SB 1778 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to the use of telemedicine services in the juvenile justice system.

SB 1778 requires Texas juvenile justice facilities to contract for telemedicine services when physicians, nurse practitioners, or physician assistants are not physically present onsite. This law directly affects juveniles in state custody and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which must provide this medical care access. The key provision mandates that facilities secure telemedicine options as a standard backup for medical treatment, ensuring continuity when in-person providers are unavailable. The bill takes effect on September 1, 2025, and applies to all facilities under the department's management. It does not specify funding mechanisms or implementation details beyond the telemedicine requirement.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 28, 2025 Last action May 16, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 3 edits · May 14, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was restructured from a standard legislative format to an engrossed version with updated metadata and formatting. The substantive policy content regarding telemedicine requirements for the juvenile justice system remains unchanged, including the effective date of September 1, 2025.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; only formatting and metadata updates were applied.
TECHNICAL

Removed original bill header information and replaced with updated engrossed version metadata including bill number and sponsor information.

Reformatted the bill text from a compact layout to a more spaced-out format with additional line breaks between sections.

Added a note about digital content accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1) at the beginning of the document.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
24
Key actions
5
Committee
6
May 16, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence
lower
May 16, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
May 14, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
May 14, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
May 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
May 7, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
May 6, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Mar 13, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Justice
upper
Mar 13, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor

Sponsors