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 · Senate bill

SB2129

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Official caption: Relating to the operation of vehicles at railroad grade crossings; increasing a criminal penalty.

Signed by governorSource-checked explanation published

Official report lists Senate author(s): Johnson. 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.

SB2129 raises the fine for a railroad-crossing offense when it is proved at trial that the vehicle operator disregarded a flagger’s warning about an approaching or passing train or other on-track equipment.

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What does it do?

SB2129 raises the fine for a railroad-crossing offense when it is proved at trial that the vehicle operator disregarded a flagger’s warning about an approaching or passing train or other on-track equipment. That fine becomes $100–$400 instead of $50–$200. It does not double every railroad-crossing fine. Signed June 20, 2025; effective September 1, 2025. Final law; Official history.

What changed along the way?

The act changes only the penalty subsection of Transportation Code 545.251. Its ordinary $50–$200 fine remains; the $100–$400 range applies when the flagger-warning condition is shown at trial. The act adds no jail term. Final law, section 1.

The underlying crossing duties already existed: an operator approaching a railroad grade crossing must stop 15–50 feet from the nearest rail when a crossing gate is lowered or a flagger warns of an approaching or passing train or other on-track equipment. A vehicle required to stop must remain stopped until permitted to proceed and it is safe. The section also addresses signals, visible trains, other stop requirements, yielding at crossings without active warnings, and driving around gates. SB2129 does not newly impose those duties, and a lowered gate alone is not the flagger-specific condition for its higher fine. Prior crossing rules; Final law.

Changes during passage: The introduced, Senate committee, Senate-passed, House committee and enrolled versions have the same operative text. The official amendment index lists no amendments; both committees reported without amendments. Introduced text; Senate committee text; Senate-passed text; House committee text; Final law; Version index; Amendment index.

The higher penalty applies only to offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025. If any element of an offense occurred before that date, the former law continues to govern it. Final law, sections 2–3.

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?

Vehicle operators convicted under the flagger-specific condition face a higher minimum and maximum fine. The change may encourage compliance with warnings and thereby benefit people at railroad crossings, but the act does not establish how many crashes it will prevent or how much money will be collected. Final law.

The April 4 fiscal note anticipates no significant fiscal impact on the state or local governments and assumes revenue effects will not be significant. That is a public-budget estimate, not a finding that an individual fine is insignificant. The act makes no appropriation. Official fiscal note; Final law.

Official sources

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