HB908

Regular Session

Relating to the reporting by law enforcement agencies of missing children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

CriticalImmediate action required

Low Cost

Effective:2025-06-20

Enforcing Agencies

Texas Department of Public Safety • Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies • County Law Enforcement Agencies

Compliance Analysis

Key implementation requirements and action items for compliance with this legislation

Implementation Timeline

Effective Date: June 20, 2025
Compliance Deadline: June 20, 2025 (Operations must be compliant immediately upon enactment).
Agency Rulemaking: No specific rulemaking period is allocated; the statute is self-executing. Agencies must rely on existing NCMEC data exchange standards immediately.

Immediate Action Plan

Update SOPs: Revise Standard Operating Procedures to mandate NCMEC entry concurrent with TLETS/NCIC entry.
Audit Software: Test current CAD/RMS capabilities; demand immediate patches from vendors if NCMEC integration is slow or manual.
Train Staff: Conduct roll-call training to ensure officers understand they must collect and transmit "identifying features" during the initial intake.
Verify Insurance: Confirm that Law Enforcement Liability (LEL) insurance policies cover administrative errors regarding statutory reporting deadlines.

Operational Changes Required

Contracts

Software Vendors (CAD/RMS): Review Master Services Agreements (MSAs) with GovTech vendors immediately. If your current dispatch software does not support automated or streamlined NCMEC integration, the vendor is creating a compliance bottleneck.
Inter-local Agreements: MOUs for shared dispatch services (e.g., a university relying on a municipal PD) must be amended to clarify *which* entity bears the statutory duty to report to NCMEC. Do not assume the partner agency is handling this.

Hiring/Training

Intake Protocols: Issue immediate training bulletins to all dispatchers and sworn officers regarding the "two-hour hard stop."
Mandatory Scripting: Staff must be trained to inform the reporting party (parent/guardian) that NCMEC entry is now mandatory, not discretionary, as required by Section 1(a)(6).

Reporting & Record-Keeping

Audit Trails: Update incident report forms to include a specific timestamp field for "NCMEC Transmission Confirmation."
Data Integrity: Case files must document that all "available identifying features" (dental, fingerprints, clothing) were transmitted. Partial data entry to "beat the clock" is a liability risk; officers must request this data during the initial call.

Fees & Costs

Budget Impact: No statutory filing fees. However, budget for potential expedited software development costs if your current RMS vendor requires custom coding to meet the June 20 deadline.

Strategic Ambiguities & Considerations

"Immediately" vs. "Two Hours": The statute mandates reporting "immediately, but not later than two hours." Legal counsel should advise operations that "two hours" is the violation threshold, not the standard operating procedure. Delaying report entry until the 1 hour 59 minute mark without cause may still constitute a failure to report "immediately."
Technical Outages: The law does not provide a safe harbor for internet or system outages. Protocols must define manual reporting alternatives (phone/fax) to NCMEC to mitigate negligence arguments during technical failures.

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Legislative Timeline

This bill's path through the Texas Legislature

TopicsCriminal Procedure Criminal Procedure--general Law Enforcement Minors Minors--crimes Against Missing Children

Official Analysis

View HRO Analysis View All Bill Documents

BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 908

By: Spiller

Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

While current state law requires law enforcement agencies in Texas to enter missing child report information into certain state and federal databases, there is no explicit requirement for these agencies to enter this information into the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Notifying NCMEC could ensure broader awareness and mobilization of resources for child recovery efforts. Additionally, without such an explicit requirement, some missing child cases may not receive the full national attention they require, potentially delaying recovery efforts. H.B. 908 seeks to enhance the effectiveness of missing child investigations, improve coordination in locating missing children, and ensure compliance with national best practices by mandating that law enforcement agencies in Texas promptly enter missing child report information into NCMEC after receiving the report.

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

H.B. 908 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to require a law enforcement agency, on receiving a report of a missing child and regardless of the jurisdiction in which the child went missing, to enter the applicable information relating to the report into the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) immediately, but not later than two hours after the agency receives the report, and to inform the person who filed the report that the information will be entered into NCMEC.

