Senator Perry told the committee that the substitute to House Bill 20, titled the Disaster Scam Response Act, would create new criminal offenses for the most serious disaster‑related scams, enhance penalties for volunteers who steal from disaster victims, and give certain victims the right to recover triple damages and attorney fees.

Why it matters: Committee sponsors said the bill responds to fraud that proliferated after recent flooding, including cases where scammers contacted families of missing persons and demanded ransom. The committee substitute narrows and refines the engrossed bill’s provisions and adds requirements for counties and cities to designate nonprofit organizations or banks to receive donations during declared disasters and to publish that information on official websites while a disaster declaration is in effect.

Key actions and outcome

- The committee substitute was adopted without objection and the motion that the committee substitute do pass was carried in a roll call (9–0). The clerk recorded nine ayes and zero nays; the bill will be reported favorably to the full Senate.

Testimony and content

- Senator Perry described examples of disaster scams and said the bill was intended to send a strong message that Texas will not tolerate the exploitation of disaster victims. The substitute focuses on criminal penalties for the most serious frauds and on administrative steps for local governments to reduce the chance of donation scams during declared disasters.

Ending

With a unanimous committee vote, HB 20 as amended (committee substitute) moves to the full Senate for further consideration.