2025 · Regular session · House bill
HB272
HB272 gives prosecutors an additional place to bring a case for fraudulent use or possession of credit-card or debit-card information under Penal Code Section 32.315.
Official caption: Relating to the prosecution of the offense of fraudulent use or possession of credit card or debit card information.
Official report lists House author(s): Perez, Mary Ann. 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.
- HB272 gives prosecutors an additional place to bring a case for fraudulent use or possession of credit-card or debit-card information under Penal Code Section 32.315.
- The bill also adds this offense to an existing evidentiary rule about intent to defraud.
- The law took effect September 1, 2025.
What does it do?
HB272 gives prosecutors an additional place to bring a case for fraudulent use or possession of credit-card or debit-card information under Penal Code Section 32.315. A case may be prosecuted either in a county where the offense occurred or in the home county of any person whose card information the defendant unlawfully obtained, possessed, transferred or used. It does not require every case to be moved to the victim’s county. Final act, Section 1
The bill also adds this offense to an existing evidentiary rule about intent to defraud. Under Article 38.19, prosecutors need not prove that the defendant intended to defraud a particular person; it is sufficient to prove the offense was, by its nature, calculated to injure or defraud a person or other entity covered by the offense’s definition. That is not the same as abolishing the underlying offense’s requirement of intent to harm or defraud another. Final act, Section 2 · Article 38.19 · Penal Code Section 32.315(b)
The law took effect September 1, 2025. Its changes apply to criminal proceedings that commence on or after that date; proceedings already commenced remain governed by the previous law. The trigger is the start of the proceeding, not wording that limits the change to offenses committed after September 1. HB272 does not change the offense’s item-count-based felony grades or create a new card-fraud offense. Final act, Sections 3–4 · Existing offense and penalties
What changed along the way?
Both changes—the victim-residence prosecution option and addition to the intent-to-defraud rule—were present in the filed bill. The House committee, House-passed, Senate committee and final texts retain the same substantive provisions. Both committees reported without amendments, and the official amendment index lists none. Filed text · House report · House-passed text · Senate report · Amendment index
The House passed HB272 April 30 by 121–19, with two present but not voting. The Senate passed it May 26 by 31–0. The governor signed it June 20. Final certificates · Official 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?
Victims may benefit from a prosecution closer to home, and prosecutors gain flexibility when card information crosses county lines. The evidentiary change can reduce the need to connect fraudulent intent to one particular intended victim. Defendants may face a case in an additional authorized county, but the bill does not make an allegation sufficient for conviction or eliminate the offense’s other elements. Final act · Intent rule
Courts and prosecutors may need to handle cases in different locations. The Legislative Budget Board anticipated no significant state or local fiscal implication and assumed associated state costs could be absorbed within existing resources. It did not forecast additional convictions, victim recoveries or a dollar amount of savings. Latest posted fiscal note, May 16
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.
