H.B. 465 Juvenile Court Amendments

What this bill does

This bill would let a juvenile court judge suspend up to five days of a juvenile's sentence while the youth completes an alternative such as treatment or community service. If the youth does not finish, the judge could bring those suspended days back, and for a second offense during a first-offense diversion period the judge could suspend up to 30 days.

Plain-English summary written by AI from the sponsor’s presentation in committee and on the floor. Check the official text below.

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Every vote

• 11 yes, 0 noHouse Judiciary Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 11, 2026Who voted how
• 65 yes, 0 no, 10 absentFinal House vote · Feb 19, 2026Who voted how
• 6 yes, 0 no, 3 absentSenate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee: vote to change the bill · Feb 26, 2026Who voted how
• 6 yes, 0 no, 3 absentSenate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee: vote to approve it · Feb 26, 2026Who voted how

Hearings and debates

• Feb 11, 2026 House Judiciary Committee▶ Watch
  Transcript (9 turns)

  1. Committee chair50:19

     HB 4 6 5 Juvenile court amendments from Representative er. Would you like to present from there? Yeah. Perfect. Alright.

  2. Rep. Tiara Auxier50:27

     Thank you so much. Alright. Um, so this might be a shock to all of you, but I have no background in judiciary things. I'm a tax accountant and so as part of my work on judiciary, I've decided to try to get to know the court process a little bit better. I've been meeting with different prosecutors and as the judiciary was going around and, um, holding different meetings for us legislators, I would go and ask what, um, different judges needed and how they felt like they needed support or what was going well and what wasn't. And one of the things I heard quite a few times was that in the juvenile justice courts, uh, there's a few more tools that they could, um, definitely use. And, um, in the adult, um, criminal track, if an adult gets a sentence, a judge can suspend their sentence while they're, um, doing some other kind of treatment. So like either treatment center or they could have an intervention of some other kind. And if they don't do it, then the judge can, um, bring that sentence back. And, um, so one of the things that some of the justices said that would be helpful is in the juvenile system, as soon as an alternative route of intervention is, um, put into place, whether it's community service hours or treatment, um, those sentences cannot be held in abeyance. And so, um, this bill, HB 4 65 would let, um, the justices hold up to five days of the sentence being suspended. And hopefully the, the process behind this isn't necessarily that we want more juveniles and in detention, but it's that there's something hanging over their head that's a motivating factor for them to do these treatment, um, interventions that have been proven to, um, help them integrate back in and, and maybe not become so high risk, but that we see a lot of kids going through this process and not learning that there are real consequences. And so by having this motivating factor hanging over their head, I'm hoping it will help them finish, um, their treatment faster and, um, just get back on with their lives rather than having to wait to have the judge issue an order to show cause and haul 'em back in, in front of, um, the courts then. And the reason why we chose five days was because that is the same amount as an order to show causes. And so right now that's what it is. Um, we're, I'm continuing to work with, um, the different stakeholder groups and I've presented this with CCJJ and, and others. And so there will be continuing, um, conversations, maybe doing a, um, graduated system based on risk. But as of right now, um, this is where we are and we'll be continuing those conversations.

  3. Committee chair53:35

     Thank you Representative Ox here. We'll go back to the committee for, uh, discussion and questions on HB 4 65. Alright. Seeing none, we'll, go ahead. Is there anyone in the room that would like to speak to this bill? Okay. Is there anyone online? Jonathan. Alright, we'll close public comments since we're seeing none in person or online. And we'll go back to the Committee for action on HB 4 65. Have us up? No. Oh, not yet. Not yet. Representative Miller?

  4. Rep. Tracy Miller54:10

     Thank you Mr. Chair. I move that we favorably recommend a HB 4 65, uh, to the house floor for their consideration.

  5. Committee chair54:19

     Alright, that motion is in order. Would you like to speak to it?

  6. Rep. Tracy Miller54:22speaker not certain

     I'll waive. Alright.

  7. Committee chair54:24

     Consider discussion on the motion to favorably approve HB 4 65. Seeing no, we'll go back to the sponsor Representative OX year for summation. Yeah,

  8. Rep. Tiara Auxier54:34

     Thank you. I think there's been a lot of discussion about the changes that have been made with juvenile justice and, and looking to see how to implement, um, a few more consequences so that when our kids turn 18, it's not such a shock to the system that they'll be being treated differently and hopefully they can work through everything they need to as, um, juveniles so they can get on with a happy, successful life.

  9. Committee chair54:57

     Alright, thank you Representative Ox here. We'll, we'll take a vote on that motion from Representative Miller. The motion is to favorably recommend HB 4 65 juvenile court amendments from representative er out of this committee. All in favor of that, please say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay, I rule out passes unanimously.

• Feb 19, 2026 House floor debate▶ Watch
  Transcript (7 turns)

  1. Speaker Pro Tem (presiding)12:39

     House bill 4 65 Juvenile court amendments by representative er. This bill was served in judiciary with the vote of 11 0 0 Representative er.

