Texas HB 63 (2023): No More Anonymous Reports to the DFPS Hotline

This bill is law. It took effect September 1, 2023.

The short answer

HB 63 ended anonymous reports to the DFPS abuse and neglect hotline. A person who reports must now give their name and phone number, and that identity stays confidential. If someone reports anonymously to the police instead and the report is sent to DFPS, DFPS must tell the parent who the investigator is and give a written summary of rights before acting on it. The Governor signed it on June 9, 2023.

What it changes

What a report must include. A person making a report must give, if known, the facts that led them to believe a child was abused or neglected and where that information came from. They must also give their name, telephone number and home address. A person who reports as a professional gives a business address and profession instead of a home address.

No anonymous hotline reports. If a caller to the DFPS hotline will not give a name and phone number, the DFPS worker must tell them three things:

• DFPS is not authorized to accept an anonymous report.
• They may report to any local or state law enforcement agency instead.
• The identity of a person who reports is confidential and may be shared only in limited ways, such as with law enforcement for a criminal investigation.

Recorded reports and a warning. When a report is made by phone or in person, the caller must be told the report is being recorded, and that making a false report is a crime punishable as a state jail felony or a third degree felony. The agency must make an audio recording of the report.

Who at DFPS can see the reporter's name. Only DFPS employees directly involved in the case, their supervisors, or employees with another legitimate professional reason may see who made a report.

Anonymous reports made to the police. If a person reports anonymously to a local or state law enforcement agency and that agency refers it to DFPS, DFPS must do a "preliminary investigation." That is a first look to see whether any evidence backs up the report. Before taking any action on it, a DFPS representative must give the parent or legal custodian:

• information about who the representative is;
• the written summary of DFPS investigation procedures and the person's rights (the summary required by Tex. Fam. Code §261.307); and
• a reasonable amount of time to read it.

In the current Family Code, this rule appears in Tex. Fam. Code §261.307(b-1). See Your Rights When Texas CPS Contacts You (Family Code §261.307).

Which laws it affects

• Family Code §261.104: what a report must contain, and the notices to callers.
• Family Code §261.201: who at DFPS may see the identity of a person who reports.
• Family Code §261.304(a): preliminary investigation of anonymous reports referred by law enforcement.
• Tex. Fam. Code §261.307: HB 63 added the notice DFPS must give before acting on a preliminary investigation, now at Tex. Fam. Code §261.307(b-1).

Related

• The Texas CPS Investigation Process, Step by Step (Family Code §§261.301–261.302)
• Your Rights When Texas CPS Contacts You (Family Code §261.307)
• How to Get Your CPS Case Records in Texas
• Texas HB 730 (2023): Rights Notices, Investigation Limits and Safety Placements: the 2023 law that rewrote the first-contact rights notice in §261.307
• Texas SB 1141 (2025): Court Must Confirm CPS Gave Rights Notices: the 2025 law requiring the court to confirm that notices were given