A Texas lawmaker’s first filed bill would create training and response rules for suspected pregnancy fraud, while making a specific use of fake pregnancy records a misdemeanor. House Bill 944, called “Reagan and Braxlynn’s Law,” was filed by Rep.-elect Chris Spencer, a Republican elected to represent House District 1, on the first day of pre-filing for the 2027 session, Texarkana Today reported.
The proposed crime is narrower than a general prohibition on falsely claiming to be pregnant. As described in the report, the bill defines pregnancy fraud as knowingly claiming pregnancy while not pregnant, but its new Class B misdemeanor would apply to knowingly showing someone a fake medical record—including an image—to make them believe a person is pregnant, when doing so is intended to help commit a felony. The proposed penalty is up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
The bill would also direct the state health department to develop at least two hours of training for practitioners who care for pregnant patients, addressing warning signs, suspected fake records, reporting, safety and de-escalation, and victim resources. Health care facilities would have to establish procedures for assessing and reporting suspected fraud, including whether it presents a credible safety threat and whether police should be contacted. Separately, the report says, new officers beginning training on or after Jan. 1, 2028, would receive a two-hour course; the proposal also assigns public-education work to state agencies. Practitioners could count the course toward up to two hours of continuing education.
Clinical evaluation and deliberate deception are not the same issue. Cleveland Clinic says providers check for pregnancy with examinations and tests such as ultrasound or urine or blood testing; that guidance concerns evaluating possible pregnancy, not identifying intentional fraud or determining how HB 944 would be applied. Cleveland Clinic’s overview of pseudocyesis provides that clinical context.
The proposal also sits alongside, but does not replace, separate Texas law concerning deaths of unborn children. Chapter 19 of the Texas Penal Code has a section specifying circumstances in which that chapter does not apply to such a death. That statutory subject is distinct from HB 944’s proposed misdemeanor for using a fabricated pregnancy record to help commit a felony. The Texas Legislature’s statute text sets out those applicability provisions.
The bill is named for Reagan Simmons-Hancock and her unborn daughter, Braxlynn. Taylor Parker killed Simmons-Hancock, 21, at her New Boston home on Oct. 9, 2020, when she was about 35 weeks pregnant. Parker had represented herself as pregnant for months; the baby was delivered after the attack and later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to Texarkana Today. A Bowie County jury convicted Parker of capital murder and sentenced her to death in 2022. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the sentence in November 2025, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear her case in May, the outlet reported; she has no execution date.
HB 944 would take effect Sept. 1, 2027, if enacted. Texarkana Today reported that no Senate companion had been filed as of Tuesday and that the bill was expected to be referred to a House committee when the session convenes Jan. 12, 2027. Filing is an initial step, not a guarantee of a hearing or passage.
