Austin, TX — In a strong bipartisan show of support, the Texas Legislature has unanimously passed House Bill 2001 (HB 2001) with a 31–0 vote in the Senate and 145–0 in the House. Authored by Rep. Morgan Meyer (R–University Park) and sponsored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston) in the Senate, the bill aims to end bid-rigging, a corrupt practice where individuals or companies collude to manipulate public contract bids in Texas, often involving government contracts. The bill now heads to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law.

“This bill increases misdemeanor penalties to felonies to crackdown on statewide bid-rigging contract fraud.” said Senator Bettencourt, who authored the identical Senate companion SB 3041.

HB 2001 is a response to recent bid-rigging scandals in part by high-profile cases, which included a $40 million bid-rigging scandal in Harris County where charges were later dropped by District Attorney Sean Teare. Texas Ranger Maj. Jeff Wolfe later testified in the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, the investigation remains open and cited the need for a longer window to pursue complex cases. During the hearing, Montgomery District Attorney Brett Ligon and Fort Bend District Attorney Brian Middleton provided strong testimony in support, calling the current laws outdated and ineffective, stating: “it is violated every day at the federal, state, and local level”, HB 2001 is a “disincentive for corruption.” With bipartisan support from Sen. Borris Miles: “a great bill that is much needed”.

Author of the bill, Rep. Meyers added: “The people of Texas expect and deserve integrity from their public servants and elected officials. HB 2001 ensures that if you break this trust by using official information for personal financial gain you will face appropriate consequences. I want to thank Senator Bettencourt for sponsoring this piece of legislation and sending it to the Governor’s desk.”

HB 2001:

• Establishes tiered felony penalties for misuse of official information based on financial gain:
• 3rd-degree felony if the gain is <$150,000
• 2nd-degree felony for $150,000–$300,000
• 1st-degree felony for gains of $300,000 or more
• Extends the statute of limitations for these offenses from 2 years to 5 years
• Eliminates the Class C misdemeanor loophole for public servants who coerce others into suppressing misuse of information
• Targets the following bid-rigging: Complementary bidding, bid suppression, and bid rotation

“HB 2001 ensures public officials cant misuse their positions for bid-rigging multimillion-dollar contracts any longer!” Senator Bettencourt concluded.

The bill is to be signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott and will take effect on September 1, 2025.

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