HB4466

Regular Session

Relating to restrictions on the fee assessed for issuance of certain birth records.

LowStandard timeline

Low Cost

Effective:2025-06-20

Enforcing Agencies

Department of State Health Services (State Registrar) • County Clerks • Local Registrars

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Immediate effect via supermajority vote).
Compliance Deadline: June 20, 2025. Point-of-Sale (POS) systems must be updated to process waivers by this date.
Agency Rulemaking: The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is not required to issue rules prior to implementation. The statute is self-executing. Expect administrative guidance regarding Texas Electronic Registrar (TER) coding later in 2025, but do not delay compliance waiting for it.

Immediate Action Plan

1. Update POS Systems: Immediately program a "Fee Waiver – HB4466" code into all registers and online portals.
2. Notify Vendors: Contact your vital statistics software provider today to ensure they can support $0.00 transactions without error flags by June 20.
3. Issue Staff Memo: Distribute a directive requiring the collection of the SAPCR Cause Number for all fee-waived government requests.
4. Review Invoicing: If you currently invoice Child Welfare Boards monthly, scrub these line items from billing cycles beginning June 20.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Software Vendor Agreements: County Clerks utilizing third-party vital records software (e.g., VitalChek, Granicus) must issue immediate change orders. The software must allow a specific user class (Government/Child Welfare) to bypass payment gateways while generating a valid receipt.
Outsourced Fulfillment: Review Master Services Agreements (MSAs) with fulfillment vendors. Ensure your agency is not charged a per-transaction fee by the vendor for records you are legally required to provide at no cost.

Hiring/Training

Front-Line Verification: Staff must be trained to verify two data points before waiving the fee:
1. Identity: Proof the requestor represents a County or Child Welfare Board (ID badge or official letterhead).
2. Nexus: Proof the record is for a SAPCR case (require the specific Cause Number).
No New Hires: While the Fiscal Note suggests potential volume increases, current staffing levels should suffice initially. Monitor volume quarterly.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

Audit Trails: You must configure your Case Management System (CMS) to log the Cause Number of the SAPCR suit for every waived transaction. This is your primary defense in a revenue audit.
DSHS Coding: Anticipate a new flag in the TER system. Until then, log these waivers internally under a distinct category (e.g., "HB4466 Waiver") separate from standard indigent waivers.

Fees & Costs

Revenue Impact: You will lose the standard issuance fee (typically ~$22-$23) on these specific transactions.
Budgeting: If your office relies on fee revenue for operations, track this volume for Q3/Q4 2025. If the volume is significant, use this data to petition the Commissioners Court for a budget adjustment to cover the administrative overhead.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

"Related to a Suit": The statute does not define the evidentiary standard for proving a request is "related to" a suit.
*Risk:* Requestors may claim a waiver for cases not yet filed.
*Guidance:* Enforce a strict policy: No Cause Number, No Waiver. Do not accept "pending filing" assertions until DSHS advises otherwise.
Authorized Representatives: It is unclear if private attorneys appointed by the court (Ad Litem) qualify for the waiver if they request the record directly.
*Guidance:* The statute specifies the request must come from the "county" or "child welfare board." Unless the attorney presents authorization from those entities, deny the waiver and charge the standard fee.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

TopicsFamily Family--child Protection Health Health--privacy/use of Information Birth & Death Certificates Fees & Other Nontax Revenue Fees & Other Nontax Revenue--local Fees & Other Nontax Revenue--state

Official Analysis

View HRO Analysis View All Bill Documents

BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4466

By: Hickland

Public Health

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The bill author has informed the committee that child welfare boards support the caseworkers in their community with the funds needed to obtain certified copies of birth certificates for children under the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and in certain child protection suits. The bill author has further informed the committee that these boards work directly with DFPS to fill in the gaps and provide funds for caseworkers to obtain the required birth certificates. C.S.H.B. 4466 seeks to support child welfare boards and counties by making certified copies of birth records available free of charge to a board if the record is requested in relation to a child protection suit that is filed by a governmental entity.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 4466 amends the Health and Safety Code to require the state registrar, a local registrar, or a county clerk, on request of a county or a child welfare board appointed by the county commissioners court, to issue without a fee a certified copy of a birth record to the county or board if the request is related to a child protection suit filed by a governmental entity.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 4466 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

