Committee sends House Bill 15 to full Senate; sponsor says bill splits officers’ files to protect unsubstantiated material

The Senate Committee on State Affairs voted to report House Bill 15, the House companion to legislation authored by Cedric King, to the full Senate, with the committee sending up a committee substitute that removed amendments added in the House.

Cedric King, identified in committee as the House author of the companion bill, told the committee that if the measure passes the committee and the full Senate, it would be the fourth time the Senate has passed the bill this year; he said the measure also passed the Senate in 2023. King described the bill’s core change as dividing an officer’s files into a department file and a personnel file and protecting officers and their families from public release of information that was not substantiated.

Committee members were told the committee substitute removes amendments that had been added in the House. Senator Paxton moved that House Bill 15, as substituted, be reported to the full Senate with the recommendation that it do pass and be printed. The clerk called the roll and the chair announced a tally of six ayes and two nays; the chair reported the substitute and the committee’s recommendation to the full Senate.

Committee commentary noted the bill’s repeated history in the Senate this session: it passed out of the criminal jurisprudence committee and passed the floor in earlier sessions and called sessions before returning as the House companion. No additional amendments or conditions were recorded on the committee floor during this hearing.

Committee members and staff thanked committee director Caitriona Corkles for her service and noted she is leaving to join the private sector. The committee stood recessed at the call of the chair.