Relating to the duty of the attorney general to prosecute criminal offenses prescribed by the election laws of this state.
SB 12 requires law enforcement agencies to report election-related crimes to the Texas Attorney General's office and gives the Attorney General exclusive authority to prosecute these offenses. It mandates that local prosecutors assist the Attorney General when requested and specifies that the Attorney General must represent the state in all election crime cases. This bill directly affects law enforcement agencies (who must submit reports), local prosecutors (who may be directed to assist), and individuals who violate election laws. The law applies only to offenses committed after its effective date, which is 91 days after the legislative session ends.
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 19, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
1 edit
·
Sep 19, 2025
MINOR
The bill text was reformatted from an 'Engrossed' draft version to the final 'Enrolled' version ready for signing. The substantive legal content regarding the Attorney General's authority to prosecute election-related crimes remains unchanged, with no new policies, funding, or eligibility criteria added.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; only formatting and version status were updated.
TECHNICAL
Title and header information were updated to reflect the Enrolled status of SB 12, replacing draft identifiers with final bill text formatting.
Floor votes · Senate Aug 18, 2025 · House Aug 26, 2025
How they voted
20–13
Passed
Total votes 33
Aug 18, 2025
D
Democratic12
91% Nay
R
Republican21
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
48
Key actions
14
Committee
9
Amendments
1
Sep 19, 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 26, 2025
Amended
Amendment fails of adoption
lower
Aug 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
Aug 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Aug 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Aug 20, 2025
Committee
Referred to State Affairs
lower
Aug 20, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Aug 20, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Aug 19, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Aug 18, 2025
Senate · Passed
Senate Vote: pass (20-13)
senate
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
16 primary · 6 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Adam Hinojosa
RRepublican
P
Angela Paxton
RRepublican
P
Bob Hall
RRepublican
P
Brandon Creighton
RRepublican
P
Brent Hagenbuch
RRepublican
P
Bryan Hughes
RRepublican
P
Charles Perry
RRepublican
P
Charles Schwertner
RRepublican
P
Donna Campbell
RRepublican
P
Joan Huffman
RRepublican
P
Kevin Sparks
RRepublican
P
Matt Shaheen
RRepublican
P
Mayes Middleton
RRepublican
P
Paul Bettencourt
RRepublican
P
Phil King
RRepublican
P
Tan Parker
RRepublican
Co
Andy Hopper
RRepublican
Co
Cole Hefner
RRepublican
Co
Dennis Paul
RRepublican
Co
Greg Bonnen
RRepublican
Co
Lois Kolkhorst
RRepublican
Co
Will Metcalf
RRepublican
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