WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

SB 1460

Relating to the ethics violations registry maintained by the Texas Ethics Commission and the requirement that state agencies verify an applicant's status on the registry before issuing or renewing a license.

89th Legislature (2025) Introduced by Donna Campbell

SB 1460 requires Texas state agencies to verify applicants against an ethics violations registry before issuing or renewing professional licenses to prevent sanctioned individuals from obtaining credentials.

Left pending in committee
#ethicscommission #texas(v9939) #electronicinformationsystems(i0311) #ethics(i0345) #occupationalregulation--healthoccupations(i0540) #occupationalregulation--othertrades&professions(i0541) #stateagencies #boards&commissions(i0749)
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 1460

Legislative bill overview

SB 1460 would require the Texas Ethics Commission to maintain a registry of individuals with ethics violations and mandate that state agencies check this registry before issuing or renewing professional licenses. This creates a formal mechanism to prevent individuals with documented ethics violations from obtaining state-regulated credentials.

Why is this important

The bill addresses potential gaps in professional licensing oversight by connecting ethics enforcement with licensing authority. In practice, this could prevent individuals sanctioned for ethics violations in one regulatory domain from obtaining licenses in another, affecting thousands of licensing decisions annually across Texas agencies.

Potential points of contention

  • Due process concerns: Questions about what constitutes an "ethics violation" serious enough for registry inclusion, appeal procedures, and whether this creates collateral consequences beyond the original sanction
  • Implementation burden: State agencies would need new systems to check the registry during licensing processes, creating administrative costs and potential delays in license issuance
  • Scope ambiguity: Unclear whether "ethics violations" includes all commission findings or only final determinations, and whether violations from decades ago warrant permanent licensing bars

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.