Texas House bill by Rep. Villalobos mandates destruction of genetic material after paternity tests

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Denise Villalobos seeks to ensure the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services promptly destroys genetic material and deletes genetic information following paternity tests to protect individual privacy, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 48 Democrats and 83 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 11 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted in favor, also with no opposing votes.

Denise Villalobos introduced the bill in the Texas House on Tuesday, March 11, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Villalobos graduated from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2015 with a BA.

Villalobos, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2025 to represent the state’s 34th House district, replacing previous state representative Abel Herrero.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the retention of certain genetic material and genetic information by the Department of Family and Protective Services’.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill mandates that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services must promptly destroy any genetic material and delete all genetic information gleaned from paternity tests once the intended analysis is completed. It defines genetic material as specimens such as blood containing DNA and genetic information as details derived from genetic analysis of an individual or their family. Furthermore, by Jan. 1, 2026, the department is required to destroy all genetic material and delete related genetic information in compliance with the new regulations. The bill is set to take effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (Republican – District 98) and Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson (Republican – District 23).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Sunday, May 25, and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday, June 20.

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.