H.B. No. 2918 proposes the abolishment of the state lottery in Texas, making significant amendments to the Government Code. The bill repeals Chapter 466, which governs the lottery, and removes references to the lottery in various sections related to the Texas Lottery Commission. As a result, eligibility criteria for commission members will no longer consider individuals involved in the lottery, and the commission will focus solely on overseeing bingo operations. The bill establishes a timeline for the transition of lottery-related responsibilities, with the lottery division set to be abolished by January 1, 2026. It also ensures the continued payment of lottery prizes and enforcement of penalties until all obligations are fulfilled, while mandating the Texas Lottery Commission to adopt a transition plan by October 1, 2025.

Additionally, the bill introduces amendments related to financial assistance programs, including a requirement for the vital statistics unit to match death records with individuals receiving assistance to terminate benefits for deceased individuals. It updates the definition of key state officials, replacing the "Banking Commissioner of The Banking Department of Texas" with the "banking commissioner of the Texas Department of Banking." The bill also clarifies provisions regarding the use of appropriated money for auditing state agency financial records and specifies defenses to prosecution under the Penal Code. Several sections of existing law are repealed, and the changes will apply to offenses committed on or after the effective date of September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Government Code 467.002, Government Code 467.024, Government Code 467.025, Government Code 467.031, Government Code 467.035, Government Code 467.101, Government Code 467.108, Government Code 467.111, Government Code 221.011, Government Code 434.017, Government Code 572.003, Government Code 2113.102, Penal Code 47.02, Penal Code 47.09 (Government Code 221, Government Code 467, Government Code 2113, Government Code 434, Penal Code 47, Government Code 572)