Rep. Nate Schatzline introduced HB 5550, a bill on Courts and Criminal Procedure, to the Texas House on Friday, March 14 during the 89(R) legislative session, according to the Texas Legislature website.
More specifically, the official text was summarized by the state legislature as ’’relating to the role of a jury in a criminal case’’.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
This bill amends the Code of Criminal Procedure in Texas to clarify the role of the jury in criminal cases. It allows jurors to decide not to apply a law if judged unjust or unjustly applied, enabling them to find a defendant not guilty or guilty of a lesser offense, despite the law. Defendants have the right to inform juries about this power. Courts must permit defendants to present evidence, such as the law’s merit or the defendant’s intent, while the state can counter with similar evidence. Any failure to allow defendants this right may lead to a mistrial. The changes apply to juries empaneled from Sept. 1, 2025.
Nate Schatzline, a member of the House Committee on Corrections, proposed another 69 bills during the 89(R) legislative session. He is also a member of the House Committee on Human Services.
Schatzline graduated from Southwestern Assemblies of God University with a BS.
Nate Schatzline is currently serving in the Texas State House, representing the state’s 93rd House district. He replaced previous state representative Matt Krause in 2023.
Bills in Texas go through a multi-step legislative process, including committee review, debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching a final decision. Each session, there are typically thousands of bills introduced, but only a portion successfully navigate the process to become law.
You can read more about the bills and other measures here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| HB 5547 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the prosecution and punishment for the offense of trafficking of persons; increasing a criminal penalty |
| HB 5542 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the eligibility of a person to serve as sheriff |
| HB 5539 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the provision of adoption cost information by a licensed child-placing agency |
| HB 5401 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the applicability of sex offender registration requirements to certain felonies based on the offense initially charged in the case |
| HB 5302 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the Texas Post-adoption Assistance Program |
| HB 5283 | 03/14/2025 | Relating to the operations of the Texas Military Department |
| HB 5104 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to membership in and fees collected by the State Bar of Texas and to disciplinary procedures for licensed attorneys |
| HB 4976 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to age verification requirements for digital service providers |
| HB 4969 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to remedies for a cause of action brought by a child welfare services provider for an adverse action taken against the provider in violation of the provider’s rights of conscience |
| HB 4968 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to the substitution of a county sales and use tax for all or a portion of property taxes imposed by certain counties; authorizing the imposition of a tax |
| HB 4965 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to voter information provided by political subdivisions before an election to authorize the issuance of bonds |
| HB 4964 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to eligibility requirements for early voting by mail |
| HB 4786 | 03/13/2025 | Relating to repeal of provisions requiring a school district to reduce its local revenue level in excess of entitlement |
| HB 4201 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to the locations where a handgun license holder may carry a handgun |
| HB 4199 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to requiring the partisan elections of officers for each political subdivision of this state in even-numbered years |
| HB 4190 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to an annual audit of attendance credit purchased by a school district and the refund of attendance credit used for a prohibited purpose |
| HB 4189 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to content filters provided by Internet service providers |
| HB 4185 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to the election of the commissioner of education |
| HB 4183 | 03/10/2025 | Relating to a prohibition on instruction regarding abortion in public schools; creating a criminal offense |
| HB 4096 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to a limitation on the salary of school administrators of school districts |
| HB 4059 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to requiring a voter to be affiliated with a political party to vote in that party’s primary election; creating a criminal offense; authorizing a civil penalty |
| HB 4056 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to school district policies regarding the selection, removal, and replacement of library materials |
| HB 4047 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to the use of paper ballots in conducting an election |
| HB 4043 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to a limitation on the frequency with which an appraisal district may reappraise property for ad valorem tax purposes |
| HB 4040 | 03/07/2025 | Relating to prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion practices at school districts; authorizing an administrative penalty |
| HB 3957 | 03/06/2025 | Relating to prohibited discrimination based on a child’s immunization status; authorizing administrative penalties |
| HB 3854 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the reporting of child abuse or neglect |
| HB 3842 | 03/05/2025 | Relating to the prohibited display of certain flags in governmental buildings or on governmental property; providing a civil penalty |
| HB 3759 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to the emergency possession of certain abandoned children by designated emergency infant care providers and the termination of parental rights to those children |
| HB 3758 | 03/04/2025 | Relating to admissibility and disclosure of certain evidence in a suit concerning a child alleged to have been abused or neglected or to be at risk of abuse or neglect filed by a governmental entity |
| HB 3616 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to prohibiting social transitioning assistance to minors by employees of governmental entities, including public schools, and health care facilities; authorizing civil penalties and loss of school funding |
| HB 3615 | 03/03/2025 | Relating to the use by certain public entities of public funds for lobbying and certain other activities |
| HB 3480 | 02/27/2025 | Relating to a required provision in certain governmental entity contracts regarding the carrying of handguns by license holders |
| HB 3411 | 02/26/2025 | Relating to prohibiting a public school teacher from supporting a student’s gender transition |
| HB 3400 | 02/26/2025 | Relating to the definition of a designated law enforcement office or agency for purposes of certain laws governing the installation and use of tracking equipment and access to certain communications |
| HB 2821 | 02/13/2025 | Relating to county diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives |
| HB 2770 | 02/13/2025 | Relating to municipal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives |
| HB 2682 | 02/11/2025 | Relating to the establishment of the Texas Adoption Assistance Program |
| HB 2274 | 01/30/2025 | Relating to the creation of a commission to review and make recommendations regarding certain penal laws of this state and to certain criminal offenses previously compiled in statutes outside the Penal Code; increasing criminal penalties; imposing a civil penalty |
| HB 2052 | 01/23/2025 | Relating to increasing the minimum term of imprisonment for the offense of trafficking of persons |
| HB 1913 | 01/16/2025 | Relating to prohibiting a registered sex offender in certain circumstances from going within a certain distance of the residence of a victim of any offense committed by the offender for which the offender is subject to registration |
| HB 1911 | 01/16/2025 | Relating to instruction in human trafficking awareness in public schools |
| HB 1910 | 01/16/2025 | Relating to the authority of a political subdivision to regulate panhandling on public property; creating a criminal offense |
| HB 1909 | 01/16/2025 | Relating to crosswalk marking requirements |
| HB 1908 | 01/16/2025 | Relating to the carrying of a handgun while intoxicated and to the possession or carrying of a handgun by a license holder in certain locations selling or serving alcoholic beverages |
| HB 1735 | 01/06/2025 | Relating to the creation of the Texas Local Government Accountability Association; authorizing a fee |
| HB 1704 | 12/20/2024 | Relating to a parent’s right to be notified by a school district concerning acts of self-harm by the parent’s child |
| HB 1673 | 12/18/2024 | Relating to the publication of annual financial statements by a municipality |
| HB 1655 | 12/18/2024 | Relating to a policy prohibiting public school employees from assisting a student with social transitioning and to the loss of state funding for a violation by a public school |
| HB 1653 | 12/18/2024 | Relating to the prosecution of the criminal offense of possession or promotion of child pornography |