Both the introduced and substitute require the state registrar, on request of a county, to issue without a fee a certified copy of a birth record to the county if the request is related to a child protection suit filed by a governmental entity, however the substitute differs in the following way:

·makes a local registrar, or a county clerk, subject to the requirement; and

·provides that the request be made by a child welfare board appointed by the county commissioners court, as an alternative to a request made by a county.

House Authors

Rep. Hillary HicklandRepublican · Primary Author

Coauthors (1)

Penny Morales Shaw (D)

Senate Sponsors

Sen. Judith ZaffiriniDemocrat · Primary Sponsor

Cosponsors (1)

Cesar Blanco (D)

Bill Text(with markup)

H.B. No. 4466

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

	AN ACT
	relating to restrictions on the fee assessed for issuance of
	certain birth records.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Section 191.0046, Health and Safety Code, is
	amended by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
	(g) The state registrar, a local registrar, or a county
	clerk, on request of a county or a child welfare board appointed by
	the commissioners court of a county under Section 264.005, Family
	Code, shall issue without a fee a certified copy of a birth record
	to the county or board if the request is related to a suit affecting
	the parent-child relationship filed by a governmental entity under
	Subtitle E, Title 5, Family Code.
	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


April 20, 2025

TO:	Honorable Gary VanDeaver, Chair, House Committee on Public Health

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB4466 by Hickland (Relating to restrictions on the fee assessed for issuance of certain birth records.), As Introduced

The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to the lack of data related to the number of current and potential increases of requests by counties for certified birth records related to suits affecting the parent-child relationship.

The bill would require the state registrar, on request of a county, to issue a no fee certified copy of a birth record to the county if the request is related to a suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed by certain governmental entities. The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) does not have a method that tracks counties that currently request certified copies of birth records related to these suits at the present fee. According to the CPA, any revenue loss or increase in the number of requests cannot be determined; however, are anticipated to be insignificant.

For illustrative purposes, DSHS has indicated that it would need additional Customer Service Representative V full-time equivalent positions (FTEs) if the workload increases for processing certified copy of birth record orders. DSHS estimates that a Customer Service Representative V can process about 100 orders per week, or 5,200 orders per year. The Office of Attorney General submits to DSHS approximately 49,000 suits each year affecting the parent-child relationship for the DSHS Court of Continuing Jurisdiction Registry. Depending on the number of additional requests that may be made for certified copies of birth records under the bill, the agency estimates an additional FTE would be needed for every additional 5,200 orders needed to be processed.

Local Government Impact

The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined at this time.

Source Agencies:

304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 537 State Health Services, Department of

LBB Staff:

JMc, NPe, ER, APA

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB4466

What does Texas HB4466 do?

HB4466 mandates that State and Local Registrars must waive all issuance fees for certified birth records when requested by a county or child welfare board in relation to a suit affecting the parent-child relationship (SAPCR). This requirement forces County Clerks and vital statistics software vendors to implement a "zero-dollar" transaction code and verification protocol immediately to accommodate these government-to-government requests. Implementation Timeline Effective Date: June 20, 2025 (Immediate effect via supermajority vote).

Who authored HB4466?

HB4466 was authored by Texas Representative Hillary Hickland during the Regular Session.

When was HB4466 signed into law?

HB4466 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Which agencies enforce HB4466?

HB4466 is enforced by Department of State Health Services (State Registrar), County Clerks and Local Registrars.

How urgent is compliance with HB4466?

The compliance urgency for HB4466 is rated as "low". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

What is the cost impact of HB4466?

The cost impact of HB4466 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

What topics does HB4466 address?

HB4466 addresses topics including family, family--child protection, health, health--privacy/use of information and birth & death certificates.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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