The Texas House has approved a bill that would restrict public access to certain police personnel records, reviving a long-running debate over transparency, officer accountability, and the rights of victims’ families.
House Bill 15, authored by Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mt. Pleasant), was approved Monday night in a 90–41 vote. The legislation seeks to standardize how law enforcement agencies maintain officer personnel files and which records can be released under the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA).
Under HB 15, each licensed officer would have two separate files. A public personnel file would contain commendations, evaluations, awards, and substantiated complaints of misconduct. A second “departmental file” — often referred to as a “G-file” — would contain documents tied to unsubstantiated complaints, memos from counseling or coaching sessions, and background hiring information. This second file would be off-limits to the public but still accessible to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE), hiring agencies, and in official investigations or prosecutions.
Hefner argued the measure brings consistency across the state. “Right now, there’s no consistency among law enforcement agencies regarding what files are made public and what files are not made public,” he told colleagues.
Supporters of the bill say officers are frequently the subject of baseless complaints because of the nature of their work, and those unsubstantiated allegations are sometimes used to discredit them unfairly. Opponents, however, argue the measure could allow agencies to conceal patterns of problematic behavior by categorizing complaints as “unsubstantiated.”
Rep. Joe Moody (D-El Paso) pressed Hefner on what records would remain public. Hefner clarified that body camera and dashboard footage, incident reports, and use-of-force reports would remain disclosable. Moody also secured an amendment ensuring that information tied to deceased suspects remains accessible under a 2023 law.
Perhaps the most significant change to the bill came from Rep. Don McLaughlin (R-Uvalde), who offered an amendment to grant victims’ families access to records of alleged officer misconduct once investigations are complete — even if the allegations are deemed unsubstantiated. McLaughlin, who served as mayor of Uvalde during the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre, said the amendment was personal.
“This amendment is for my hometown of Uvalde and for the Robb Elementary families who are still waiting for answers three and half years later,” McLaughlin said.
Hefner attempted to table the amendment, but the motion failed in a decisive 19–107 vote, and the amendment was adopted. Records connected to officers’ response to the Robb Elementary shooting have been withheld from families by the Uvalde County district attorney, fueling demands for accountability.
The Texas Senate had already passed a similar measure, Senate Bill 15 by Sen. Phil King (R-Weatherford), but it was derailed in the House last week after Moody raised a procedural objection. On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott expanded the special session agenda to explicitly allow consideration of the legislation, clearing the path for HB 15’s advancement.
.jpg)
