SB 11 Texas Senate · 89th Legislature, 2nd Called Session (2025)

Relating to an affirmative defense to prosecution for certain victims of trafficking of persons or compelling prostitution.

SB 11 creates a legal defense for individuals prosecuted for crimes they committed while being trafficked or subjected to compelling prostitution. It applies specifically to people who engaged in criminal conduct (like selling drugs or theft) because they were forced, defrauded, or coerced by traffickers - meeting four strict conditions, such as proving the coercion was unavoidable and the crime wouldn't have occurred without it. The defense does not apply to certain serious offenses listed in law or to cases where the victim had other options. This change only affects prosecutions for crimes committed on or after the bill’s effective date (September 17, 2025), not past cases. It aims to prevent trafficked victims from facing punishment for acts they were compelled to commit.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Aug 2025
Committee Review
Aug 2025
Senate Passage
Aug 2025
House Passage
Aug 2025
Signed into Law
Sep 2025
Introduced Aug 15, 2025 Signed Sep 17, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed Enrolled · 2 edits · Sep 17, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from a draft version to the final enrolled version, removing draft markers and adding official certification signatures. The substantive legal content, including the new affirmative defense for trafficking victims, remains identical to the previous version.
Scope change
No change in the bill's scope or applicability; the changes are purely formatting and procedural.
TECHNICAL

Removed draft annotations (e.g., 'AAParker, et al.', line numbers, and 'AA' markers) and replaced them with the official enrolled title and clean text.

Added certification blocks at the bottom confirming the bill passed the Senate and House on specific dates and was approved by the Governor.

Floor votes · House Aug 26, 2025

How they voted

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

Actions timeline

Total actions
50
Key actions
14
Committee
10
Sep 17, 2025
Signed into law
Signed by the Governor
executive
Aug 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
Aug 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
Aug 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage reported
upper
Aug 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Aug 25, 2025
Lower · Passed
Corrected committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Aug 24, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Aug 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Aug 21, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Aug 20, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence
lower
Aug 20, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Aug 20, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Aug 18, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
upper
Aug 15, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
24 primary · 26 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Adam Hinojosa
Adam Hinojosa
RRepublican
TX
27
P
Photo of Angela Paxton
Angela Paxton
RRepublican
TX
8
P
Photo of Bob Hall
Bob Hall
RRepublican
TX
2
P
Photo of Brandon Creighton
Brandon Creighton
RRepublican
TX
4
P
Photo of Brent Hagenbuch
Brent Hagenbuch
RRepublican
TX
30
P
Photo of Bryan Hughes
Bryan Hughes
RRepublican
TX
1
P
Photo of Carol Alvarado
Carol Alvarado
DDemocratic
TX
6
P
Photo of Charles Perry
Charles Perry
RRepublican
TX
28
P
Photo of Charles Schwertner
Charles Schwertner
RRepublican
TX
5
P
Photo of Chuy Hinojosa
Chuy Hinojosa
DDemocratic
TX
20
P
CB
César Blanco
DDemocratic
TX
29
P
Photo of Donna Campbell
Donna Campbell
RRepublican
TX
25
P
Photo of Joan Huffman
Joan Huffman
RRepublican
TX
17
P
JM
José Menéndez
DDemocratic
TX
26
P
Photo of Judith Zaffirini
Judith Zaffirini
DDemocratic
TX
21
P
Photo of Kevin Sparks
Kevin Sparks
RRepublican
TX
31
P
Photo of Lois Kolkhorst
Lois Kolkhorst
RRepublican
TX
18
P
Photo of Mayes Middleton
Mayes Middleton
RRepublican
TX
11
P
Photo of Molly Cook
Molly Cook
DDemocratic
TX
15
P
Photo of Paul Bettencourt
Paul Bettencourt
RRepublican
TX
7
P
Photo of Pete Flores
Pete Flores
RRepublican
TX
24
P
Photo of Phil King
Phil King
RRepublican
TX
10
P
Photo of Royce West
Royce West
DDemocratic
TX
23
P
Photo of Tan Parker
Tan Parker
RRepublican
TX
12
Co
Photo of A.J. Louderback
A.J. Louderback
RRepublican
TX
30
Co
Photo of Alan Schoolcraft
Alan Schoolcraft
RRepublican
TX
44
Co
Photo of Andy Hopper
Andy Hopper
RRepublican
TX
64
Co
Photo of Ben Bumgarner
Ben Bumgarner
RRepublican
TX
63
Co
Photo of Briscoe Cain
Briscoe Cain
RRepublican
TX
128
Co
Photo of Caroline Harris Davila
Caroline Harris Davila
RRepublican
TX
52
Co
Photo of Daniel Alders
Daniel Alders
RRepublican
TX
6
Co
Photo of Denise Villalobos
Denise Villalobos
RRepublican
TX
34
Co
Photo of Don McLaughlin
Don McLaughlin
RRepublican
TX
80
Co
Photo of Helen Kerwin
Helen Kerwin
RRepublican
TX
58