The bill, S.B. No. 1953, amends various sections of the Health and Safety Code and the Transportation Code in Texas to mandate the inclusion of a person's biological sex on government documents, including birth and death certificates, as well as identification cards. Specifically, it introduces new requirements for birth certificates to include a space for recording a child's biological sex as either male or female, and it stipulates that this information must be reported to local registrars. Additionally, the bill allows for amendments to birth certificates when a child's biological sex is determined later due to atypical or ambiguous sex characteristics. It also establishes that death certificates must reflect the decedent's biological sex as determined at birth and prohibits the issuance of certificates that contradict this information.

Furthermore, the bill requires that applications for personal identification certificates and driver's licenses include a space for the applicant's biological sex, and it mandates that this information be clearly labeled on the issued documents. The bill also outlines specific conditions under which amendments to biological sex information on birth and death certificates can occur, ensuring that such changes are limited to clerical errors or corrections based on later determinations of sex. The changes will take effect on September 1, 2025, and the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission is tasked with implementing the necessary rules to enforce these amendments.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 192.002, Health and Safety Code 192.003, Health and Safety Code 192.011, Health and Safety Code 193.001, Transportation Code 521.101, Transportation Code 521.121, Transportation Code 521.142, Transportation Code 522.021, Transportation Code 522.030 (Health and Safety Code 193, Health and Safety Code 192, Transportation Code 521, Transportation Code 522)