Texas Senate passes bill by Sen. Miles tightening group home consultant regulations

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Borris Miles seeks to enhance oversight of group homes by regulating consultant referrals and requiring criminal background checks to protect residents, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while one Democrat opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the House, 54 Democrats and 27 Republicans voted in favor, while 57 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 group home consultant referrals; creating a criminal offense’.

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

In essence, this bill revises regulations regarding certain group homes in Texas, defining a criminal offense for group home consultants who make referrals to unlicensed facilities. It mandates that owners or operators of group homes must obtain criminal history records from the Department of Public Safety for job applicants and employees and prohibits hiring those guilty of specific offenses, with violations classified as a Class A misdemeanor. Additionally, group home consultants cannot refer potential residents to unlicensed homes unless no licensed options are available or affordable in the desired area. Consultants must disclose any known complaints against unlicensed homes before making referrals, with violations constituting a Class B misdemeanor. The bill becomes effective Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. Royce West (Democrat – District 23).

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