TX HB654

Allows courts to defer proceedings for up to 180 days for hunters charged with illegally harvesting mule deer or white-tailed deer where the antler spread measurement violation is one inch or less from the legal requirement

Defendants qualify for deferral only if they self-reported the violation to a game warden before leaving the hunting location, did not keep the deer carcass, have no prior convictions or dismissals under this provision, and plead guilty or no contest

Courts must dismiss the charge if the defendant successfully completes a state hunter education course during the deferral period and commits no additional wildlife violations

Dismissed charges cannot be considered a conviction for any legal purpose and cannot affect professional or occupational licenses

Courts may charge up to $10 in administrative fees plus an additional $10 fee for the course provider, with indigent defendants exempt from these fees; effective September 1, 2025