HB2593

The introduced, House committee, engrossed, Senate committee and enrolled texts retain the same substantive policy: a second-degree offense for these victims, definitions borrowed from Section 22.04 and prospective September 1 application. Comparison found printing and deletion-markup differences, not a changed penalty policy. Both committees reported the bill without amendments, and the amendment index lists none. The final certified votes were 124–0 in the House and 30–1 in the Senate. Introduced; House text; engrossed; Senate text; enrolled; history; amendment index; text index.

A separate law also amended this penalty section. SB1610 added a third-degree category for certain indecent assaults by people committed to a civil-commitment facility against specified staff or contractors. Its Section 1 also created a separate punishment enhancement for certain felonies committed while civilly committed as a sexually violent predator. These are not amendments adopted to HB2593. The official code displays both versions of subsection (b), including their overlapping subdivision numbers. Texas’s construction rule calls for same-session amendments to be harmonized where possible. This briefing describes HB2593’s enacted change; it does not assert that either law erased the other or resolve the punishment for a particular case meeting both laws’ conditions. SB1610, Sections 1, 4 and 37–43; both code versions; construction rule.

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

The law gives prosecutors a more serious charge when an indecent-assault victim meets the age or disability definition. It may strengthen accountability for abuse of these victims, but the sources do not establish that higher penalties will prevent assaults. Defendants face substantially greater potential punishment, and courts, prosecutors, supervision agencies and prisons may handle more serious cases. Final law.

The Legislative Budget Board’s May 21, 2025 engrossed fiscal note says the fiscal effect on state and local correctional populations and resources cannot be determined because the number of affected cases is unknown. Increased offense severity could increase supervision or confinement demands. The April 23 introduced note likewise does not quantify the cost. These are uncertain estimates, not findings that the change is free or that a specified number of people will go to prison. Engrossed fiscal note; introduced fiscal note.