HB 48

"🟡 HB 48 – Texas Just Created a Special Law Enforcement Unit for Oilfields. Here’s Why We Should Pay Attention.

At first glance, HB 48 looks like a smart response to a real problem: organized theft in Texas oilfields. Cartels and criminal groups have been known to steal equipment, hijack vehicles, and even use oil company assets to smuggle drugs or people under the radar. That’s not just theft—it’s a national security risk.

So the Legislature passed HB 48, which creates a brand-new unit inside the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to investigate oilfield theft. It’ll be based in the El Paso border region but have statewide authority. The unit can set up satellite offices, coordinate with other agencies, build a centralized theft-tracking database, and launch public outreach campaigns.

Sounds proactive, right? It is. But here’s where things get murky.

HB 48 gives a lot of power to DPS—with very little public oversight.

* There’s no public reporting requirement for the database being created.
* There’s no audit mechanism to make sure this unit is targeting cartel networks—not just chasing down missing valves or guarding pipelines.
* The bill creates a permanent obligation, but funding is temporary and modest (\$2.3 million over two years, and then… who knows?).
* The authority to expand offices across Texas sits with an internal commission—not voters, counties, or local law enforcement.

Even more importantly—it prioritizes oilfield assets above everything else.

If a cartel uses a stolen tanker to smuggle fentanyl through a small town school zone, that’s a public crisis.
But HB 48 only mandates protection when it’s oil or equipment that’s threatened—not when it’s Texans.

Who pushed for this?
The oil and gas industry showed up strong: TXOGA, TIPRO, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Devon Energy.
Law enforcement unions backed it too, because it means new jobs and task forces.

But everyday Texans? Rural landowners? Border communities?
They weren’t at the table when this unit was designed. And right now, they’re not guaranteed any protection from it either.

This bill could do good—but only if it’s used wisely.

It *could* stop cartel smuggling through stolen rigs.
It *could* disrupt human trafficking operations masked as oil deliveries.
But that’s not guaranteed. And the bill doesn’t require it.

If this is a pilot program for strategic, intelligence-driven security in high-risk corridors—great.
Let’s expand it to protect schools, clinics, and neighborhoods too.
But if this becomes a model for publicly funded security for private industry—with no transparency, no oversight, and no accountability—we’ll look back and wonder why we didn’t raise questions now.

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Quick ask, y’all—likes help the algorithm, but shares are what get the truth out.

If this bill affects you, your kids, your patients, your neighbors—please share it.

Too many Texans don’t know what’s being signed into law. And if we don’t share it, they won’t hear it. These bills move quietly. The consequences don’t.

It’s not about going viral. It’s about making sure the people who need to know—do know.

So if this post made you pause, think, or get fired up… don’t just like it. Send it. Share it. Say something.

🟡 #HB48 #TexasPolicy #OilfieldSecurity #BorderIssues #KnowYourLaws
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