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2025 · Regular session · House bill
HB1893
HB1893 allows a law enforcement agency to release a video in response to a public-information request without redacting license plate numbers that can be seen or heard in it.
Official caption: Relating to the disclosure under the public information law of a motor vehicle license plate number captured in a video recording obtained or maintained by a law enforcement agency.
Official report lists House author(s): Cook, Noble, Tinderholt, Bhojani, Capriglione. This does not identify sponsors or amendment drafters.
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.
- HB1893 allows a law enforcement agency to release a video in response to a public-information request without redacting license plate numbers that can be seen or heard in it.
- The law removes these numbers from confidentiality under Government Code 552.130 and Transportation Code Chapter 730 for this video context.
- The change took effect September 1, 2025.
What does it do?
HB1893 allows a law enforcement agency to release a video in response to a public-information request without redacting license plate numbers that can be seen or heard in it. It applies to recordings the agency obtains or maintains, not just recordings made by the agency itself. Final law, Sections 1–2.
The law removes these numbers from confidentiality under Government Code 552.130 and Transportation Code Chapter 730 for this video context. It expressly preserves an agency’s ability to claim other exceptions under the Public Information Act. It therefore does not require every police video to be released, eliminate all video redactions, or make all vehicle registration and driver records public. Government Code 552.130; Transportation Code 730.007(h).
The change took effect September 1, 2025. The act contains no separate limitation to videos recorded after that date. Final law, Section 3.
What changed along the way?
The introduced, House committee, House-passed, Senate committee and enrolled versions have the same operative language. The official amendment index reports no amendments. The permission to leave plate numbers visible or audible and the preservation of other disclosure exceptions were in the original bill and survived unchanged. Text versions; amendment index; history.
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?
Police agencies may spend less time obscuring or muting plate numbers, and people requesting video may receive more complete recordings. Drivers and vehicle owners can have their plate numbers revealed in released footage. Other disclosure exceptions still matter; the law does not promise a particular response time or a particular release decision.
The May 2, 2025 fiscal note anticipates no significant state or local fiscal impact, assuming costs can be absorbed with existing resources. It does not quantify savings, give a dollar estimate over two or five years, or appropriate funding.
Official sources
- Bill history and latest recorded action
- Bill versions, analyses and fiscal notes
- Action history and votes
- Amendment index
Catalog report retrieved 2026-10-25. Check the official record for corrections or later changes.