[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6284582,"mediaKeyId","2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659","parentId",2577440,"title","Senate approves judicial pay increase tied to accountability reforms; debate exposes concern over transparency vs. punitive oversight","audioSeconds",632,"startMs",8622000,"endMs",9254000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659&start=8622&end=9254","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659/thumbnail_8622000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6284582/Texas/Senate-approves-judicial-pay-increase-tied-to-accountability-reforms-debate-exposes-concern-over-transparency-vs-punitive-oversight","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6284582-f36c75eafb81e27b7e5b445d6b44a2c3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177212&Signature=ZZtJjr5b2gM0oRdFT00n6JanaB-cbG59hfZQsl1CExD0NcG5OqhMoF23PvZAw-AUIx9RF3Gl3qXxfjpqHcm89ALDLVX6La07i6hFkhNvjkfzXRL~FKn1fTcniYHqnC4KpV4qDY~miXwfiU4XoSJX~kC~d4Go9LJU3WeDWgphJVUepLSlrIrXI3f2dmC5jnFOmPX~Pz2X3Z4B8mr4GCGQZ3ZhkPnuCwSzjaYh~fCr5-HnH6yaayJE2JAB5AyTnIUEpRFG~2UECg9Ed1lrqZMks54a2utI3CRIGZ-IAC5tdgWEHBjgQOeyTWsGClbc5iBiBA~nB9lfb9x8nsesErw4Xg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Texas State Legislature","date","2025-03-12T00:00:00Z","article","The Texas Senate voted to approve a package that raises judges’ base pay and changes oversight and reporting requirements for the state judiciary, casting the measure as a combined compensation-and-reform bill designed to attract qualified jurists while increasing transparency.

Senator Nathan Huffman, sponsor of the committee substitute for Senate Bill 293, said the measure increases the base salary of a district judge by 15 percent and adjusts supplements, longevity and other pay tiers established in prior laws. Huffman told colleagues the increase also affects related offices (appellate and high-court justices) and that the pay raise was paired with reforms to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to set response timelines and expand definitions of reportable misconduct.

Huffman said the bill expands the commission’s transparency obligations and clarifies that certain private sanctions were removed to conform with a pending joint resolution; the committee substitute also added quarterly reporting requirements for district judges’ workloads and changed eligibility for retired judges resuming service. “I firmly believe that the judiciary should not receive any type of salary increase unless the necessary and appropriate reforms are also included,” Huffman said on the floor.

Some senators signaled support for salary increases but expressed concern that transparency elements could become punitive or constitute legislative oversight of the judiciary’s core functions. Senator Eckhart said he would vote against the bill because he believed some transparency provisions tipped into punitive oversight and risked inappropriately shifting checks among branches. Senator Bettencourt praised the package and urged colleagues to accept the combined approach.

The Senate adopted a technical amendment restoring the ability of Court of Appeals chiefs to receive supplemental county compensation (the floor amendment corrected an unintended removal in committee language). The final recorded vote on the committee substitute was 30 ayes and 1 nay in favor of the measure as reflected in the transcript.

Sponsors characterized the bill as a balance: pay increases intended to retain and recruit qualified judges and accountability measures intended to improve public confidence in the judiciary. Opponents who opposed parts of the measure urged continued work on transparency provisions separate from compensation increases. The bill now goes to the House for further consideration.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Session March 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Texas Senate on March 12 approved a combined judicial compensation and accountability bill (committee substitute for SB 293) that raises base pay for district judges and adds reporting and commission changes meant to strengthen transparency and discipline.","taxTitle","Senate, Legislative, Texas","taxId",16215,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6284596,"Senate adopts trio of bills criminalizing AI-generated child sexual imagery and deepfake explicit media",612,2849000,3461000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659&start=2849&end=3461","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659/thumbnail_2849000.jpg","/articles/6284596/Texas/Senate-adopts-trio-of-bills-criminalizing-AI-generated-child-sexual-imagery-and-deepfake-explicit-media","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6284596-9e99dd91c0b7e52a29e078950a6a9951/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177212&Signature=l2-P-OnHyJEXwdyV5O2ihrnUIY31byP6zzg7I3cT31tfNNwQVHVbf46UVPWe9kjkTwclEEXETrr0w2A6TaSv6sqiN7fa3BWwunC0uYT~i5h~bIwPGbX9qjdvt3pcN8MLxMafEvU1YzwEPyXUFSqLuISjSt6lLUrEO1t2eBd45wQWYlPN32mDtPOjDz8oF~SfViWjhB57gasubeZAnieyGXB3d5d8jDmCSZqxInJOULHLTgC3ejkeC6EVYSA967S1j8S98WxvoYdX8H-V67LdcH-dV-Y-AzmyXPgwjDsdth5otWsdomePk2HqxFyDipWG9F3iS~O8~cdDZiAGmQZsfw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Texas Senate on March 12 passed three separate bills aimed at closing gaps in state law around AI-generated and other non-photographic sexual imagery involving minors, voting to send each measure to the House after adopting floor amendments.

