• Added to Judiciary Committee agenda
  2/10/2026	H	• Favorable by Judiciary Committee • Reported out of Judiciary Committee • Now in Justice Budget Subcommittee
  2/12/2026	H	• Added to Justice Budget Subcommittee agenda
  2/16/2026	H	• Favorable by Justice Budget Subcommittee • Reported out of Justice Budget Subcommittee • Now in State Affairs Committee
  2/20/2026	H	• Added to State Affairs Committee agenda
  2/24/2026	H	• Favorable by State Affairs Committee • Reported out of State Affairs Committee • Bill released to House Calendar • Added to Second Reading Calendar
  2/26/2026	H	• Bill added to Special Order Calendar (3/4/2026)
  3/4/2026	H	• Read 2nd time • Added to Third Reading Calendar • Read 3rd time • CS passed; YEAS 111, NAYS 0
  3/4/2026	S	• In Messages • Referred to Rules • Received
  3/13/2026	S	• Died in Rules