SB 1164 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to emergency detention of certain persons evidencing mental illness and to court-ordered inpatient and extended mental health services.

This bill modifies Texas law to allow peace officers to temporarily detain individuals with mental illness without a warrant if they pose an immediate risk of serious harm to themselves or others. Officers must document specific reasons for the detention, including evidence of severe distress, inability to recognize treatment risks, or imminent danger. The law requires officers to immediately notify a facility after transport and provide detailed risk documentation. It directly affects people experiencing acute mental health crises who meet these specific criteria.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

May 2025

Senate Passage

May 2025

House Passage

Jun 2025

Signed into Law

Jun 2025

Introduced Feb 7, 2025 Signed Jun 20, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed → Enrolled · 5 edits · Jun 20, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates Texas emergency mental health detention laws to align with modern accessibility standards and clarify procedures for peace officers and medical facilities. Key changes include reorganizing the statutory language for clarity, adding specific criteria for detaining children under 17, and modifying requirements for physicians and magistrates to ensure consistent application of mental health emergency protocols.

Scope change

The bill expands applicability to include specific provisions for children 17 years of age or younger, requiring additional documentation when a child is detained from parental custody due to mental health risks.

REQUIREMENT

Updated emergency detention notification forms to include specific fields for children 17 or younger, requiring documentation of parental notification attempts and reasons for inability to notify parents.

Added new subsections allowing peace officers to leave facilities immediately after transfer and notification, reducing liability and streamlining emergency response procedures.

ELIGIBILITY

Reorganized criteria for emergency detention to clearly separate mental illness diagnosis from risk factors, ensuring consistent application across peace officer, guardian, and judicial contexts.

TIMELINE

Established September 1, 2025 as the effective date for all amendments, with grandfather provisions for emergency detentions occurring before this date.

TECHNICAL

Reformatted statutory language from verbose paragraph style to structured subsections for improved readability and legal clarity.

Introduced → Engrossed · 6 edits · Apr 24, 2025

MODERATE

SB 1164 was amended to modernize the emergency mental health detention process by updating statutory language, clarifying criteria for peace officer and guardian interventions, and revising the emergency detention form to include more detailed information about the individual's condition and risk factors. The changes aim to improve consistency in how mental health emergencies are handled while maintaining the core legal standards for involuntary detention.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on emergency detention of persons with mental illness, but the applicability was refined by clarifying when peace officers and guardians can transport individuals to facilities and by updating the specific criteria used to justify emergency detention.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the statutory criteria for emergency detention to clarify that peace officers must believe there is not sufficient time to obtain a warrant before taking a person into custody.

Revised the emergency detention form to include checkboxes for whether the person is an adult 65 or older or a child 17 or younger, and added sections for documenting parental notice and use of physical restraints.

Amended the form to allow peace officers and emergency medical services personnel to leave the facility immediately after the person is taken into custody and the notification is provided, without needing to remain for medical screening or insurance verification.

Updated language in multiple sections to clarify that facilities cannot require peace officers or EMS personnel to execute forms other than the standardized emergency detention form.

Revised the criteria for court-ordered inpatient mental health services to ensure consistent language regarding the likelihood of serious harm and the inability to recognize symptoms or appreciate treatment risks.

TIMELINE

Added an effective date provision stating the Act takes effect September 1, 2025, and clarified that the new provisions apply only to emergency detentions beginning on or after that date.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 24, 2025 · House May 28, 2025

How they voted

26–4

Passed

Total votes 30

Apr 24, 2025

D Democratic10

10 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican20

16 Yea 4 Nay

80% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jun 20, 2025

Signed into law

Signed by the Governor

executive

Jun 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Signed in the House

lower

May 30, 2025

Upper · Passed

Signed in the Senate

upper

May 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

House passage reported

upper

May 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

May 21, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report sent to Calendars

lower

May 20, 2025

Lower · Passed

Committee report distributed

lower

May 14, 2025

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)

lower

May 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Left pending in committee

lower

May 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee

lower

Apr 28, 2025

Committee

Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

lower

Apr 28, 2025

Introduced

Read first time

lower

Apr 25, 2025

Introduced

Received from the Senate

lower

Apr 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Apr 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed to engrossment as amended

upper

Apr 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Amended

upper

Apr 24, 2025

Introduced

Amendment(s) offered

upper

Apr 16, 2025

Upper · Passed

Committee report printed and distributed

upper

Apr 16, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably as substituted

upper

Apr 15, 2025

Upper · Passed

Vote taken in committee

upper

Apr 15, 2025

Upper · Passed

Testimony taken in committee

upper

Feb 28, 2025

Committee

Referred to Criminal Justice

upper

Feb 28, 2025

Introduced

Read first time

upper

2 primary · 1 co-sponsor