  2. Rep. Tiara Auxier12:50

     Thank you Mr. Speaker Proti. Um, this, this bill came about from a lot of, um, visits with our courts and our justices talking about some different tools that they could use. And one of the things that we learned was that, um, for adult sentences, judges are able to suspend those sentences and then also offer a different course of treatment. And if the adults don't finish that treatment, then they can bring back some of those suspended days. And right now there is no mechanism like that in juvenile courts. And so this bill, um, would help the judges have something of a motivating factor from the very beginning, helping these kids to get through their treatments or the community service or whatever was the alternative, um, course of action. And if they were not fulfilling that, then there would be this, um, up to a certain amount, which is five days of them to be able to suspend those and, and, um, motivate the kids to get their stuff done so that they don't have those five days hanging over their head anymore. And so just, just gimme some more tools in the toolbox to our justices.

  3. Speaker Pro Tem (presiding)14:02

     Thank you. Representative Ox here. Discussion to the bill? None. Representative ox here for summation.

  4. Rep. Tiara Auxier14:12

     Um, yeah, I think all of us just want, um, all of our kids getting back to their lives and getting through with the treatment that, that they've been, um, given by these judges. And if this is a way to get that done faster, then um, I would love your support. Thank you.

  5. Speaker Pro Tem (presiding)14:29

     Thank you. Representative Voxer voting is open on house Bill 4 65 Juvenile court amendments, seeing all presidents having voted voting will be closed house bill 4 65, having received 65 yay votes and zero nay votes passes the house and it'll be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration. Representative Teuscher.

  6. Rep. Jordan D. Teuscher15:46

     Thank you Mr. Speaker Pro Tim, um, I move to encircle house Bill 360 6.

  7. Speaker Pro Tem (presiding)15:52

     Thank you. Representative Teuscher moves to encircle house Bill 360 6 judicial cases,

• Feb 26, 2026 Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee▶ Watch
  Transcript (18 turns)

  1. Committee chair (presiding)2:20:28

     how long is your bill? It's so

  2. Rep. Tiara Auxier2:20:30

     Fast. It's not

  3. Committee chair (presiding)2:20:31

     Controversial. All right. Since you're here, come on in. Thank you. Um, and just limit as much as you can and then we'll go to Mikel if we have time.

  4. Rep. Tiara Auxier2:20:38

     Okay. Sounds good. Um, so I've been talking with the stakeholders on this defense prosecutors, CCJJ and, um, basically,

  5. Committee chair (presiding)2:20:46

     So House Bill 4 65?

  6. Rep. Tiara Auxier2:20:47

     Yes. You want the second sub? Second sub? Yes. Okay.

  7. Committee chair (presiding)2:20:49

     We can do the second sub. What does it do?

  8. Rep. Tiara Auxier2:20:50

     Um, it lets judges suspend five days, um, while they're doing a diversion of the regular sentence so that if the diversion doesn't work, they have those tools. I heard from lots of justices that they didn't have tools to do that. So, uh, five days for that. And then if they commit a second offense while they're still in the time period of their diversion for a first offense, it would suspend up to 30 days for that second offense. Okay. Are You aware of any opposition to the bill? No. And in fact there was in sub two I was adding something from, um, the defense who asked to make sure that it was with a notice and hearing and not a warrant. So we didn't conflate with OSC.

  9. Committee chair (presiding)2:21:29

     Okay. Does that conclude your presentation? Yes. Thank you. Um, alright.

  10. Committee chair (presiding)2:21:34

      Are the members of the public that are here to testify on second sub house bill 4 65? I'm gonna close, I'm gonna close the public hearing and bring it back to the Committee for action.

  11. Committee chair (presiding)2:21:47

      Uh, Senator Escamilla? Yep.

  12. Sen. Luz Escamilla2:21:49

      We first adopt, correct. Mr. Chairman? Yes. Make a motion that we, uh, delete embody entitled HP 4 65 and to be replaced with second sub HP 4 65.

  13. Unknown speaker2:22:01speaker not certain

      All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye.

  14. Committee chair (presiding)2:22:03

      Senator Mikel, are you in favor of that? Did we lose him?

  15. Unknown speaker2:22:07speaker not certain

      Mikel vote. Aye. Aye. Aye. That passes six to zero. Yep.

  16. Sen. Luz Escamilla2:22:12

      All right. Now we have a second motion to, Um, motion. Um, so move Mr. Chair to pass second sub P 4 65 with a favorable recommendation.

  17. Committee chair (presiding)2:22:20

      All right, Senator ml, we're now voting to pass the sub to bill that you just voted to sub I to sub. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed?

  18. Committee chair (presiding)2:22:29

      Churros that, that passes unanimity. I wait. Summation, by the way. Thank you. Thanks.