---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to the sealing of certain documents alleged to contain trade secrets."
description: "Relating to the sealing of certain documents alleged to contain trade secrets."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "89R"
identifier: "HB 4081"
citation: "Texas HB 4081 (89R)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Business & Commerce--Trade Practices (I0006)", "Civil Remedies & Liabilities (I0065)", "Courts--General (I0160)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Bumgarner", "Hayes", "Hughes", "Vasut"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 53
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-03-07"
last_action: "2025-06-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/eb77c4a1-2b45-4ddb-a795-1062bb8638bb"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/89R/billhistory/house_bills/HB04000_HB04099/HB 4081.xml"
source_hash: "09c456a3450ef1dbc1fa8aa656308cc1879cdc37e44dd399d70830fcda42ad8a"
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 HB 4081 (89R) — Relating to the sealing of certain documents alleged to contain trade secrets.

## 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/HB04081I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB04081E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB04081H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB04081S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB04081F.HTM)

## Votes

- passage — **129–7** (pass) · lower
- passage — **140–5** (pass) · lower
- passage — **129–7** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Bumgarner — primary (person)
- Hayes — primary (person)
- Hughes — primary (person)
- Vasut — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2025-03-07** Filed `filing`
- **2025-03-27** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-03-27** Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-09** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-04-09** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
- **2025-04-09** Left pending in committee
- **2025-04-14** Considered in formal meeting
- **2025-04-14** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-23** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator `filing`
- **2025-04-23** Committee report distributed
- **2025-04-25** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2025-04-30** Considered in Calendars
- **2025-05-02** Placed on General State Calendar
- **2025-05-05** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-05-05** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2025-05-05** Passed to engrossment as amended `amendment-passage`
- **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** Reported engrossed
- **2025-05-06** Received from the House `introduction`
- **2025-05-07** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-05-07** Referred to State Affairs `referral-committee`
- **2025-05-22** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2025-05-22** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-05-22** Vote taken in committee
- **2025-05-25** Reported favorably as substituted `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-25** Recommended for local & uncontested calendar
- **2025-05-25** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2025-05-28** Placed on local & uncontested calendar
- **2025-05-28** Laid before the Senate `receipt`
- **2025-05-28** Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading `reading-2`
- **2025-05-28** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2025-05-28** Three day rule suspended
- **2025-05-28** Record vote
- **2025-05-28** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-05-28** Passed `passage`
- **2025-05-28** Record vote
- **2025-05-29** Senate passage as amended reported `amendment-passage`
- **2025-05-29** Senate Amendments distributed
- **2025-05-29** Senate Amendments Analysis distributed
- **2025-05-30** House concurs in Senate amendment(s)
- **2025-05-30** Record vote
- **2025-05-30** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2025-05-30** Text of Senate Amendment(s)
- **2025-05-30** House concurs in Senate amendment(s)-reported
- **2025-05-31** Reported enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-06-01** Signed in the House `passage`
- **2025-06-01** Signed in the Senate `passage`
- **2025-06-02** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-06-20** Signed by the Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-06-20** Effective on 9/1/25 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/eb77c4a1-2b45-4ddb-a795-1062bb8638bb`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).