Texas Senate bill by Sen. Miles sets procedures for informing alleged perpetrators in family cases

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Borris Miles aims to ensure alleged perpetrators in family law cases are informed of their rights before adversary hearings, seeking to improve procedural transparency and fairness, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the House, 50 Democrats and 72 Republicans voted in favor, while 11 Republicans voted against it.

Borris Miles introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Thursday, Feb. 6, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Miles graduated from Sam Houston State University with a BS.

Miles, a Democrat, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2017 to represent the state’s 13th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Rodney Ellis.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to confirming the provision of certain notices before the full adversary hearing in a suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed by the Department of Family and Protective Services’.

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

In essence, this bill amends the Family Code to establish procedures for verifying that the Department of Family and Protective Services informs an alleged perpetrator of their rights before an adversary hearing in suits affecting the parent-child relationship. Before such hearings, the court must confirm that the department informed the alleged perpetrator of their right to record interviews and request an administrative review of findings, and that they received necessary information upon initial contact. If this confirmation is missing, the court may exclude evidence from the alleged perpetrator, unless there is good cause to believe the child is in imminent danger of aggravated circumstances, in which case the court must document its reasons. The act becomes effective Sept. 1, 2025, and applies to suits filed on or after this date, with previous law governing earlier suits.

The bill received its final legislative approval on Saturday, May 24, 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.