HB 638 — Counting Pre-Sentence Jail Time
Texas would count jail and prison time before sentencing toward the sentence.
Filed 11/09/2026, HB 638 would would count jail and prison time before sentencing toward the sentence.
Most of the writing here is about county jails, where people are held before conviction. That is the room a jail bill changes, and the record it either creates or withholds.
What the report shows
The House report for 11/09/2026 lists HB 638 under author Moody, with this caption: “Relating to credit toward a defendant's sentence for time confined in jail or prison before sentencing.” Nothing in the report lists a committee, a vote, or a hearing, so this summary does not add any.
What it would mean
Read simply, the caption covers one subject: the jail and custody question named in it. The report does not list money amounts, dates other than the filing date, or any agency findings, and this summary does not supply them. The caption itself: “Relating to credit toward a defendant's sentence for time confined in jail or prison before sentencing.”
Author: Moody. Filed: 11/09/2026.
What to watch next
This bill is at the filing stage. The history page linked below is the place to check for committee action, and until there is action there, no one can say what the law will be.
Sources: Texas Legislature, Today's Filed Bills in the House (11/09/2026), HB 638 caption and author; Bill history for HB 638.