2025 Texas sessionsRegular and both called sessions have ended. This index covers House and Senate bills, not resolutions. Statuses come from official reports.

2025 · Regular session · House bill

HB119

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Official caption: Relating to the registration as a lobbyist of persons who engage in certain lobbying activities on behalf of a foreign adversary and to prohibitions on the receipt of compensation related to those lobbying activities; providing a civil penalty.

Signed by governorSource-checked explanation published

Official report lists House author(s): Gerdes, Bonnen, Capriglione, Metcalf, Troxclair. This does not identify sponsors or amendment drafters.

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Bill explanation published · Version and amendment review scope is stated below · Individual amendment records may not be separately annotated.

Bill highlights

Selected points from the published explanation. Follow each point to its source-linked context; conditions and limits may matter.

HB119 adds a registration requirement for covered lobbying on behalf of defined foreign adversaries and prohibits receiving or agreeing to receive compensation from those represented interests for that lobbying.
The new registration trigger applies to direct communications with members of the Texas legislative or executive branch intended to influence legislation or administrative action on behalf of a foreign adversary, foreign-adversary client or foreign-adversary political party.
The definitions reach beyond foreign governments.
Twenty-percent ownership is not a universal safe harbor: The law’s definition of control includes at least 20% of voting interests, but also board representation, appointment powers, contractual arrangements and other means of control.
A person required to register under the new trigger cannot receive or agree to receive direct or indirect compensation, including intangible or in-kind compensation, from the covered interest on whose behalf the person makes the lobbying communication.
The attorney general may seek an injunction to stop a violation or threatened violation, civil penalties for violations, and reasonable enforcement expenses.

Read the full explanation ↓

What does it do?

HB119 adds a registration requirement for covered lobbying on behalf of defined foreign adversaries and prohibits receiving or agreeing to receive compensation from those represented interests for that lobbying. Signed June 20, 2025, it took effect September 1, 2025. It is not a general ban on all foreign clients or all speech about foreign affairs. Final law; official history.

The new registration trigger applies to direct communications with members of the Texas legislative or executive branch intended to influence legislation or administrative action on behalf of a foreign adversary, foreign-adversary client or foreign-adversary political party. Unlike the existing expenditure- and compensation-based triggers, this new trigger has no dollar threshold. Registration is with the Texas Ethics Commission, and the chapter’s remaining provisions and applicable exceptions still matter. Existing definitions cover electronic communications, certain staff and candidates, and administrative matters such as licensing and purchasing—not just a meeting with an elected legislator. Final law, Section 1; Government Code Sections 305.002–.004.

The definitions reach beyond foreign governments. They start with the U.S. commerce secretary’s foreign-adversary designations under 15 CFR 791.4 and include specified controlled, owned, operated, parent, subsidiary and foreign-organized entities. “Foreign adversary client” also includes certain current or former officials and executives, entities formed by or for them, and specified immediate relatives. These are detailed statutory connections, not a test based simply on a person’s ancestry. Final law, Section 305.030(a); official 2025 federal regulation volume, Section 791.4 and its effective-date amendment.

Twenty-percent ownership is not a universal safe harbor. The law’s definition of control includes at least 20% of voting interests, but also board representation, appointment powers, contractual arrangements and other means of control. For the separate ownership definition, any foreign-adversary ownership share can qualify a privately held company. For a publicly traded company, the specified tests concern control, access to material nonpublic technical information, or decision-making rights beyond those of an equivalent retail investor. Final law, Section 305.030(a)(1) and (5).

A person required to register under the new trigger cannot receive or agree to receive direct or indirect compensation, including intangible or in-kind compensation, from the covered interest on whose behalf the person makes the lobbying communication. Registering does not make the prohibited payment permissible. The new registration trigger can also reach unpaid covered communications, subject to applicable law. Final law, Sections 1–2.

The attorney general may seek an injunction to stop a violation or threatened violation, civil penalties for violations, and reasonable enforcement expenses. The penalty provision says the amount must not exceed “(1) $10,000 for each violation; and (2) the amount of any compensation the registrant received in violation of this section.” Both clauses matter; this is not an automatic flat $10,000 charge or a stated daily fine. Court costs, attorney fees and other listed enforcement expenses can also be recovered. Final law, Section 305.030(c)–(e).

The changes apply only to covered conduct occurring or compensation received on or after September 1, 2025. Earlier conduct and receipts remain governed by the former law. Final law, Sections 3–4.

What changed along the way?

The filed and House-passed bills used the definition that ultimately became law. The Senate committee substitute would also have allowed the governor to designate foreign governments and entities, while excluding certain entities not so designated if publicly traded on a U.S. national securities exchange or if they attested that every covered transaction had federal foreign-investment review and approval. It also carried that exception into the client definition. Those Senate additions and exceptions did not survive conference. Filed text; Senate substitute; conference report and comparison.

The amendment index lists no individual floor amendments; the changes came through the Senate substitute and conference. The House refused concurrence May 30. Both chambers adopted the conference report June 1: House 101–36 with one present but not voting, Senate 30–1. The final substantive text returns to the House version. Version index; amendment index; enrolled certifications.

For the full amendment record, open the official amendment index.

Official bill versions

Compare the published text versions in the official text index. A change is not attributed to a specific amendment here without a verified record.

Who could benefit—and who could bear the costs?

The public and state officials may benefit from disclosure of covered representation and restrictions on paid influence by the defined interests. Lobbyists, firms and clients bear the cost of checking ownership, control, family and official connections, assessing registration duties and refusing prohibited compensation. The breadth of those definitions can affect entities beyond a foreign government itself. The law does not establish how much influence will be prevented or how many businesses will be affected.

The conference fiscal note expects no significant state or local fiscal impact. Agencies anticipate no significant administrative or court-system cost; the comptroller says the fiscal impact cannot be estimated. That does not quantify private compliance costs, lost compensation or future penalty collections. The fiscal note’s reference to the “Election Code” is a descriptive error: the final bill amends the Government Code. Final fiscal note; final law.

Official sources

Catalog report retrieved 2026-10-25. Check the official record for corrections or later changes.