2025 · Regular session · House bill
HB4535
HB4535 requires a Texas-authorized vaccine provider to obtain written informed consent before administering a COVID-19 vaccine.
Official caption: Relating to COVID-19 vaccine administration requirements.
Official report lists House author(s): McQueeney, Capriglione, Bonnen, Hull, Patterson. 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.
- HB4535 requires a Texas-authorized vaccine provider to obtain written informed consent before administering a COVID-19 vaccine.
- The recipient gives consent, or, for a minor or someone lacking the mental capacity to give informed consent, a parent, guardian or conservator who may legally consent on that person's behalf does so.
- These are subjects the law requires the sheet to address, not legislative findings that vaccines have no benefits, were never studied or caused every event reported after vaccination.
- DSHS has published implementation guidance and the information sheet.
- A provider who vaccinates someone in violation of the new section may face disciplinary action by the appropriate licensing authority, using that authority's existing procedures.
What does it do?
HB4535 requires a Texas-authorized vaccine provider to obtain written informed consent before administering a COVID-19 vaccine. It was signed June 20, 2025, and took effect September 1, 2025. It does not ban COVID-19 vaccination or require a person to receive it.
The recipient gives consent, or, for a minor or someone lacking the mental capacity to give informed consent, a parent, guardian or conservator who may legally consent on that person’s behalf does so. The written consent must acknowledge receipt of the state-required information sheet.
The Department of State Health Services must prepare a standardized sheet covering:
- Benefits and risks, including potential side effects.
- The expedited manner of vaccine development.
- Whether long-term scientific studies have been performed.
- Whether vaccine manufacturers are subject to civil liability for vaccine-related injuries.
- The federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, including clear reporting instructions.
These are subjects the law requires the sheet to address, not legislative findings that vaccines have no benefits, were never studied or caused every event reported after vaccination. The law does not itself change federal manufacturer-liability rules or create an injury-compensation program.
DSHS has published implementation guidance and the information sheet. Its September 2025 Texas sheet discusses both benefits and risks and explains that VAERS accepts reports even when it is unclear whether a vaccine caused the event. A report is therefore not, by itself, proof of causation.
A provider who vaccinates someone in violation of the new section may face disciplinary action by the appropriate licensing authority, using that authority’s existing procedures. The act does not specify an automatic license revocation, new criminal offense or fixed fine. The statutory requirements are in Health and Safety Code Section 161.0086.
What changed along the way?
The introduced and House committee versions were identical. All three indexed House amendments were offered May 14, 2025:
- Goodwin’s amendment 1 would have substituted the CDC vaccine information statement or emergency-use fact sheet and removed the state-sheet requirement. It failed.
- Howard’s amendment 2 added “benefits and” before “risks.” It passed and is in the final law.
- Wu’s amendment 3 would have required DSHS to prefer peer-reviewed research or literature when developing the sheet. It was withdrawn and is not an enacted requirement of this bill.
The House-passed, Senate committee and enrolled operative texts match. The Senate made no further amendment. The history, text index and amendment index document those distinctions.
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?
Recipients and authorized decision-makers receive a standardized explanation and a written consent process. Providers must supply the sheet and document consent before vaccination, adding compliance work and potential licensing consequences for violations. The bill does not establish that the paperwork will improve health outcomes or quantify any effect on access to vaccination.
The latest fiscal note anticipated no significant state or local fiscal implication, assuming state costs could be absorbed with existing resources. It did not quantify private providers’ administrative costs. No new appropriation is included.
Review boundary: This explains the consent law, not a personalized vaccination recommendation or an independent analysis of federal liability and compensation law.
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.
