Bills / H.B. 188
H.B. 188 Juvenile Justice Amendments
- Introduced
- House committee
- House vote
- Senate committee
- Senate vote
- Signed into law
What this bill does
The bill would set clearer rules for school searches, including who may conduct them, and require schools to refer all juvenile drug offenses to law enforcement. It would allow one informal handling for possession instead of two, bar distribution from informal handling, require parent notice, and require data collection on repeat juvenile and school-based offenses.
Plain-English summary written by AI from the sponsor’s presentation in committee and on the floor. Check the official text below.
Official description
- requires a school to refer a minor to a court after a minor has allegedly committed a drug possession offense for a third time
- defines terms related to offenses committed at school
- amends the notification requirements for an offense committed by a student on school grounds
- recodifies and amends requirements related to the notification of an offense committed by a student on school grounds, including statutory provisions addressing investigations, searches, and immunity
- defines terms for juvenile programming and data reporting requirements
- addresses a minor's eligibility for a nonjudicial adjustment when a referral to a juvenile court involves certain offenses
- repeals statutes regarding notification and reporting of prohibited acts by students
- makes technical and conforming changes
- includes a coordination clause to address the cross-reference changes to drug offenses if this bill and H.B. 301, Drug Recodification, both pass and become law
Your legislators on this bill
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Every vote
- 11 yes, 0 noHouse Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee: vote to change the bill · Feb 5, 2026Who voted how
- 9 yes, 0 no, 2 absentHouse Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee: vote, which it did not pass · Feb 5, 2026Who voted how
- 8 yes, 0 no, 3 absentHouse Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee: vote to change the bill · Feb 17, 2026Who voted how
- 7 yes, 2 no, 2 absentHouse Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 17, 2026Who voted how
- 62 yes, 10 no, 3 absentFinal House vote · Feb 23, 2026Who voted how
- 3 yes, 1 no, 5 absentSenate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 27, 2026Who voted how
- 21 yes, 6 no, 2 absentFinal Senate vote · Mar 5, 2026Who voted how
Hearings and debates
- Feb 5, 2026 House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee▶ WatchRead the transcript (43 turns) →
- Feb 13, 2026 House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee
- Feb 17, 2026 House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee▶ WatchRead the transcript (35 turns) →
- Feb 23, 2026 House floor debate▶ WatchRead the transcript (5 turns) →
- Feb 27, 2026 Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee▶ WatchRead the transcript (30 turns) →
- Mar 5, 2026 Senate floor debate▶ WatchRead the transcript (10 turns) →