H.B. 908 repeals Article 63.00905(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, as added by Chapter 979 (S.B. 2429), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023, to eliminate a duplicate provision.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.

Bill Text(with markup)

H.B. No. 908

View bill text in multiple formats on Texas Legislature website

Fiscal NoteView Original

	AN ACT
	relating to the reporting by law enforcement agencies of missing
	children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Article 63.00905(a), Code of Criminal Procedure,
	as added by Chapter 729 (H.B. 2660), Acts of the 88th Legislature,
	Regular Session, 2023, is amended to read as follows:
	(a) Regardless of the jurisdiction in which the child went
	missing, a law enforcement agency, on receiving a report of a
	missing child, shall:
	(1) immediately start an investigation in order to
	determine the present location of the child;
	(2) immediately, but not later than two hours after
	receiving the report, enter the name of the child into the
	clearinghouse and the national crime information center missing
	person file if the child meets the center's criteria, with all
	available identifying features such as dental records,
	fingerprints, other physical characteristics, and a description of
	the clothing worn when last seen, and all available information
	describing any person reasonably believed to have taken or retained
	the missing child;
	(3) immediately, but not later than two hours after
	the agency receives the report, enter the applicable information
	into:
	(A) the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications
	System or a successor system of telecommunication used by law
	enforcement agencies and operated by the Department of Public
	Safety; and
	(B) the National Center for Missing and Exploited
	Children;
	(4) not later than 48 hours after receiving the
	report, electronically submit to each municipal or county law
	enforcement agency within 200 miles the report and any information
	that may help determine the present location of the child;
	(5) not later than the 30th day after the date the
	agency receives the report, enter the name of the child into the
	National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, with all
	available identifying features such as dental records,
	fingerprints, other physical characteristics, and a description of
	the clothing worn when last seen, and all available information
	describing any person reasonably believed to have taken or retained
	the missing child; and
	(6) inform the person who filed the report of the
	missing child that the information will be:
	(A) entered into the clearinghouse, the national
	crime information center missing person file, the National Center
	for Missing and Exploited Children, and the National Missing and
	Unidentified Persons System; and
	(B) submitted to each municipal or county law
	enforcement agency within 200 miles.
	SECTION 2. Article 63.00905(a), Code of Criminal Procedure,
	as added by Chapter 979 (S.B. 2429), Acts of the 88th Legislature,
	Regular Session, 2023, is repealed as duplicative of Article
	63.00905(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, as added by Chapter 729
	(H.B. 2660), Acts of the 88th Legislature, Regular Session, 2023.
	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION


March 11, 2025

TO:	Honorable Cole Hefner, Chair, House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs

FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board

IN RE:	HB908 by Spiller (Relating to the reporting by law enforcement agencies of missing children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

It is assumed that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.

Local Government Impact

No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:

405 Department of Public Safety

LBB Staff:

JMc, MGol, CSh, KVEL

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HB908

What does Texas HB908 do?

HB 908 mandates a strict two-hour deadline for all Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) to report missing children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), effective June 20, 2025. This requirement creates immediate liability for member organizations with commissioned police departments (e. g.

Who authored HB908?

HB908 was authored by Texas Representative David Spiller during the Regular Session.

When was HB908 signed into law?

HB908 was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025.

Which agencies enforce HB908?

HB908 is enforced by Texas Department of Public Safety, Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies and County Law Enforcement Agencies.

How urgent is compliance with HB908?

The compliance urgency for HB908 is rated as "critical". Businesses and organizations should review the requirements and timeline to ensure timely compliance.

What is the cost impact of HB908?

The cost impact of HB908 is estimated as "low". This may vary based on industry and implementation requirements.

What topics does HB908 address?

HB908 addresses topics including criminal procedure, criminal procedure--general, law enforcement, minors and minors--crimes against.

Legislative data provided by LegiScanLast updated: November 25, 2025

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