BC-Scanner · Brazoria County, Texas

25 Feet: Texas HB 1059 and SB 164

Texas House Bill 1059 and its identical companion, Senate Bill 164, would add Penal Code section 38.155. A first responder could order a person to stay 25 feet away, and approaching or remaining within 25 feet with intent to threaten, harass or interfere would be a Class B misdemeanor. BC-Scanner opposes the bill as filed and says so on this page.

What the bill does

The bill covers peace officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and parole and probation officers. It sets no condition on when the order may be given, and it does not define “interfere.” Texas already makes interfering with police, fire and EMS a Class B misdemeanor under Penal Code section 38.15, which carries a defense for speech that the new section lacks. The interactive page prints the whole bill, shows the 25 feet to scale and lists its sources.

At an immigration arrest

The bill does not mention immigration; this section does not establish either author’s motive. Texas law says federal immigration agents are not peace officers, so as filed an ICE agent could not give the 25-foot order. A Texas trooper, deputy or city officer working the same scene could, and the 25 feet is measured from that officer, not from the arrest. In Memphis, residents who film a task force that includes ICE have told a federal court that officers used Tennessee’s 25-foot law to push them back; the federal government and Tennessee dispute that. The ACLU lists the case as ongoing as of Nov 12, 2026. The page prints both sides with its sources.

Who to call

Texans can ask their own state representative and state senator to oppose the bill as filed, or to amend it to protect the right to observe and record. The page lists the Capitol offices for Brazoria County’s delegation with a short script, and points everyone else to the state’s official lookup. Confirm every phone number and the bill’s current status with the Texas Legislature before acting.

After the November 2026 election

In the Secretary of State’s unofficial returns, Democrats won a majority of the Texas House and the governor’s office, and Republicans kept the Senate. Both of Brazoria County’s House members kept their seats. To become law, one of the two bills still has to pass both chambers and be signed. Beyond the two calls, the page explains how to write a letter to the county’s newspaper, how to comment on or testify at a committee hearing once one is posted, and how to reach the governor’s and lieutenant governor’s offices after their winners take office on January 19, 2027.