govt.fyi
Back to SB 1220
Texas Legislature· SB 1220Effective immediately

Relating to the subject matter jurisdiction of the criminal trial courts of this state, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official page posted by the Texas Legislature, fetched 2026-08-29. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official page appears here in brackets. This is the enrolled version. The official bill page.
S.B. No. 1220

AN ACT

relating to the subject matter jurisdiction of the criminal trial

courts of this state.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 23, Government Code, is

amended by adding Section 23.002 to read as follows:

Sec. 23.002. SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION OF CRIMINAL TRIAL

COURTS NOT CONDITIONED ON EXHAUSTION OF CIVIL REMEDIES. Unless

expressly provided otherwise, the exhaustion of civil, including

administrative, remedies is not a prerequisite to the vesting in a

trial court of subject matter jurisdiction over a criminal action

for which the trial court would otherwise have jurisdiction under

other law.

SECTION 2. This Act applies to a criminal action commenced

before, on, or after the effective date of this Act.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

______________________________
______________________________

President of the Senate
Speaker of the House

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1220 passed the Senate on

April 10, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 26, Nays 4.

______________________________

Secretary of the Senate

I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1220 passed the House on

May 21, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 127, Nays 10, five

present not voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House

Approved:

______________________________

Date

______________________________

Governor
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.