HB 36 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the monitoring of certain family violence offenders, the provision of resources for family violence victims, and the collection of information about conditions of bond imposed in family violence cases and certain other criminal cases.

HB 36, the Sharon Radebaugh Family Violence Protection Act, requires courts to mandate GPS tracking devices for high-risk defendants charged with family violence offenses as a condition of bond. The bill also establishes that defendants may be charged a fee to cover the cost of the GPS monitoring system and requires courts to collect data on bond conditions in family violence and certain other criminal cases. This directly affects defendants facing family violence charges (who may wear GPS devices), victims (who may receive related resources), and courts (which must track bond conditions). The law aims to enhance victim safety through stricter offender monitoring and data collection, without specifying new victim services beyond the data collection requirement.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2025
House Passage
Apr 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 5, 2025 Last action Apr 28, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 8 edits · Apr 23, 2025
MODERATE
This bill expands Texas's family violence protection laws by strengthening electronic monitoring requirements for high-risk offenders, adding new victim support resources, and improving data collection for law enforcement. The changes aim to enhance victim safety through more rigorous monitoring, better victim information access, and increased funding for county monitoring costs.
Scope change
The bill expands applicability to include more specific high-risk criteria for mandatory monitoring and adds new provisions for victim services and data reporting that were not previously required.
REQUIREMENT

Mandatory GPS monitoring now applies to defendants who pose a 'continuing threat' based on specific criteria including firearm use, prior protective order violations, or threats, rather than just general history of violence.

Victims must now receive comprehensive information about their rights, technology risks, prohibited locations, sanctions, and available support services before participating in monitoring systems.

New victim services chapter requires the Department of Public Safety to create a searchable database connecting victims with assistance programs and resources.

FISCAL

New grant program established to reimburse counties for monitoring costs in family violence cases, with funds restricted to security and safety restoration for victims.

ENFORCEMENT

Enhanced notification requirements mandate immediate electronic alerts to courts, law enforcement, and victims when monitoring conditions are violated, including specific location data for prohibited area violations.

DATA_COLLECTION

Expanded data collection requirements for law enforcement to include detailed information about bond conditions, GPS monitoring status, and violation notification methods for both defendants and protected persons.

TIMELINE

Annual reporting on GPS monitoring effectiveness required by December 1, 2026, with initial report deadline extended to that date.

ELIGIBILITY

Indigent defendants may pay reduced monitoring fees based on sliding scales established by local rules, with partial payments accepted as full payment.

Floor votes · House Apr 22, 2025

How they voted

1450
Passed · 2 other
Total votes 147
Apr 22, 2025
D Democratic60
60 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican87
85 Yea 2
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
26
Key actions
7
Committee
7
Apr 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Justice
upper
Apr 28, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
Apr 23, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
Apr 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
Apr 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Mar 18, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Mar 18, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence
lower
Mar 5, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
5 primary · 12 co-sponsors

Sponsors