Texas Senate bill by Sen. Huffman modifies hearsay rules in juvenile court for sexual and assaultive offenses

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Joan Huffman seeks to modify Family Code provisions on hearsay statements in juvenile court hearings involving allegations of sexual or assaultive offenses against children or individuals with disabilities, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the Senate, 10 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the House, 56 Democrats and 83 Republicans voted in favor, also with no opposing votes.

Joan Huffman introduced the bill in the Texas Senate on Thursday, Jan. 30, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Huffman graduated from Louisiana State University with a BA and again from South Texas School of Law with a JD.

Huffman, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State Senate in 2008 to represent the state’s 17th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Kyle Janek.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the admissibility of certain hearsay statements in the adjudication of certain sexual or assaultive offenses committed against a child or a person with a disability’.

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

In essence, this bill modifies the Family Code to address the admissibility of certain hearsay statements in juvenile court hearings involving allegations of sexual or assaultive offenses against children or individuals with disabilities. Specifically, it applies to violations under various sections of the Penal Code, including chapters on sexual and assaultive offenses, prohibited sexual conduct, sexual performance by a child, trafficking, and compelling prostitution. The term “person with a disability” is defined in alignment with existing Penal Code definitions. The changes in law will be applicable to cases in juvenile court beginning on or after the bill’s effective date of Sept. 1, 2025, while cases commenced before this date will continue to follow previous laws.

The bill was co-authored by Sen. César Blanco (Democrat – District 29).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Friday, May 23, 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.