Texas House bill by Rep. Meyer prohibits collection of identity theft debts

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Morgan Meyer aims to prevent creditors from collecting debts incurred by identity theft victims and seeks to protect consumers from fraudulent debt claims, according to the Texas Legislature website.

In the House, 54 Democrats and 81 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.

Morgan Meyer introduced the bill in the Texas House on Monday, March 10, during the 89th regular legislative session.

Meyer graduated from Southern Methodist University with a BA and again from Washington and Lee University School of Law with a JD.

Meyer, a Republican, was elected to the Texas State House in 2015 to represent the state’s 108th House district, replacing previous state representative Dan Branch.

According to the Texas Legislature, the bill’s official text was summarized as follows: ‘Relating to the collection of consumer debt incurred by certain individuals as a result of identity theft’.

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

In essence, this bill addresses the collection of consumer debt incurred by victims of identity theft. It prohibits creditors and debt collectors from attempting to collect such debts if the victim provides a criminal complaint, court order, or identity theft report identifying the fraudulent debt. Creditors must cease collection efforts, notify previous debt report recipients, and are prohibited from selling the debt, except to pursue collection from the identity theft perpetrator. Creditors may file suit if they believe a debt dispute is based on misrepresentation by the debtor, requiring proof the debtor is not a victim. The bill allows actions to collect from the identity thief and takes effect Sept. 1, 2025.

The bill was co-authored by Rep. Stan Lambert (Republican – District 71) and Rep. Mihaela Plesa (Democrat – District 70).

The bill received its final legislative approval on Friday, May 23, 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.