Texas House bill by Rep. Dutton specifies disclosure requirements in civil actions

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Harold Dutton Jr. aims to clarify the types of information parties may request in civil cases, focusing on transparency in legal proceedings and evidence disclosure, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 52 Democrats and 83 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Democrat and one Republican opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, with no opposing votes.

Harold Dutton Jr. introduced the bill in the Texas House on Friday, Feb. 21, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Dutton graduated from Texas Southern University in 1991 with a BBA and again in 1996 from Thurgood Marshall School of Law with a JD.

Dutton, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State House in 1985 to represent the state’s 142nd House district, replacing previous state representative El Franco Lee.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the contents of a request for disclosure in a civil action brought under the Family Code’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends Section 301.052(a) of the Texas Family Code to specify the contents a party may request for disclosure in a civil action. It outlines various information parties can seek, including the correct names of the parties, contact details of potential parties and witnesses, legal theories and factual bases of claims or defenses, economic damages calculations, and details about expert witnesses. This includes experts’ contact information, testimony subject matter, and relevant documents or resumes if they are retained by the responding party. It also covers discoverable settlement agreements, witness statements, and medical records or authorizations in cases of alleged physical or mental injuries. The amendment will apply to cases pending on or filed after its effective date, Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Sunday, May 25, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.

You can read more about the bills and other measures here.