republic-os/legislation/us/states/tx/89r/hb-285.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to the prosecution of the offense of cruelty to nonlivestock animals."
description: "Relating to the prosecution of the offense of cruelty to nonlivestock animals."
jurisdiction: "us/states/tx"
legislature: "Texas Legislature"
session: "89R"
identifier: "HB 285"
citation: "Texas HB 285 (89R)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Animals (I0035)", "Crimes--Miscellaneous (I0200)", "VETERINARIANS (S0072)"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Cook", "Leach", "Meyer", "Moody", "Ordaz", "West"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 53
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2024-11-12"
last_action: "2025-06-20"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/0f288ccc-fa96-473b-ae77-59a64140d02c"
source_url: "ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/89R/billhistory/house_bills/HB00200_HB00299/HB 285.xml"
source_hash: "113ea9ee623e3b316ecdaaa9bac642cb4511014502d55a14dbe3881463d7439d"
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 285 (89R) — Relating to the prosecution of the offense of cruelty to nonlivestock animals.

## 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/HB00285I.HTM)
2. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00285E.HTM)
3. **House Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00285H.HTM)
4. **Senate Committee Report** (committee substitute) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00285S.HTM)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](http://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB00285F.HTM)

## Votes

- passage — **125–5** (pass) · lower
- Senate Rule 7.18 and the Constitutional Rule requiring bills to be read on three several days be suspended and that HB 285 be placed on its third reading and final passage. — **31–0** (pass) · upper
- passage — **123–19** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Cook — primary (person)
- Leach — primary (person)
- Meyer — primary (person)
- Moody — primary (person)
- Ordaz — primary (person)
- West — primary (person)
- Blanco — cosponsor (person)
- Bowers — cosponsor (person)
- Flores — cosponsor (person)
- Flores — cosponsor (person)
- González, Jessica — cosponsor (person)
- Hagenbuch — cosponsor (person)
- Hinojosa, Juan "Chuy" — cosponsor (person)
- Kerwin — cosponsor (person)
- Little — cosponsor (person)
- Louderback — cosponsor (person)
- Luther — cosponsor (person)
- Miles — cosponsor (person)
- Money — cosponsor (person)
- Morales Shaw — cosponsor (person)
- Pierson — cosponsor (person)
- Plesa — cosponsor (person)
- Richardson — cosponsor (person)
- Virdell — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2024-11-12** Filed `filing`
- **2025-02-27** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-02-27** Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence `referral-committee`
- **2025-03-25** Referred directly to subcommittee by chair
- **2025-04-15** Scheduled for public hearing in s/c on . . .
- **2025-04-15** Considered by s/c in public hearing
- **2025-04-15** Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in subcommittee
- **2025-04-15** Left pending in subcommittee
- **2025-04-16** Recalled from subcommittee
- **2025-04-16** Considered in formal meeting
- **2025-04-16** Reported favorably w/o amendment(s) `committee-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-24** Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator `filing`
- **2025-04-24** Committee report distributed
- **2025-04-25** Committee report sent to Calendars
- **2025-04-28** Considered in Calendars
- **2025-05-01** Placed on General State Calendar
- **2025-05-01** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-05-01** Passed to engrossment
- **2025-05-01** Record vote
- **2025-05-01** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2025-05-02** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-05-02** Passed `passage`
- **2025-05-02** Record vote
- **2025-05-02** Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal
- **2025-05-02** Reported engrossed
- **2025-05-05** Received from the House `introduction`
- **2025-05-05** Read first time `introduction, reading-1`
- **2025-05-05** Referred to Criminal Justice `referral-committee`
- **2025-05-13** Co-sponsor authorized
- **2025-05-20** Co-sponsor authorized
- **2025-05-20** Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
- **2025-05-20** Considered in public hearing
- **2025-05-20** Testimony taken in committee
- **2025-05-20** Vote taken in committee
- **2025-05-21** Reported favorably w/o amendments `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-05-21** Committee report printed and distributed
- **2025-05-23** Co-sponsor authorized
- **2025-05-23** Placed on intent calendar
- **2025-05-23** Rules suspended-Regular order of business
- **2025-05-23** Read 2nd time & passed to 3rd reading `reading-2`
- **2025-05-23** Vote recorded in Journal
- **2025-05-23** Three day rule suspended
- **2025-05-23** Record vote
- **2025-05-23** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-05-23** Passed `passage`
- **2025-05-23** Record vote
- **2025-05-24** Senate passage reported `passage`
- **2025-05-24** Reported enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-05-25** Signed in the House `passage`
- **2025-05-25** Signed in the Senate `passage`
- **2025-05-26** Sent to the Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-06-20** Filed without the Governor's signature `became-law`
- **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/0f288ccc-fa96-473b-ae77-59a64140d02c`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Texas legislature records).