Senate Bill 20 (Flores), Senate Bill 442 (Hinojosa) and Senate Bill 1621 (Huffman) create or revise criminal offenses that prosecutors and sponsors said are necessary because modern computer-generated images and deepfakes can be used to groom, exploit or harass children even when no actual child was photographed.

Supporters said the bills were drafted with input from prosecutors and law enforcement to give them usable tools. “SB 20 creates a new criminal offense related to obscene visual material,” said Senator Sergio Flores, the bill’s author. Flores and other sponsors said the measures cover visual depictions regardless of whether the image is photographic, animated or AI-generated.

Key provisions and penalties vary by bill. Under SB 20 the sponsor said the bill adds Texas Penal Code section 43.235 and makes it an offense to knowingly possess, access with intent to view, or promote obscene visual material that appears to depict a child; the offense is a state-jail felony with escalations for prior convictions. SB 1621, as described by its author, rewrites the child-sexual-material statute to add definitions for a depiction of a child and a computer-generated child, creating a third-degree felony for depictions of real children and a state-jail felony for computer-generated children, with sentencing enhancements for prior convictions or young victims. SB 442 targets unlawful production or distribution of certain nonconsensual explicit deepfake media and includes misdemeanor and felony penalties for repeat or aggravated conduct.

The Senate adopted two floor amendments on SB 20 that sponsors said prosecutors requested. Senator Flores offered an amendment he described as giving prosecutors “more flexibility to be able to address these predators under this law or any other law,” language the author said would avoid forcing prosecutors into a single statute. Senator Kelly Parker offered an amendment that permits judges to run sentences consecutively for multiple applicable offenses; Parker said the change would bring SB 20 “in line with” how traditional child sexual-abuse offenses are handled and give judges discretion. Flores accepted Parker’s amendment.

Senator Menendez asked whether the bill should take immediate effect; Flores said the bill had been drafted with prosecutors’ input and that sponsors were open to an amendment for immediate effect later in the process but that the bill as filed used the session’s standard effective date language. The transcript records the author explaining the bills were drafted to reflect prosecutors’ needs and to allow either this new section or other existing statutes to be used when appropriate.

All three bills passed the Senate on final passage votes recorded in the transcript: SB 20 (31 ayes, 0 nays), SB 442 (31 ayes, 0 nays) and SB 1621 (31 ayes, 0 nays). Senators emphasized that the measures are intended to give prosecutors tools for modern technology while preserving prosecutors’ ability to use other statutes where appropriate.

The measures now move to the House. Sponsors and floor managers said they expect additional amendments as the bills proceed, and that prosecutors’ offices will be consulted on drafting implementation details.

A note on scope and limits: the bills as presented in the Senate create or expand criminal offenses described in the transcript; the record does not show final House action or implementation guidance. The bills reference changes to the Texas Penal Code (including adding a section cited in the Senate debate) and include statutory classifications (state jail felony, third-degree felony, second-degree felony for repeated offenses) as described on the floor.

