Bill > HB1602

This bill modifies the Texas Family Code to enhance penalties for making false reports of child abuse or neglect. Specifically, the bill changes the existing law by creating two tiers of criminal penalties for knowingly and intentionally making false reports. Under the new provisions, making a false report is generally a state jail felony, but it becomes a third-degree felony if the person has either previously been convicted of making a false report or if the false report was motivated by bias or prejudice (as defined in the Code of Criminal Procedure). The bill clarifies that these new penalty provisions will only apply to offenses committed on or after the effective date of September 1, 2025, meaning that prior offenses will be prosecuted under the law as it existed at the time of the offense. The purpose of the bill appears to be deterring false reporting of child abuse and protecting the integrity of child protective services investigations by imposing stricter consequences for intentionally making misleading reports.

Health and Social Services

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB1602