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Signed Into Law
Signed June 20, 2025Effective 2025-06-20
HB1893

Regular Session

Relating to the disclosure under the public information law of a motor vehicle license plate number captured in a video recording obtained or maintained by a law enforcement agency.

Government Affairs & Regulatory Compliance Analysis

HB1893: Government Affairs Overview

HB1893 eliminates the statutory requirement for law enforcement agencies to redact license plate numbers from video recordings prior to release under the Public Information Act. Effective June 20, 2025, this change accelerates access to video evidence for insurance claims and litigation but exposes commercial fleet identifiers to immediate public scrutiny without privacy shielding.

Rep. David Cook·House Bill·Regular Session

Low
Low Cost
Effective:2025-06-20
Enforcing Agencies

State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (Custodians of Record) • Texas Attorney General (Open Records Division)

Business Impact

Who HB1893 Affects

This legislation has regulatory implications for the following Texas businesses and organizations:

Regulatory Priority: low

Standard regulatory changes (effective 2025-06-20). Review during normal business planning.

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Transportation

Affected business types:

  • Trucking companies
  • Towing operators
  • Fleet operators
  • Logistics providers
View all transportation legislation

Estimated Cost Impact

lowMinimal cost impact anticipated.

Enforcing Agencies

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HB1893
Relating to the disclosure under the public information law of a motor vehicle license plate number captured in a video recording obtained or maintain...
Low Urgency
Passed with Opposition
House Vote146 - 0
YEA
100% in favor146 voting
Senate Vote26 - 5
YEA
NAY
84% in favor31 voting
5
Total Opposition Votes
Cost Impact
Low
Effective
2025-06-20
Enforcing Agencies
State and Local Law Enforcement ...Texas Attorney General
Primary Author: Rep. David Cook
89th Texas Legislature
jdkey.com
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Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

  • Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Immediate effect due to supermajority vote).
  • Compliance Deadline: June 20, 2025. Legal teams must update discovery protocols immediately to prevent agencies from applying obsolete redaction delays.
  • Agency Rulemaking: No formal rulemaking required. However, local law enforcement agencies will likely require 6-12 months to update internal "redaction software" settings; expect inconsistent application initially.

Immediate Action Plan

  • Update PIA Forms: Immediately revise legal templates to cite HB1893/Section 552.130(f) for all requests filed on or after June 20, 2025.
  • Audit Pending Requests: Identify any PIA requests currently "pending redaction" and send a supplemental letter on June 20 demanding immediate release under the new statute.
  • Review Vendor Invoices: Monitor invoices from record retrieval services in Q3 2025 to ensure redaction surcharges are removed.
  • Secure Private Footage: Consult counsel before voluntarily handing private surveillance video to police; understand that you are waiving the privacy of every license plate captured in that footage.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

  • Record Retrieval Vendors: Review Master Service Agreements (MSAs) with third-party vendors who retrieve police records. Ensure you are no longer charged premium rates for "complex redaction management" regarding license plates, as the statutory labor burden has been removed.
  • Private Security Vendors: Amend contracts with private security firms to clarify ownership of footage. If footage is handed to law enforcement, it becomes a public record with unredacted license plates; consider clauses requiring prior notice before turnover.

Hiring/Training

  • Legal & Claims Staff: Train staff to explicitly cite Section 552.130(f) of the Government Code in all Public Information Act (PIA) requests to preemptively block agencies from claiming redaction delays for license plates.
  • Fleet Management: Brief fleet managers that company vehicles involved in incidents will be identifiable in footage released to media or citizen journalists immediately. The "privacy shield" for company assets in police video is gone.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

  • PIA Templates: Revise standard PIA request forms immediately to demand unredacted video regarding license plates.
  • Data Privacy: Update internal data governance policies. Your servers will now ingest and store unredacted Personally Identifiable Information (PII) from third parties (license plates of other drivers). Ensure this aligns with your data retention and security protocols.

Fees & Costs

  • Reduced Vendor Costs: Anticipate a reduction in "special processing" fees from record retrievers.
  • Litigation Efficiency: Expect reduced billable hours previously spent fighting for unredacted footage or waiting on agency delays.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

  • The "Maintained" Loophole: The law applies to video "maintained" by law enforcement. If your business voluntarily provides CCTV footage to police for an investigation, that footage—and all customer license plates within it—becomes subject to this unredacted release rule.
  • The "Investigation" Pivot: Agencies can no longer use license plate redaction as a processing delay. Expect agencies to pivot toward aggressively asserting Section 552.108 (Law Enforcement Exception) to withhold video entirely during active investigations. Be prepared to challenge blanket 552.108 withholdings.

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JD Key Consulting specializes in Texas regulatory compliance strategy. Work directly with James Dickey—former Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas—to understand this bill's impact on your operations and develop an actionable compliance plan.

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Information presented is for general knowledge only and is provided without warranty, express or implied. Consult qualified government affairs professionals and legal counsel before making compliance decisions.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

Filed
Jan 16, 2025
Passed House
Apr 29, 2025
Passed Senate
May 20, 2025
Signed
Jun 20, 2025
Effective
Jun 20, 2025
TopicsHighwaysLaw EnforcementProtection of Personal InformationVehicles & TrafficVehicles & Traffic--equipmentVehicles & Traffic--vehicle RegistrationLicense PlatesVideo CamerasVideotape & Film
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House Authors

Rep. David CookRepublican · Primary Author
Joint Authors
Coauthors (3)

Senate Sponsors

Cosponsors (1)

Bill Text(with markup)

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

Related Legislation

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More from Rep. David Cook

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Related by Topic

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Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB1893

Q

What does Texas HB1893 do?

HB1893 eliminates the statutory requirement for law enforcement agencies to redact license plate numbers from video recordings prior to release under the Public Information Act. Effective June 20, 2025, this change accelerates access to video evidence for insurance claims and litigation but exposes commercial fleet identifiers to immediate public scrutiny without privacy shielding.

Q

Who authored HB1893?

HB1893 was authored by Texas Representative David Cook during the Regular Session.

Q

When was HB1893 signed into law?

HB1893 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Q

Which agencies enforce HB1893?

HB1893 is enforced by State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies (Custodians of Record) and Texas Attorney General (Open Records Division).

Q

How significant are the changes in HB1893?

The regulatory priority for HB1893 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the legislation to understand potential impacts.

Q

What is the cost impact of HB1893?

The cost impact of HB1893 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

Q

What topics does HB1893 address?

HB1893 addresses topics including highways, law enforcement, protection of personal information, vehicles & traffic and vehicles & traffic--equipment.

Q

What are the key dates for HB1893?

Key dates for HB1893: Effective date is 2025-06-20. Consult with legal counsel regarding applicability.

Need Strategic Guidance on This Legislation?

JD Key Consulting is an Austin, Texas-based government affairs firm led by James Dickey, former Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. We specialize in Texas regulatory compliance and legislative strategy for data centers, energy, banking, and manufacturing.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: January 11, 2026