According to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), HB 2000 is not expected to have a significant fiscal impact on the state of Texas. The bill modifies the statutory framework by adding child grooming (Penal Code §15.032) to the list of offenses requiring registration as a sex offender. While this change may increase the number of individuals subject to registration requirements, the analysis assumes that any additional administrative costs associated with implementing and managing these new registrants can be absorbed within the existing operational capacity of state agencies, particularly the Texas Department of Public Safety​.

Similarly, the bill is not anticipated to create a meaningful fiscal burden on local governments. Local law enforcement agencies are already responsible for monitoring sex offenders residing in their jurisdictions, and adding a new qualifying offense is unlikely to significantly alter their caseloads or require new resources. The existing infrastructure and processes for sex offender registration and monitoring are presumed to be sufficient to accommodate any minor increase in responsibilities.

In summary, HB 2000 has no measurable fiscal impact on state or local budgets. The legislation’s operational demands are considered marginal and manageable within current resource allocations, making it a cost-neutral policy change in terms of governmental expenditure.

HB 2000 presents a narrowly tailored, public safety-oriented amendment to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure by adding the offense of child grooming to the list of convictions that require registration as a sex offender. This legislative response was prompted by the tragic 2024 murder of 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham. The perpetrator, Don McDougal, had a prior conviction for enticing a child—behavior that under current law would now qualify as “child grooming,” a new offense codified after his initial conviction. However, that offense was not originally included in the state’s sex offender registration framework. This bill seeks to correct that gap by making child grooming a reportable conviction.

The bill is consistent with all five core liberty principles. It promotes Individual Liberty and Personal Responsibility by ensuring that individuals who exploit children are publicly accountable and monitored after conviction. It upholds Limited Government by using existing law enforcement and registration systems without expanding state authority or funding needs—confirmed by the Legislative Budget Board’s finding of no significant fiscal impact. Free Enterprise and Private Property Rights are unaffected, as the legislation does not regulate economic activity or authorize government intrusion into private property.

In sum, HB 2000 addresses a legislative oversight in a focused, constitutionally sound manner, ensures the protection of vulnerable children, and does so without fiscal burden or expansion of government power. As such, Texas Policy Research recommends that lawmakers vote YES on HB 2000.

• Individual Liberty: The bill enhances the protection of vulnerable individuals, particularly minors, by identifying and tracking those convicted of child grooming. While it imposes additional legal obligations on certain offenders through mandatory sex offender registration, these requirements are triggered only after due process and conviction for a specific criminal act. The protection of children from predatory behavior is a foundational component of preserving the liberty of all individuals. Therefore, the bill supports this principle by helping ensure that Texans, especially minors, can live free from coercion or abuse.

• Personal Responsibility: By adding child grooming to the list of offenses that require sex offender registration, the bill holds individuals more accountable for conduct that is preparatory to more serious criminal offenses. This policy reinforces the idea that harmful actions, particularly those targeting children, carry long-term consequences. It encourages individuals to bear full responsibility for violating societal norms and legal protections designed to safeguard the most vulnerable.

• Free Enterprise: The bill does not directly regulate business activity, commerce, or economic freedom. While inclusion on the sex offender registry may indirectly affect an individual’s employability or housing options, these impacts stem from private sector decisions and public safety concerns rather than government interference in the marketplace. As such, there is no infringement on the free enterprise principle.

• Private Property Rights: The bill does not involve eminent domain, seizure of property, zoning, or other government action affecting landowners or tenants. The registration requirements are administrative and informational. No government authority is created or expanded that would infringe upon the right to acquire, use, or dispose of private property.

• Limited Government: Though it adds a new offense to the list of registrable crimes, the bill does so without creating new bureaucracies, criminalizing additional conduct, or granting expansive rulemaking authority. The implementation of the law relies on existing systems and agencies, such as the Department of Public Safety, and imposes no significant fiscal burden on the state or local governments. Thus, the expansion of government oversight is minimal and justified by the legitimate state interest in protecting children. The bill maintains the principle of a government limited in scope but effective in function.

• SB 1193 (Same As)