Texas House bill by Rep. Hull amends child abuse investigation health care consultation policies

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Lacey Hull aims to clarify health care consultation policies in child abuse investigations, ensuring consultations are performed by qualified, uninvolved physicians and enhancing access to medical records, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 60 Democrats and 81 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Democrat opposed it.

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

Lacey Hull introduced the bill in the Texas House on Friday, Jan. 24, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Hull graduated from the University of Houston with a BS.

Hull, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2021 to represent the state’s 138th House district, replacing previous state representative Dwayne Bohac.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to certain policies and procedures for health care specialty consultations in certain child abuse or neglect investigations and assessments’.

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

In essence, this bill amends policies and procedures for health care specialty consultations in certain child abuse or neglect investigations in Texas. It mandates that any required specialty consultations be conducted by physicians licensed in Texas and board certified in relevant fields, who were not involved in the initial report or case review. The bill requires the Department of Family and Protective Services to provide parents, legal guardians, or their attorneys access to all medical records used during investigations. Additionally, it ensures no obstruction in obtaining records for alternative opinions. Health care practitioners involved in reporting or case review are barred from offering forensic assessments. The bill takes effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. James Frank (Republican – District 69), Rep. Toni Rose (Democrat – District 110), and Rep. Candy Noble (Republican – District 89), along with four other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Tuesday, May 20, and was filed without the Governor’s signature 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.