Texas
Every law and rule change USCLI tracks for Texas, across the professions, on one page. Each entry links to its full write-up and official sources.
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Licensing Law Tracker
Texas licenses investigations companies and the private investigators they employ through the Private Security Program of the Department of Public Safety (DPS). No law has amended the Private Security Act since the 2023 session; the later changes came from DPS rules and broader laws, including a 2026 rule requiring proof of lawful presence for every new and renewal license.
Full Texas page: every change, its sources, and what has not changed (8 entries).
Continuing education rule amendments on the commission agenda
The Public Safety Commission listed “proposed amendments to 37 TAC Section 35.161, concerning Continuing Education Requirements” among rule proposals for publication and public comment. The proposed text has not appeared in the Texas Register as of October…
Proof of lawful presence required for new and renewal licenses
Individual, owner, and company applicants, new and renewing, must prove eligibility for state public benefits, which include professional licenses, under the federal Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. DPS checks the…
DPS rules for military applicants with out-of-state licenses
Carries out HB 5629 (below). A military service member, veteran, or spouse may apply with a current license from another state that is similar in scope of practice and in good standing, or with a Texas license held in the past five years. New 35.186 says…
Military applicants licensed under a “similar scope of practice” test
Amends Occupations Code chapter 55, which applies to every state licensing agency, including DPS. An agency must license a military service member, veteran, or spouse who holds a current license in good standing from another state that is similar in scope…
Business cards count as advertisements; a home address may be left off
Section 35.9 now states expressly that business cards are advertisements, which must show the company name and license number, and exempts a licensee from publishing its address in advertisements when the address is a residence. Sections 35.5 and 35.9…
Officer Certification Tracker
Texas licenses peace officers through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). Since 2023 the TCOLE sunset bill added a confidential licensing database, a national revocation registry, emergency suspension, and sanctions against agencies, and the State has required 16 hours of active-shooter training and added revocation grounds by rule.
Full Texas page: every change, its sources, and what has not changed (18 entries).
Agency standards, reporting, and supervisor training rules for HB 33
Rule 211.16 requires every agency to have access to a breaching tool and a ballistic shield, clarifies what an agency’s active-shooter policy must contain, and requires certain agencies to have a Public Information Officer, who has one year from assignment…
Emergency suspension rule
Implements Occ. Code 1701.5011, added in 2023: TCOLE may suspend a license for up to 90 days without a hearing if the person is an imminent threat to public health, safety, or welfare, but the rule applies only when that person is an agency chief…
Military provisional license; misdemeanor waivers widened
Rule 217.1 grants a 180-day provisional license to military members, veterans, and spouses who are licensed in good standing in another state or whose TCOLE license went inactive within the last 5 years, implementing SB 1818 (2025) and Occ. Code 55.004.…
New revocation grounds
Makes revocation mandatory for any Penal Code chapter 39 abuse-of-office conviction or community supervision. Allows revocation for offenses against vulnerable people (under 18, over 65, disabled, intoxicated, or in custody) and for animal cruelty.
Agencies must investigate misconduct and report to TCOLE
Implements the SB 1445 model policies: agencies must investigate misconduct allegations, submit reports to TCOLE, and keep and submit personnel and department files.
Forensic Science Tracker
Texas has an independent Forensic Science Commission that accredits crime labs, licenses forensic analysts, and investigates negligence and misconduct. Since 2023 the State has let the Commission discipline labs directly, expanded DNA collection to every felony arrest, opened a route for booking-station rapid DNA, and barred hypnotically induced statements at trial.
Full Texas page: every change, its sources, and what has not changed (11 entries).
Commission rules: rapid DNA discipline, new licenses, exemptions
On July 25, 2025 the Commission amended Rule 651.5 to make rapid DNA analysis its own accreditation discipline, following an FBI change that lets rapid DNA crime scene samples be searched in CODIS under set conditions. On April 24, 2026 it voted to exempt…
Crime lab portal access limited to defense counsel
Gov’t Code 411.164 now lets prosecutors designate only the defendant’s attorney, not a defendant acting pro se, for access to the statewide crime lab records portal. It applies to proceedings that begin on or after September 1, 2025.
Labs must report held DWI toxicology evidence each year
A crime lab holding blood or urine evidence in a Penal Code chapter 49 case must tell the county prosecutor each year, with the date received (art. 38.50(c-1)). Where a prosecutor’s office requires approval before destruction, the lab may destroy the…
Survivors may consent to kit DNA testing without a police report
New Gov’t Code 420.0736 lets a sexual assault survivor give limited consent to Department of Public Safety DNA testing of kit evidence without reporting to law enforcement. Results from that testing are not compared with DNA databases or used in a criminal…
Rapid DNA by authorized law enforcement agencies
Lets the DPS director authorize law enforcement agencies to run rapid DNA analysis on specimens from arrestees and registrants and submit the results to the state DNA database (Gov’t Code 411.146(c-1), 411.147, 411.1471(d)(3), 411.1473(c)(3)). Rapid DNA is…
Last updated October 19, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & Investigation