---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to public health disaster and public health emergency preparedness and response; providing a civil penalty."
description: "Relating to public health disaster and public health emergency preparedness and response; providing a civil penalty."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "87"
identifier: "SB 968"
citation: "Texas SB 968 (87)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Business & Commerce--General (I0050)", "COVID-19 (SB9YM)", "Disaster Preparedness & Relief (I0211)", "EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT", "TEXAS DIVISION OF (VP6FW)", "HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION (V0177)", "Health--General (I0385)", "Health--Other Diseases & Medical Conditions (I0383)", "IMMUNIZATIONS (S4341)", "Legislature (I0520)", "MEDICAL BOARD", "TEXAS (V0644)", "OFFICE OF CHIEF STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST (VS8DY)", "Purchasing--State (I0643)", "STATE HEALTH SERVICES", "DEPARTMENT OF (V0463)", "State Agencies", "Boards & Commissions--Newly Proposed (I0773)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Button", "Klick", "Kolkhorst"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 67
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2021-03-03"
last_action: "2021-06-16"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/60ae2d9c-dc0a-4864-b194-1f78f7c3a401"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/87R/billhistory/senate_bills/SB00900_SB00999/SB 968.xml"
source_hash: "7c00da2bdee5770198923cd21a72764db6ef4d6ea60605e2a36d5898178660f2"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-tx"]
---

# Texas SB 968 (87) — Relating to public health disaster and public health emergency preparedness and response; providing a civil penalty.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00968I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00968E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00968H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00968S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/SB00968F.HTM)

## Votes

- other — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- other — **0–0** (fail) · upper
- passage — **146–2** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Button — primary (person)
- Klick — primary (person)
- Kolkhorst — primary (person)
- Blanco — cosponsor (person)
- Paxton — cosponsor (person)
- Perry — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-03-03** Received by the Secretary of the Senate `filing`
- **2021-03-03** Filed `filing`
- **2021-03-11** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-03-11** Referred to Health & Human Services `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-31** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2021-03-31** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-03-31** Testimony taken in committee
- **2021-03-31** Left pending in committee
- **2021-04-13** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-04-19** Co-author authorized
- **2021-04-19** Reported favorably as substituted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-19** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2021-04-20** Co-author authorized
- **2021-04-20** Placed on intent calendar
- **2021-04-21** Co-author authorized
- **2021-04-21** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2021-04-21** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-04-21** Amendment(s) offered `amendment-introduction`
- **2021-04-21** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2021-04-21** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-21** Passed to engrossment as amended
- **2021-04-21** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2021-04-21** Three day rule suspended
- **2021-04-21** Record vote
- **2021-04-21** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-04-21** Passed `passage`
- **2021-04-21** Record vote
- **2021-04-21** Reported engrossed
- **2021-04-22** Received from the Senate `introduction`
- **2021-04-28** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-04-28** Referred to State Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-10** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-05-10** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- **2021-05-10** Left pending in committee
- **2021-05-18** Considered in public hearing
- **2021-05-18** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage`
- **2021-05-20** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
- **2021-05-20** Committee report distributed
- **2021-05-21** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2021-05-23** Considered in Calendars
- **2021-05-25** Placed on Major State Calendar
- **2021-05-25** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2021-05-25** Passed to 3rd reading
- **2021-05-26** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2021-05-26** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2021-05-26** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2021-05-26** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2021-05-26** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2021-05-26** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2021-05-26** Statement of Leg. Intent Recorded in Journal
- **2021-05-26** Passed as amended `passage`
- **2021-05-26** Record vote
- **2021-05-28** House passage as amended reported
- **2021-05-30** House amendment(s) laid before the Senate
- **2021-05-30** Read
- **2021-05-30** Remarks ordered printed
- **2021-05-30** Senate concurs in House amendment(s)
- **2021-05-30** Record vote
- **2021-05-30** Senate concurs in House amendment(s)-reported
- **2021-05-31** Senate adopts resolution for tech. correction
- **2021-05-31** House adopts resolution for tech. correction
- **2021-05-31** Signed in the House
- **2021-05-31** Signed in the Senate
- **2021-05-31** Reported enrolled
- **2021-06-01** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-06-16** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-06-16** Effective immediately `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/60ae2d9c-dc0a-4864-b194-1f78f7c3a401`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).