","The Texas Senate on March 12 passed three bills to criminalize possession, promotion, production or distribution of obscene visual material that appears to depict children and to outlaw nonconsensual explicit deepfake media, sponsors said the measures reflect prosecutor input to address AI-era harms.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6284591,"Senate advances nutrition and school-food package, approving Kolkhorst labeling measure and school-meal additive ban",3016,4312000,7328000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659&start=4312&end=7328","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659/thumbnail_4312000.jpg","/articles/6284591/Texas/Senate-advances-nutrition-and-school-food-package-approving-Kolkhorst-labeling-measure-and-school-meal-additive-ban","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6284591-01fba76a568f0a1be10b98aca8ee752e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177212&Signature=m0e2Q-HxIMaUzaFMtl-l75RK~RRSuE-t40FnwBkJovE3cy8oRQjRVMCKhxYebXRbYnui4KoFU1U-2Skoifv1BFrpaKkmY5iRV61ih2f9wkHGAgI-b~n1-eccc~x57GgATzldRiWopkXx9uFsgZa0BFGHqWBxZCylmx4yHSo04m4BK-3i6PLZEW-q3O0IQpGZOQxz6dGZoLFDu49xe5LkqkpuZKFzAw~Bnigde4h2JUIBsIUjP4-JFI52pySPtdKwmqoPogkxHsf5V4qIq6vr7LeBk0B4hpLCmclB6SUYJHrfmNb-hIUPXRZ8wohZUBZ293v-SoMd8PaLBYU22-Ccsw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Texas Senate on March 12 approved a package of bills aimed at improving nutrition and what children are served in schools, adopting a prominent consumer-labeling and nutrition bill and a separate measure that bars certain additives from meals served through the free and reduced-price school lunch program.

Senator Lois Kolkhorst’s committee substitute for Senate Bill 25 passed the Senate after floor debate and amendments. The bill creates a Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee, requires improved labeling for certain ingredients that other Western countries ban, requires expanded physical education and nutrition instruction in schools, and adds continuing-education requirements in nutrition for health-care practitioners who interact with patients. Kolkhorst said the measure is intended to “arm Texans with information so they can make their decisions on their foods.”

As introduced and amended on the floor, the bill includes a labeling requirement for products sold in Texas that contain ingredients banned in jurisdictions such as the EU and Canada; sponsors said the bill does not ban products but requires disclosure and provides a runway for manufacturers to comply. The Senate adopted a floor amendment worked on with industry that: (1) provides an updated list of ingredients for labeling; (2) exempts certain on-site, ready-to-eat foods (deli/bakery items prepared for immediate consumption) from packaging requirements; and (3) clarifies that the labeling requirement applies to any product offered for sale in Texas, not just products manufactured here.

Senators debated several policy elements at length. Kolkhorst proposed mandatory five-days-per-week physical education through eighth grade and said the bill will discourage using PE as a punitive measure. Senator Schwartner and others pressed on the bill’s fiscal note and long-term budget effects; Kolkhorst and supporters said upfront administrative costs to state agencies are expected to be offset over time by public-health savings. Lawmakers also added an amendment to require continuing education in nutrition for nurses and physician assistants, expanding an original physician-focused requirement.

Separately, the Senate approved Senator Hughes’ committee substitute for SB 314, a measure that prohibits certain food additives (the transcript cited brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate and some artificial dyes) from being included in free and reduced-price meals provided by school districts. The Hughes bill drew amendments to protect school meal access during transition: an amendment accepted on the floor provides an automatic one-year waiver for districts that cannot comply through no fault of their own and allows further administrative waivers where supply-chain or other constraints prevent compliance.

Votes recorded on the floor show SB 25 passed unanimously on final passage (31 ayes, 0 nays). SB 314 passed on final passage with a recorded vote of 30 ayes and 1 nay. Sponsors said they will continue to work with House colleagues and stakeholders to refine definitions and implementation timelines; Kolkhorst noted the bill gives manufacturers until 2027 to conform labeling.

Advocates, industry representatives and education officials were mentioned in the floor remarks; senators emphasized the bill package is intended to provide consumers and school cafeterias with clearer information rather than to ban foods outright. Both measures now proceed to the House.

","On March 12 the Texas Senate approved SB 25, a broad nutrition-and-labeling measure by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, and SB 314, a bill by Sen. Joan Hughes that bars certain additives from free and reduced-price school meals; both bills passed after floor amendments addressing industry and school-district concerns.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6284577,"Votes at a glance: Texas Senate floor actions on March 12, 2025",7421,2324000,9745000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659&start=2324&end=9745","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2577440-62dc030e28dda7b8d47c92baeddca659/thumbnail_2324000.jpg","/articles/6284577/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Texas-Senate-floor-actions-on-March-12-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6284577-dcff2a9556ee887a172523e133d7a677/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177212&Signature=mIAjtIKEM2IcjhUbaW61bASTJdEa~WM8k30n3Qo3mNycu9XkKMVAw2zxPj8OCecSI8mq2sKkPgrAICMMXUZ2ZFXt2jOwmS~4rR1PmxOUgK0qVQ4vhwdzHDzI9vnwYH~aKfFbMK1y7f7WerCJHM6T9kY7VGivZT~16yi8hiPkHWtYrfgeAxIPbyjcMvbNxQzJwsu03glJfEzIE1pi21-~PJ4M6-DeEqzM1ocrTdwVcItJJ3Dgd2d3Hap2qUUl0E37FHBj~iMxcpbUi3Js-TD6778P2g-pYGDYhqriXedVfb7gXDIGN3YEHCldOkukNu15Rmf756hznpANABrBytegcg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The following is a concise summary of formal actions recorded on the Texas Senate floor on March 12, 2025. This list is drawn from the Senate transcript and records bill captions, the sponsor where shown, and the final Senate vote as recorded on the floor.

