---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to the open carrying of a handgun by a uniformed school marshal."
description: "Relating to the open carrying of a handgun by a uniformed school marshal."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "89R"
identifier: "SB 870"
citation: "Texas SB 870 (89R)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Education--Primary & Secondary--Other School Personnel (I0246)", "Law Enforcement (I0510)", "Weapons (I0887)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Birdwell", "Slawson"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 49
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-01-22"
last_action: "2025-05-19"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b71346ac-9ead-4747-ba74-26b03fea70d0"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/89R/billhistory/senate_bills/SB00800_SB00899/SB 870.xml"
source_hash: "01941295cc21debcfb3e2123add7950845306679fc118c51cd1e533cefdcd24f"
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 870 (89R) — Relating to the open carrying of a handgun by a uniformed school marshal.

## 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/89R/billtext/html/SB00870I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB00870E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB00870H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB00870S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/SB00870F.HTM)

## Votes

- passage — **110–35** (pass) · lower
- passage — **23–8** (pass) · upper
- passage — **23–8** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Birdwell — primary (person)
- Slawson — primary (person)
- Creighton — cosponsor (person)
- Hall — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-01-22** Received by the Secretary of the Senate `filing, introduction`
- **2025-01-22** Filed `filing`
- **2025-02-13** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-02-13** Referred to Education K-16 `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-25** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2025-03-25** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-03-25** Testimony taken in committee
- **2025-03-25** Left pending in committee
- **2025-04-01** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-04-01** Vote taken in committee
- **2025-04-07** Reported favorably w/o amendments `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-07** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2025-04-09** Co-author authorized
- **2025-04-14** Placed on intent calendar
- **2025-04-23** Co-author authorized
- **2025-04-23** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2025-04-23** Record vote
- **2025-04-23** Read 2nd time & passed to engrossment `reading-2`
- **2025-04-23** Record vote
- **2025-04-24** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2025-04-24** Record vote
- **2025-04-24** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-24** Passed `passage`
- **2025-04-24** Record vote
- **2025-04-24** Reported engrossed
- **2025-04-25** Received from the Senate `introduction`
- **2025-04-28** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-04-28** Referred to Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-30** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-04-30** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-02** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator `filing`
- **2025-05-02** Committee report distributed
- **2025-05-02** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2025-05-05** Laid out in lieu of companion
- **2025-05-05** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-05-05** Point of order withdrawn `withdrawal`
- **2025-05-05** Passed to 3rd reading
- **2025-05-05** Nonrecord vote recorded in Journal
- **2025-05-06** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-05-06** Passed `passage`
- **2025-05-06** Record vote
- **2025-05-06** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2025-05-06** House passage reported `passage`
- **2025-05-06** Reported enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-05-07** Signed in the Senate `passage`
- **2025-05-07** Signed in the House `passage`
- **2025-05-07** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-19** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-19** 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/b71346ac-9ead-4747-ba74-26b03fea70d0`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).