Today, Humane World Action Fund releases the 2025 Texas Humane Scorecard. The resource clearly marks how the current class of state representatives in Austin measure up on enacting compassionate policies.

In a time where state legislatures are increasingly divisive, Texas lawmakers worked across the aisle to pass multiple pro-animal bills into law. These new protections will increase accountability for negligent trainers, boarders, and groomers; empower counties to prohibit roadside animal sales; and establish a new revenue stream for low-cost spay/neuter services across the state.

The 2025 Texas Humane Scorecard evaluates where individual legislators stood on each of these critical pieces of legislation. Now, we’re asking you to use this tool to determine which lawmakers to thank and which lawmakers to hold accountable.

Using the scorecard

The 2025 Texas Humane Scorecard includes the following pro-animal bills:

• Pancho’s Law (HB 285): A ✓ indicates a vote for HB 285, “Pancho’s Law." Named in memory of Pancho, a dog killed while in the care of a trainer, this new law closes a long-standing loophole in Texas’ animal cruelty statute by allowing prosecution of acts of cruelty committed with criminal negligence. Previously, even cases involving clear harm to animals often went unpunished, leaving negligent trainers, boarders, and groomers without accountability. HB 285 ensures more cases can be addressed in court while safeguarding veterinary professionals acting within the scope of their duties. Pancho’s Law was sponsored by Rep. Claudia Ordaz (D-79) and passed into law.
• Roadside Animal Sales Ban in Border Counties (HB 2731): A ✓ indicates a vote for HB 2731, a bill allowing certain counties to prohibit the transient sale of non-livestock animals, such as cats and dogs sold in parking lots or on roadsides. These sales often result in impulse purchases of animals that are sick, poorly bred, or sourced from unregulated sellers, many of which end up surrendered to already overburdened shelters. By enabling border counties, including Webb, El Paso, Cameron, and Hidalgo, to stop these sales, the law helps reduce animal suffering and promotes responsible pet acquisition. A broader provision to allow counties with 500,000 or more residents to opt in was removed before passage. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Juan Hinojosa (D-20) and Rep. Sergio Muñoz (D-36) and passed into law.
• “Spay. Neuter. Adopt.” License Plate Program (SB 1568): A ✓ indicates a vote for SB 1568, a bill creating a new “Spay. Neuter. Adopt.” specialty license plate alongside the existing “Animal-Friendly” plate. The plate delivers a clear message promoting responsible pet ownership while directing $22 from each sale to a state fund for low-cost spay/neuter services across Texas, with priority for rural and underserved areas. This program, paired with the Legislature’s $13 million spay/neuter pilot appropriation, will significantly expand access and help reduce pet overpopulation. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-21) and Rep. Pat Curry (R-56) and passed into law.
• Roadside Animal Sales Ban in Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties (HB 2012): A ✓ indicates a vote for HB 2012, a bill granting Montgomery and Fort Bend Counties the authority to prohibit the roadside and parking lot sale of live animals in unincorporated areas. These sales, often involving cats and dogs from unsafe, unregulated sources, can lead to animal suffering, consumer deception, and increased shelter intakes. By targeting these high-population counties, each adjacent to Harris County, this law closes a loophole in state law, helps curb inhumane sales practices, and supports more responsible pet acquisition. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-4), Rep. Cecil Bell (R-3), and Rep. Janis Holt (R-18) and passed into law.

About our methodology

Humane World Action Fund acknowledges the limitations of judging legislators based simply on a few votes on animal issues, however important those issues are. In some cases, legislators must miss votes for unavoidable reasons, such as a death in the family, serious illness, the birth of a child or an emergency in their district. On other occasions, they might take the view that a well-intentioned bill includes problematic language or has unintended legal consequences and decline to support it.

There are many other reasons why a legislator might vote a certain way — and sometimes not the way you would like. That’s all the more incentive to engage with elected officials directly and ask them about their positions on various animal issues.

Finally, in assessing the record of your legislators, and your strategy for engaging them in the future, do consider unrecorded matters such as relevant committee participation and performance, House or Senate leadership posts, constituent engagement and responsiveness, and their votes on other animal protection bills not included in this scorecard.

In Texas, we have many wins to celebrate this year. And we can keep making progress by using the scorecard to educate ourselves and others on the animal protection records of our representatives. Remember, both chambers of the state legislature are up for election in 2026. We urge you to review the 2025 Texas Humane Scorecard and take political action to continue fighting for the end of animal cruelty.

The full 2025 Texas Humane Scorecard is online along with other scorecards at humaneaction.org/state-scorecards.