Votes recorded on the floor (bill — sponsor — brief description — Senate final vote as recorded in the transcript):

- SB 616 (Schwartner) — Relating to aquifer storage and recovery projects transacting a portion of the Edwards Aquifer — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- SB 494 (Sparks) — Establish theft-of-petroleum-products task force at Railroad Commission — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- CSSB 929 (Johnson; committee substitute for Senate Bill 929) — Deadlines and timing for mechanics’ and materialmen’s liens — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- SB 890 (Paxton) — Adds statutory probate judges to list eligible for a special license to carry for judicial officers — Passed final passage: 28 ayes, 3 nays.
- SB 20 (Flores) — Creates offense for possession or promotion of obscene visual material appearing to depict a child — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- SB 442 (Hinojosa) — Prosecution/punishment of unlawful production or distribution of certain explicit deepfake media — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- SB 1621 (Huffman) — Revises prosecution and punishment for explicit visual material involving depictions of children or computer-generated children — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- CSSB 992 (Nichols; Senate Bill 992) — Procedure for attorney general to approve/deny agency contracts for outside legal services — Passed final passage: 30 ayes, 1 nay.
- CSSB 25 (Kolkhorst) — Health and nutrition standards; labeling; advisory committee — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- CSSB 25 companion items/amendments — Multiple floor amendments adopted (ingredient list, on-site ready-to-eat exemption, CE for nurses/PAs) — adopted by voice/roll as described on floor.
- CSSB 314 (Hughes) — Prohibiting certain additives from free or reduced-price school meals — Passed final passage: 30 ayes, 1 nay.
- CSSB 260 (committee substitute for Senate Bill 260) — School safety allotment changes to the Foundation School Program — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- SB 1145 (Birdwell) — Transferring permitting authority for land application of produced water to TCEQ — Final vote recorded in transcript as 21 ayes, 0 nays (transcript block shows 21 ayes).
- CSSB 293 (Huffman) — Judicial discipline, notice of certain reprimands, compensation, and retirement benefits — Passed final passage: 30 ayes, 1 nay.
- SB 869 (Bettencourt) — Deadlines for Texas Ethics Commission to resolve certain complaints — Passed final passage: 31 ayes, 0 nays.
- SB 384 (Flores) — Allowing donations to Operation Game Thief when purchasing hunting/fishing license — Final roll call as shown on the transcript is unclear (scribe recorded an irregular tally); transcript earlier recorded suspension vote of 31 ayes for rule suspension. (Final tally on the transcript is inconsistent; not specified here.)
- Nominations committee report — 66 nominees reported and confirmed: recorded as 31 ayes, 0 nays.

Notes and caveats: (1) Tallies and procedural details are taken directly from the Senate floor transcript supplied. Where the transcript contains inconsistent or unclear numbers (for example, one passage that lists “41 ayes” on a chamber of 31 members), this summary flags those entries as inconsistent and does not invent a corrected number. (2) The list includes committee substitutes and floor amendments adopted on the floor; it does not attempt to reproduce bill text changes adopted by amendment beyond the floor summary. (3) Bills that received extended debate or multiple related bills (for example several bills addressing AI/deepfake child imagery) are covered in separate articles that provide fuller context.

The measures listed above were recorded on the March 12 Senate floor and, where recorded as passed, were transmitted to the House for further action.","Summary of formal roll-call outcomes and committee confirmations recorded on the Senate floor on March 12, 2025, including a list of bills and resolutions adopted and the vote tallies as shown in the transcript.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate approves judicial pay increase tied to accountability reforms; debate exposes concern over transparency vs. punitive oversight

Senate adopts trio of bills criminalizing AI-generated child sexual imagery and deepfake explicit media

Senate advances nutrition and school-food package, approving Kolkhorst labeling measure and school-meal additive ban

Votes at a glance: Texas Senate floor actions on March 12, 2025