HB 3711 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to assistance in the investigation of certain open meetings offenses by the open records division of the attorney general's office.

HB 3711 requires law enforcement agencies to simultaneously send reports of open meetings violations (under Chapter 551, Government Code) to both district prosecutors and the Attorney General's Open Records Division. It allows prosecutors to request the Open Records Division's assistance in investigating such violations and mandates that agencies provide non-public investigation details upon request. The bill formalizes coordination between law enforcement, prosecutors, and the Attorney General's office for handling open meetings offenses. It takes effect September 1, 2025, and directly affects law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and the Attorney General's Open Records Division. The policy change streamlines investigative processes for government transparency violations without altering the definition of offenses.
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 26, 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 was finalized and formatted for official enactment, with substantive content largely preserved from the earlier version. The enrolled version includes proper legislative signatures, certification of passage votes, and effective date confirmation (September 1, 2025).
Scope change
No substantive policy scope changes; the bill remains focused on assisting investigations of open meeting offenses under Chapter 551 of the Government Code through the attorney general's office.
TECHNICAL

Formatting and layout were updated from draft to enrolled version, including proper bill numbering, section headers, and removal of placeholder text.

Certification statements were added documenting House and Senate passage votes and dates, along with Governor approval signature lines.

TIMELINE

Effective date of September 1, 2025 was confirmed and restated in the enrolled version.

Floor votes · Senate May 26, 2025 · House Apr 28, 2025

How they voted

255
Passed
Total votes 30
May 26, 2025
D Democratic10
6 Yea 4 Nay
60% Yea
R Republican20
19 Yea 1 Nay
95% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
62
Key actions
20
Committee
13
Amendments
9
Jun 20, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
May 31, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 28, 2025
Introduced
House concurs in Senate amendment(s)-reported
upper
May 28, 2025
Introduced
Text of Senate Amendment(s)
lower
May 28, 2025
Introduced
House concurs in Senate amendment(s)
lower
May 27, 2025
Introduced
Senate Amendments Analysis distributed
lower
May 27, 2025
Introduced
Senate Amendments distributed
lower
May 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Senate passage as amended reported
lower
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed to 3rd reading as amended
upper
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
May 26, 2025
Introduced
Amendment(s) offered
upper
May 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
May 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
upper
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
May 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Left pending in committee
upper
May 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
May 5, 2025
Committee
Referred to Local Government
upper
May 5, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
Apr 29, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Apr 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Apr 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Apr 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Committee
Referred to Delivery of Government Efficiency
lower
Mar 26, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
3 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors