Relating to the state law enforcement authority of federal National Park Service law enforcement officers.
HB 1866 clarifies that federal National Park Service (NPS) law enforcement officers are not considered Texas peace officers but retain specific enforcement powers within Texas national parks and recreation areas. The bill grants NPS officers the authority to arrest, search, and seize for state law violations committed in these parks, execute Texas-issued warrants there, and use powers from Texas Health and Safety Codes within park boundaries. It directly affects NPS officers working in Texas national parks (like Big Bend or Guadalupe Mountains) by defining their jurisdiction without making them state law enforcement personnel. The law took effect immediately upon the governor's signature on June 20, 2025.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Mar 14, 2025
Signed Jun 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
3 edits
·
Jun 20, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from an 'Engrossed' version to an 'Enrolled' version, which is the final official version ready for signing into law. The substantive policy content regarding National Park Service law enforcement authority in Texas remains unchanged, with no modifications to the powers granted, effective dates, or legal definitions.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; only formatting and version status updates.
TECHNICAL
Header information was updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Enrolled' version, indicating the bill has passed both houses and is ready for the Governor's signature.
Added a note about digital content accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1) unrelated to the bill's legislative content.
Removed draft-style line numbers and annotations that were present in the earlier version of the bill.
Floor votes · Senate May 23, 2025 · House Apr 23, 2025
How they voted
24–6
Passed
Total votes 30
May 23, 2025
D
Democratic10
90% Yea
R
Republican20
75% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
49
Key actions
18
Committee
11
Amendments
2
Jun 20, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate passage reported
lower
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
May 21, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
May 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
May 20, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
May 13, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Justice
upper
May 13, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
Apr 24, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
Apr 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Apr 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment as amended
lower
Apr 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
Apr 23, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (118-26-2)
house
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 14, 2025
Committee
Referred to Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
lower
Mar 14, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
4 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
John Lujan
RRepublican
P
Liz Campos
DDemocratic
P
Marc LaHood
RRepublican
P
Ray Lopez
DDemocratic
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