Texas Senate bill authored by Sen. Cook mandates biennial health coverage guide

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Molly Cook seeks to provide Texans with a biennial health coverage reference guide aimed at educating the public on insurance options, consumer rights, and relevant laws, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the House, 56 Democrats and 35 Republicans voted in favor, while 38 Republicans voted against it.

Molly Cook introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Friday, Feb. 14, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Cook graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2013 with a BS.

Cook, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2024 to represent the state’s 15th Senate district, replacing previous state senator John Whitmire.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to a biennial health coverage reference guide developed by the Texas Department of Insurance’.

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

In essence, this bill mandates the Texas Department of Insurance to create and disseminate a biennial health coverage reference guide to educate the public on health coverage in Texas. The guide, available online and in print, will include the covered biennial period and definitions of health insurance and other health coverage forms. It will provide information on obtaining health coverage from various sources, detail consumer rights and resources, and offer a shopping guide explaining different health coverage products. Additionally, it will cover the impact of laws like the Affordable Care Act and COBRA, federal and local health programs, dispute resolution with issuers, complaint assistance, and regulatory distinctions at state and federal levels. The first guide is due by Jan. 1, 2026, with the act effective Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Donna Campbell (Republican – District 25), Sen. Charles Perry (Republican – District 28), and Sen. José Menéndez (Democrat – District 26), along with three other authors.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Wednesday, May 28, 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.