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Signed Into Law
Signed June 20, 2025Effective 2025-09-01
HB39

Regular Session

Relating to information and data regarding the incidence of veteran deaths in this state.

Government Affairs & Regulatory Compliance Analysis

HB39: Government Affairs Overview

HB39 mandates the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to transfer specific data regarding veteran suicides and homicides to the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) for annual analysis. While the statutory burden falls on state agencies, the operational impact falls on Funeral Directors and Medical Examiners, who must ensure the accuracy of "Veteran Status" and "Occupation" fields on death certificates to prevent flawed state data and subsequent regulatory overcorrection.

Rep. Ray Lopez·House Bill·Regular Session

Low
Low Cost
Effective:2025-09-01
Business Impact

Who HB39 Affects

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

Regulatory Priority: low

Standard regulatory changes (effective 2025-09-01). Review during normal business planning.

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Healthcare

Affected business types:

  • Hospitals
  • Healthcare systems
  • Medical practices
  • Health insurance providers
View all healthcare legislation

Key Operational Considerations

  • 1No changes required. Standard vendor and employment agreements remain unaffected.
  • 2Funeral Service Providers: Staff responsible for family intake must be retrained to prioritize the "Veteran Status" question.
  • 3No New Forms: You will continue to use existing Death Certificate workflows and the TxEVER system.

Estimated Cost Impact

lowMinimal cost impact anticipated.

Enforcing Agencies

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HB39
Relating to information and data regarding the incidence of veteran deaths in this state.
Low Urgency
Unanimous Passage
House Vote145 - 0
YEA
100% in favor145 voting
Senate Vote31 - 0
YEA
100% in favor31 voting
Cost Impact
Low
Effective
2025-09-01
Enforcing Agencies
Texas Department of State Health...Texas Veterans Commission
Primary Author: Rep. Ray Lopez
89th Texas Legislature
jdkey.com
01

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

  • Effective Date: September 1, 2025
  • Compliance Deadline: September 1, 2025 (Data entry practices must align with new scrutiny immediately upon this date).
  • Agency Rulemaking: No formal rulemaking is mandated for private industry; however, DSHS may issue guidance letters regarding the standardization of "Occupation" codes in the TxEVER system prior to the effective date.

Immediate Action Plan

  • 1. Funeral Directors: Immediately review family intake forms to ensure "Veteran Status" is a mandatory, standalone question, not buried in general demographics.
  • 2. Compliance Officers: Update internal SOPs for TxEVER data entry to emphasize specific occupation descriptions (e.g., "Welder" instead of "Construction") for all decedents identified as veterans.
  • 3. Medical Examiners: Verify that current case management software correctly syncs "Manner of Death" updates with the state vital statistics system to ensure compliance with the automated data pull.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

  • No changes required. Standard vendor and employment agreements remain unaffected.

Hiring/Training

  • Funeral Service Providers: Staff responsible for family intake must be retrained to prioritize the "Veteran Status" question.
  • Data Entry Protocol: Intake staff must be instructed to record the decedent's *primary lifetime occupation* rather than "Retired" or "Unemployed." The state's intent is to correlate specific military or civilian roles with mortality trends; generic entries will defeat the statutory purpose and may trigger DSHS audits.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

  • No New Forms: You will continue to use existing Death Certificate workflows and the TxEVER system.
  • Data Integrity: The law requires DSHS to report Age, Race, Sex, Occupation, and Manner of Death. Ensure these fields are completed with high fidelity in the initial filing to avoid requests for amendments later.

Fees & Costs

  • None. There are no new filing fees or surcharges associated with this legislation.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

The "Occupation" Definition

The statute requires reporting on "Occupation" but fails to define the taxonomy. Currently, "Occupation" is often treated as a free-text administrative field.

  • *Risk:* DSHS may unilaterally implement stricter validation rules in TxEVER to standardize this data for the TVC.
  • *Watch For:* Technical bulletins from the Vital Statistics Unit in Q2 2025 regarding coding standards for veteran employment history.

Amended Manners of Death

The data transfer is triggered only by a determination of suicide or homicide.

  • *Risk:* Deaths initially marked "Pending" or "Undetermined" that are later amended to suicide may fall into a reporting gap. Medical Examiners should anticipate DSHS inquiries regarding how amended certificates are flagged for this specific data export.

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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.

02

Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

Filed
Mar 3, 2025
Passed House
Apr 15, 2025
Passed Senate
May 21, 2025
Signed
Jun 20, 2025
Effective
Sep 1, 2025
TopicsMental Health & Substance AbuseMilitary & VeteransBirth & Death CertificatesVital Statistics & RecordsState Health Services, Department ofVeterans Commission, TexasCrimesCrimes--against PersonsCrimes--against Persons--generalCrimes--drugsSuicide
03

House Authors

Rep. Ray LopezDemocrat · Primary Author
Joint Authors
Coauthors (9)

Senate Sponsors

Sen. Tan ParkerRepublican · Primary Sponsor
Cosponsors (4)

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. Ray Lopez

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Related by Topic

View more Mental Health & Substance Abuse legislation
Quick Reference

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB39

Q

What does Texas HB39 do?

HB39 mandates the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to transfer specific data regarding veteran suicides and homicides to the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) for annual analysis. While the statutory burden falls on state agencies, the operational impact falls on Funeral Directors and Medical Examiners, who must ensure the accuracy of "Veteran Status" and "Occupation" fields on death certificates to prevent flawed state data and subsequent regulatory overcorrection.

Q

Who authored HB39?

HB39 was authored by Texas Representative Ray Lopez during the Regular Session.

Q

When was HB39 signed into law?

HB39 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Q

Which agencies enforce HB39?

HB39 is enforced by Texas Department of State Health Services and Texas Veterans Commission.

Q

How significant are the changes in HB39?

The regulatory priority for HB39 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the legislation to understand potential impacts.

Q

What is the cost impact of HB39?

The cost impact of HB39 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

Q

What topics does HB39 address?

HB39 addresses topics including mental health & substance abuse, military & veterans, birth & death certificates, vital statistics & records and state health services, department of.

Q

What are the key dates for HB39?

Key dates for HB39: Effective date is 2025-09-01. Consult with legal counsel regarding applicability.

Q

Which Texas businesses are affected by HB39?

HB39 primarily affects healthcare providers and medical facilities. These businesses should review the legislation with their legal and compliance teams to understand potential impacts.

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